CONVICTED (2022) | Pawel Turbak, born 16 October 1985, of Saltney Ferry Road, Saltney Ferry, Chester CH4 0BN – caught on CCTV hitting a dairy cow with a spade over 60 times.
Farm worker Turbak was employed as a stockman at Lea Manor Farm in Aldford, near Chester, when he was filmed attacking the helpless animal after she became stuck between two headrails. CCTV showed the Polish national striking the animal repeatedly with the metal spade he was using to try to free her by digging around her.
The footage showed that he hit the cow more than 60 times to her body and hind legs. The blows used the flat back and sharp digging edge of the spade, causing 18 lacerations together with bruising and swelling.
The cow’s injuries were discovered by Turbak’s colleague who reported it to the dairy herd manager. He was interviewed at Blacon Police Station where he agreed that it was ‘not acceptable to inflict injuries to the cow’ but he claimed he had been working long hours and had problems at home.
He was charged with causing unnecessary suffering to a cow contrary to Section 4 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006.
During the sentencing, the judge commented how crimes like this are ‘particularly upsetting’, that this was a prolonged attack and if not for the CCTV this may well have gone unnoticed.
The judge accepted the incident was out of frustration of not being able to free the cow, rather than a specific wish to inflict pain on the animal.
Sentencing | 12-week suspended prison sentence; 100 hours of unpaid community work; costs totalling £1,634. Disqualified from owning or keeping animals, or having any involvement in the way animals are kept, for five years.
Scum such as this shouldn’t work with Animals Full Stop.