Court told of sheep shooting distress

Adrian Walker arrives at Cardiff Crown Court

An "inexperienced" slaughterman shot "willy-nilly, like a shooting gallery" at a field of stray sheep during the foot-and-mouth crisis, a court has heard.

Adrian Walker, 33, was employed by Monmouthshire Council to cull animals which had broken livestock movement restrictions - put in place to try and halt the spread of last year's outbreak.

Movement of sheep was restricted at the time

He was stopped from taking shots at the flock herded in a field at Gilwern, near Abergavenny, at the height of the crisis last April, after villagers raised concerns over what was happening.

The shooting was captured by a resident on a video camera and is likely to be shown to the jury later on Tuesday.

Twenty one ewes and 11 lambs had been rounded-up in a field when Mr Walker, from Grosmont, near Abergavenny, shot the first ewe near the gate.

He then started to shoot the sheep in the field from a distance of about 30 metres, said Philip Marshall, prosecuting.

The recommended distance for killing sheep through the head was at a range of 25 centimetres.

'Clearly distressed'

"Residents were watching as this was occurring," Mr Marshall said.

"Some will say that he was firing willy-nilly, like a shooting gallery," he said.

One sheep was apparently shot up to three times before it died.

After "clearly distressed" people living close to the field voiced concerns, the animals were taken to a nearby barn and killed.

Firearms certificate

Mr Marshall said the local authority had taken on Mr Walker - who denies two charges of breaching health and safety regulations - to kill stray animals during the disease outbreak.

A butcher by trade, he already had a slaughterman's licence and a firearms certificate.

He had brought a .22 calibre rifle for the marksman's job, and police had amended his firearms certificate accordingly.

But Mr Walker was inexperienced, the prosecution allege, both in using the weapon and in shooting unrestrained animals.

"He should not have agreed to the job and the county council should not have employed him," Mr Marshall told the jury.

The trial continues at Cardiff Crown Court.