Farmer cleared of killing biker who rode over his land
A FARMER was cleared yesterday of killing an offroad biker in a chase across his land.
Timothy Wolfe, 63, admitted pursuing Gary Greaves and four other motorcyclists he had spotted in a field.
But he said he wanted to remonstrate with the five men and force them off his farm without seeking to injure any of them.
Mr Greaves, 48, was hit by the farmer’s Land Rover during the chase and died when the vehicle rolled on top of him.
A jury took less than two hours to decide Mr Wolfe was not guilty of manslaughter and also clear him of a charge of injuring a second motorcyclist.
The six- day trial raised questions about farmers’ rights to protect their land and property – i ssues highlighted in t he case of Norfolk f armer Tony Martin, who shot and killed a burglar in 1999.
Mr Wolfe told the jury police had done nothing despite ten years of incursions by motorcyclists on his arable and cattle farm near Petersfield in Hampshire.
Of the fatal day, the married father- of-two told the jury: ‘My intention was to get them off my ground ... and with the idea of giving them a good b******ing.’
The motorcyclists were said to have been ‘green laning’ – driving on unsurfaced roads without deliberately trespassing.
The court heard they were lost and crossed Mr Wolfe’s field to find their way again.
Mr Wolfe was driving to a Portsmouth football match when he spotted them and gave chase.
The prosecution alleged he drove ‘recklessly, irresponsibly and too close and too fast’ to the bikers on a ‘muddy and greasy’ farm track.
The jury did not agree. They accepted his explanation that his driving was not dangerous and that he had rounded a corner on the slippery track and come upon the group, colliding in a ‘glancing blow’ with Mr Greaves.
His Land Rover Discovery then toppled over, pinning the 48-yearold builder to the ground.
The other riders managed to push the vehicle off the married father-of-one from Arundel in West Sussex but were unable to save his life.
A post-mortem examination found he had a lung condition which was a factor in his death in October 2010.
Mr Wolfe showed no emotion as the jury found him not guilty of the manslaughter of Mr Greaves, and cleared him of a second charge of causing actual bodily harm to another rider, Andrew Kirkpatrick, by wanton and furious driving.
Mr Wolfe, a farmer for more than 40 years, made no comment as he left Winchester Crown Court.