A FARMER who tried to stop two enraged bulls fighting in a pen was trampled to death, an inquest jury has been told.

The jury, sitting at Harrogate Magistrates' Court, heard how 80-year-old William Lax had brought all three of his bulls into a building at his Carlton Grange Farm, Aldbrough St John, near Richmond, in September.

He had been attempting to stop two of the animals fighting and damaging a building when he was knocked to the ground.

He suffered broken bones and internal bleeding.

Mr Lax's great-nephew, Paul Tallentire, 30, who was working with him, said the bulls were moved inside after they had been in a field for four or five months.

He said he had been organising bedding material for the bulls with Mr Lax when the problems began.

He had his back to his great uncle when he heard a shout.

He said: ''As I turned round, I saw him in the pen with the bulls. They just turned around and ran away. A split second later, I saw him go down."

Asked by Coroner Geoff Fell why Mr Lax might have climbed into the pen, Mr Tallentire said: "He wanted to stop further damage from the fighting.

"He would have had a job to stop them, but that was not going to stop him trying."

Giving evidence, Health and Safety Executive inspector Charles Callis said: "It is not a good idea to go into a pen with one bull, let alone two."

Mr Lax, a bachelor, was a warden at the church in Aldbrough St John and looked after the churchyard at Stanwick.

He loved hunting and was involved with the Zetland Hunt. He also enjoyed skiing and watching cricket.

Mr Fell told the inquest he understood it would be difficult to tell a man of Mr Lax's experience how to farm, but that by climbing into the pen, he had made a big mistake.

The jury returned a verdict of death by misadventure.