Two men from Kent have admitted to a shocking case of animal cruelty after a sheep was violently killed on the South Downs last year.
Leighton Ashby, 31, of Beckett Road, Ashford, and Oakley Hollands, 20, of Mussenden Lane, Horton Kirby, travelled to a field near Ditchling Beacon on the evening of 2 November 2023, where they began chasing sheep.
The court heard that the pair caught one sheep and subjected it to a brutal attack, using explosive “bangers” to inflict catastrophic injuries. The animal’s suffering was recorded on Hollands’ phone, which also contained other disturbing footage of attacks on live and deceased animals.
Investigators later discovered the sheep’s ear tags at a nearby property linked to Ashby, believed to have been taken from the scene.
The attack was reported to Sussex Police on 6 November. Within two days, officers had arrested both men, charging them with causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal.
At Brighton Magistrates’ Court on 7 August, Ashby and Hollands both pleaded guilty. They were released on bail and will be sentenced in October.
Superintendent Rachel Swinney condemned the crime, describing it as “an appalling act of cruelty on a defenceless animal, filmed by the perpetrators for their own gratification.” She added that police had worked closely with local farmers to reassure the rural community and vowed to continue tackling rural crime.
The case has left residents in shock, with farmers warning that such acts not only cause distress but also threaten the welfare of livestock across the Downs.
