Kent Farmer Discovers Decapitated Sheep in Poacher Attack
A farmer in Kent has described the shocking moment his son discovered a decapitated sheep on their property after poachers were disturbed during a late-night raid. Clive Burgess, owner of Syndale Park Farm in Faversham, Kent, was at home when his 26-year-old son Luke went out to check on more than 300 ewes around 11pm.
Grim Discovery During Late-Night Check
Luke Burgess was riding his quadbike across the farmland when he initially spotted a shape in the distance. Believing it might be a pregnant sheep giving birth during lambing season, he approached only to make a horrifying discovery. A ewe had been slaughtered and decapitated, with the severed head placed inside a plastic bag beside the carcass.
'My son phoned me at half past eleven after his quadbike lights revealed the dead sheep with the head cut off,' said Clive Burgess, 56. 'The other sheep all started flocking together as they were startled - they all huddled up. We're in lambing season so there's also half a dozen newborn lambs being born and just left out in the open.'
Poachers Flee Scene
After finding the decapitated ewe, Luke scanned the surrounding area and discovered two newborn lambs - the offspring of the killed sheep - lying beneath three large fir trees beside two large pools of blood. Investigators believe the perpetrators slit the sheep's throat under the trees before dragging the animal approximately 100 yards toward the road.
Upon seeing the quadbike approaching, the poachers abandoned the scene and fled into the night, leaving everything behind in the field. 'I usually have a couple of lambs going missing every year that vanish into thin air,' Clive Burgess explained, 'but something like this is a new one to me. It caused mayhem - all the sheep were disturbed.'
Suspicious Activity and Police Investigation
Farm managers, who have worked at the site for four decades, later reported seeing a red car acting suspiciously nearby on the A2 road. 'As things were calming down, we noticed a car on the A2 kept going up and down,' Clive Burgess added. 'Now I'm pretty sure the police are investigating that vehicle.'
Kent Police confirmed receiving a report that a sheep had been killed in a field off Hansletts Lane in Faversham. Officers attended the scene and carried out initial inquiries, with an ongoing investigation into the incident. The farm has experienced occasional livestock disappearances in previous years, but this brutal attack represents a significant escalation in criminal activity targeting their animals.
The incident has raised concerns about rural crime during lambing season, when farms are particularly vulnerable to theft and animal cruelty. The Burgess family continues to monitor their flock closely while authorities pursue leads in the case.
