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 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.
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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.
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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.
