CONVICTED (2023) | Liam Brown, born c. 1998, of Grosvenor Gardens, Boscombe, Bournemouth BH1 4HH – broke into a farm, tied up a calf with a belt and raped her.
“Sadistic” pervert Liam Brown was found by farmers with his trousers down and ‘clearly having sex with a calf’ at the farm in Burton, near Christchurch, Dorset.
He tried to get away and jumped a fence into another pen but was trampled by cows.
He cried as he lay on the floor and told farmers, “I’m sorry, I f*” up.”
Brown was subsequently charged with sexual penetration with a living animal and causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal.
Prosecuting, Matthew Mortimer said that the owners of the farm, which is off Martins Hill Lane, had set up a surveillance system following suspicions cattle were being “interfered with”.
It followed declining health among the livestock, and even deaths, as well as incidents where items of clothing and surgical gloves had been found on the farm.
Shortly before midnight on June 12, 2022, a calf was heard making a ‘distress sound’ prompting the farmers to check the CCTV.
Viewing live footage from the farmhouse they saw a figure chasing a calf around with what appeared to be a belt.
The court heard how the defendant ran away after realising he had been caught, and in doing so, fell into another animal cage and was trampled by cows.
He was confronted by the farm owners, and when one asked if the abused animal was tied up, he responded that ‘he had finished and untied the calf’.
A DNA sample taken from a calf the following day proved ‘intercourse’ had taken place.
The defendant was known to the farmers as some of his family previously worked at the farm.
While they suspected that animals were being abused, the farm owners said ‘the truth was something they could not comprehend’.
Mitigating, Olivia McGonigle noted her client was remorseful and was “devastated by the pain he has caused”.
She told the court: “Mr Brown has been open and honest with the probation service about the offence.
“He has been open about the difficulties he has with his behaviour.”
Mrs McGonigle said that the defendant was “working to address his behaviour” and was being supported by his girlfriend.
She added that Brown had moved away from the area and had no intention to work with any livestock.
Summarising, Judge Keith Cutler CBE said: “This is a very alarming, bizarre and worrying case.
“A man of your age getting involved in this behaviour – I’m sure you look back on it with shame and embarrassment.
“Your actions did cause unnecessary suffering to this animal.
“I hope that nothing like this will ever happen again.”
Speaking to the Daily Mail after the sentencing hearing, one of the farm owners said she was concerned that Brown would strike again and still checks the cattle pen every morning.
She said: ‘You never think that somebody could be so depraved.
‘It was my job to feed the calves. They would be fine when I left them at night and then I would find them ill in the morning and struggling to breathe.
‘I thought they had pneumonia so I was trying to treat them for that but it was actually because he was strangling them with his belt.
‘He took his belt off to tie the calf to the gate.
‘He should have gone to prison.’
Sentencing | 36-month community order with 150 hours of unpaid work; £600 compensation. Banned from owning or keeping livestock for ten years.
