AN angry farmer whose prize bull was shot dead by police marksmen is demanding an apology.

Philip Marley, of Brambles Farm, Exelby, near Bedale, said he has had an overwhelming response from the public since the story appeared in The Northern Echo.

He made an official complaint to North Yorkshire police after firearms officers shot Billy - his prize d’Aquitaine bull - in the middle of a field.

The cattle breeder and butcher said he will not be seeking compensation from the police for the bull, which is worth about £5,000.

But he added: “I do want a public apology and for firearms officers to undergo special training, so this doesn’t happen again.

"Billy was not a danger, it was outrageous and totally wrong to shoot him. All they had to do was wait for me - I was on the way, they could have backed back off .”

Police were called after Billy had got into a neighbouring field of cows and was let out onto the road.

He had been put into another field - which Mr Marley says was only 40 yards from sheds used by him - and was well away from the nearest road when he was killed.

North Yorkshire Police have confirmed a complaint has been made, which is being dealt with by the Professional Standards Department. But they refused to comment further until the inquiry had been carried out.

Mr Marley, a cattle breeder who runs two butchers shops, said the bull was not aggressive and was regularly handled and fed by both himself and other workers.

He said: "There was absolutely no reason to shoot Billy and I want the police to accept full responsibility that they acted improperly. They need to admit they made a mistake and that it shouldn’t have happened."

Mr Marley added: “The police wouldn’t remove the body so I had to have it removed.

"There needs to be proper training on handling these kinds of situations especially for firearms officers working in areas like North Yorkshire. The whole thing has been an absolute disgrace.”