Farmers, firearms, dead Dachshunds and armed police - just another day in The Fens

Farmer threatened my dogs with a shotgun then left my Dachshund dead under wheels of his van: Financier claims his puppies were attacked in a row over trespassing.

THESE are headlines from the Daily Mail's website, Mail Online, the world's biggest news website. Fenland has been thrust into the spotlight for all the wrong reasons - and all because of the actions of a man who has been terrorising villagers for decades.

The Mail are sometimes accused of getting it wrong. Not this time. They are bang on. Down the years, the farmer in question - referred to in an earlier post as Despisely - has verbally and physically threatened people; he has driven at them and some claim he has knocked them over; more menacingly, he has threatened to shoot dogs and basically tries to turn the clock back to medieval England every time he sees a dog walker on or close to one of the bridleways which crisscross his land. Land used for growing crops, not rearing livestock.

SURVIVOR: Mr Bojangles was the lucky to survive an attack 
by the farmer ... not so his sibling, Misty.  

I have no hesitation in making these statements without so much as an alleged because he has threatened me, driven at me and my wife and once even winged her with his car as he tried to run over our then Labrador puppy.

So to learn he had killed a Dachshund, not the fiercest of dogs, and injured another came as no surprise. In fact, even he is not disputing he killed the dog. OK, so people with dogs sometimes do stray into areas technically forbidden to the public in the village, but they do no damage, mean no harm and go quietly about their business. Unlike Despisely who completely loses his temper. Fortunately, this short-fused old man no longer has his deadly firearms.

I became aware of the shocking incident while walking my dogs when I came across several laminated posters. At that stage one dog had been killed and the other had disappeared in the fields, injured. It really was was a stomach-churning moment to read the harsh facts after all the run-ins I and so many other people have had with this farmer. Fortunately, the lost dog was soon found although he was slightly injured... nowhere near this spot.

Both sides of this sordid tale involving firearms, dead animals, police armed with TASER guns are told in the weblink below. Armed police arrived, an arrest was made but no charges were laid. Bearing in mind what I have already mentioned, please believe me when I say one person's story is complete tosh. Furthermore, please read the subheading about farmer's rights. Farmers are only permitted to kill dogs on their land if they have sound reasons for believing livestock would be threatened. This, by the way, is on arable land although to be fair, Despisely does have a pig-breeding unit by his house at the other side of the village.

However, I understand he has a piece of land the locals refer to as the reservoir, which he sets to one side for wildlife and birds, hence his claims that the dog walker was 'hunting for egrets'. Absolutely laughable. Presumably this well-meaning farmer, who looks like an amiable grandfather, receives a grant for this piece of land, a sort of mini reserve. No surprise there, then. So to be outraged when people walk along the reservoir with their dogs would be reasonable, you might think. But wait; the same person also allows trusties to fish there, to swim there and for relatives to party on the banks. Indeed, a jetty, a couple of canoes (and empty beer bottles) do give the game away somewhat. Wonder if he would be entitled to that grant if the authorities knew about such shenanigans?

The link is:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2609574/Miniature-dachshund-puppy-run-killed-pig-farmer-dog-walking-row.html

or simply Google pig farmer dead Dachshund etc.

The following is from a draft I began writing a year ago after several fresh run-ins with Despisely which forced me to believe his behaviour could lead to serious trouble. I haven't altered a word about this wretched man:

SOME folk do their best to spoil the Fens. Why? Because they are a law unto themselves. This is not an uncommon trait in these parts. Take, for example, an ageing, eccentric but very rich farmer who falls out with just about everyone in this village.

Walking a dog in certain areas can be a fearful experience because he simply threatens you if you dare stray off a public path or bridleway that may cut across the vast swathes of land he either owns or rents. The same land he allows his relatives or associates to use.

We have a stretch of water referred to as the reservoir. It was created to store water which can then be used in time of drought. This used to be a popular spot for some dog walkers, but not now.

One couple tell of the time he took a gun out of his van and threatened to shoot their dog if he saw them again. He clipped my wife on a leg when he drove straight at us some years ago while we were walking down the edge of a field and often drives straight at me because I take offence at the way he bullies people. Hence, the reason for my contempt.

Others tell of arguments, threats, his bad-mouthed insults. Indeed, his grasp of profanity is second to none and, when we see each other, he invariably opens an exchange of pleasantries ... 


PS: And now for something completely different. Follow Stephen's Story on Twitter and dig into your pockets. 

PPS: Mother-law continues her steady decline as the horrifying grip of Alzheimer's becomes stronger with each passing week. She now finds it difficult to walk with ease, she struggles with her speech, doesn't always remember the names of close relatives ... and the dead are still very much alive in her confused mind. 

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