Shepherd allowed sheep to intimidate neighbours

A shepherd who allowed his wayward sheep to intimidate his neighbours has admitted breaching an Asbo which banned the flock from the village. Jeremy Awdry, 59, was deprived of his ancient right to graze sheep in Bream, in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, after they were reported straying into gardens and damaging fences.

The 500-strong flock were in fact part of the "intimidation of people living in the area", prosecutor Brendon Moorhouse told Gloucester Crown Court on Monday. Awdry, who lives just outside the zone covering most of Lydney, pleaded guilty to five counts of breaching the five-year Asbo, between January and July last year. Awdry is a 'sheep badger' - someone who has the right by birth to graze sheep anywhere in the Forest.

For 500 years Forest of Dean-born commoners have been able to let their livestock graze freely, but in recent times the district and parish councils have received complaints relating to sheep mess, property damaged and the animals becoming a highway hazard.


Before he pleaded guilty today Awdry was due to stand trial on 21 counts of breaching the order, made after more than 40 complaints were submitted to Gloucestershire police. The order prohibited Awdry from threatening, or engaging in any conduct likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress to residents of Bream and Forest of Dean District Council staff.

It also banned him from intimidating or communicating with certain named individuals and prevented him from allowing sheep under his ownership or control to enter a 'designated settlement area'.

Judge William Hart said that the case did "cross the custody threshold" but because of Awdry's good character the prison sentence could be suspended. He adjourned the case for pre-sentence reports and bailed Awdry to return on the week of January 26 to learn his fate.