Police have dropped its case against a church magazine editor who picked up a dead deer off the A66.
Guy Carpenter was taken to court after scooping up the carcass off the A66 at Greta Bridge, near Barnard Castle, on June 7, in a bid to take it home and eat it.
The 42-year-old pulled over after spotting the animal on the central reservation and hurled it onto his shoulders - but was stopped by a blue-light police car and told he was breaking the law.
Less than two months later, Guy, who works as a photographer, said his anxiety went into overdrive when a court summons was posted through his door.
The Dalton man appeared at Peterlee Magistrates’ Court last month where an out-of-court resolution was put forward by lawyers.
But now, The Northern Echo can reveal that Durham Police has dropped the case “following a review”, saying it now understands that Guy had a “genuinely-held belief that he was allowed to remove the animal from the roadside”.
Guy Carpenter (Image: CONTRIBUTOR)
Guy met with an officer yesterday evening where he was told the news and the Echo understands that the case was officially withdrawn by the court earlier today.
A force spokesman said: “Following a review, officers met Mr Carpenter and informed him that an application would be made to the court to have the case against him withdrawn.
“There is a common misconception that deer carcasses can be removed from the roadside without permission of the landowner. It is, in fact, an offence to do so under the Deer Act 1991.
“However, in this specific case, we now understand that Mr Carpenter had a genuinely-held belief that he was allowed to remove the animal from the roadside and an application is therefore being made to withdraw the case”.
‘Unprecedented’
Guy, a self-confessed nature lover and editor of the magazine for the Holmedale Benefice Churches in the Richmond area, thought he was doing no wrong when he picked up the deer.
He argued that this “attempt to criminalise him” was “concerning”.
Guy admitted that the looming court case had “taken a toll” on both his physical and mental health, adding: “I'm not sure I can identify who has benefited from it."
Guy Carpenter (Image: CONTRIBUTOR)
The story triggered concerns over the purpose of the prosecution, with Durham County Council deputy leader Darren Grimes questioning the public interest of taking it to court.
He previously argued that there is a “public interest test in this country for a reason” and that it exists “precisely so that cases like this one do not end up in front of magistrates”.
Cllr Grimes said he did not believe the test had been “properly applied” in this case and “does not believe any reasonable person in County Durham would think it had”.
Deputy Council leader Darren Grimes (Image: Stuart Boulton)
Meanwhile Benjamin Elks, grassroots development manager at the TaxPayers' Alliance, said that taxpayers would “struggle to understand why scarce police and court resources are being spent pursuing a case like this.”
“With forces under pressure to tackle serious crime, officials should be able to show that prosecutions are proportionate, necessary and genuinely in the public interest,” Mr Elks said.
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Guy was being prosecuted under The Deer Act 1991, which states it is an offence to take or move the carcass of a deer without the consent of the owner or occupier of the land.
This states that it is an offence to take or move the carcass of a deer without the consent of the owner or land occupier.
It is understood that, under UK law, deer are considered ownerless until they are killed, after which it becomes the property of the land owner where it was found.