A church magazine editor who picked up a dead deer from the A66 in a bid to take it home and eat it has ended up in court after blue-light police officers told him he was breaking the law.
Guy Carpenter said his anxiety has been "sent into overdrive" after being prosecuted for scooping up the carcass off the A66 at Greta Bridge, near Barnard Castle, on June 7.
The 42-year-old pulled over after spotting the dead animal on the central reservation - and after hurling it onto his shoulders was stopped by a blue-light police car heading towards him.
The photographer was left both stunned and “unnerved” after officers came over and told him he was committing a crime by moving the deer.
Less than two months later, Mr Carpenter's "extreme stress" spiked when a letter was posted through his door saying he had to attend court.
The Dalton man was summonsed for removing the carcass of a deer without the consent of the owner or occupier of the land and appeared at Peterlee Magistrates' Court yesterday (September 7), where lawyers said they were seeking an out-of-court resolution and the hearing was adjourned.
Mr Carpenter has branded the ordeal "unprecedented" and "entirely unnecessary", arguing that removing the deer himself would have saved others both time and money.
The incident has now sparked questions over whether the prosecution is a waste of taxpayers' money, with deputy leader of Durham County Council Darren Grimes even weighing in on the debate and questioning the public interest of taking it to court.
Mr Carpenter, who described himself as a “perfectly responsible, decent, law-abiding member of society”, said he could find no justice in the situation.
Describing the day of the incident, he said: “The road was completely empty, there was not a single car coming that way.
“I picked up the deer, put it on my back, and went to cross back over and a police car came whizzing towards me with blue lights on.
“They stopped the car really abruptly. They pulled in front of me and said: ‘What are you doing?’"
Mr Carpenter said he was planning to take the deer home and eat it, but even if it had not been safe to eat, he would have removed it from the central reservation for the safety of other drivers.
“It was all a bit unnerving," he said. "It didn’t feel justified in the slightest.”
Mr Carpenter said, after receiving the court summons months later, he contacted a retired judge friend of his who “could not believe” that he was facing a court appearance.
He is being prosecuted by Durham Police 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.
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.
“When the notice dropped, my response was immediate panic,” he said.
“I have been hoping that sense might prevail and police might say they are dropping it.
“A dead animal on the road would be seen as a liability, rather than an asset, to anyone.
“I am a perfectly responsible, decent, law-abiding member of society. It completely undermines your faith in the justice system. Everyone I have told about it has been very supportive.”
Mr Carpenter has been in touch with Cllr Grimes over the issue, who, in emails seen by The Northern Echo, said he “genuinely do[es] not know what is going on here”.
In one email to Durham Police, he said: “On the public interest limb I would ask you to consider what is actually being prosecuted here - a man with no previous history (as far as I know) taking a dead animal off a road, with no victim, no loss, and no injured party.”
A National Highways spokesperson confirmed that the deer would technically belong to the government firm as it was found on its network.
A spokesperson said: “We were made aware of the incident by the police and believe the deer was placed off the road to ‘return to nature’ after they intervened.”
A Durham Police spokesperson said: “A 41-year-old man has been summonsed to court for the offence of removing the carcass of a deer without the consent of the owner or occupier of the land. He will appear at Peterlee Magistrates’ Court on September 7.
“It relates to an incident which is said to have taken place on June 7 in which a man was spotted carrying a dead deer across the A66 near Barnard Castle.
“He is alleged to have told officers he intended to take the deer home to eat it.
“Under The Deer Act 1991, it is an offence to take or move the carcass of a deer without the consent of the owner or occupier of the land or other lawful authority.”
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Following his appearance in court, Mr Carpenter was granted conditional bail.
Chair of the bench Colin Clark adjourned the hearing until October 26.
“The prosecution have proposed a way forward which is do your advantage,” he said. “Before October 26, hopefully a resolution will be reached.”
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