Eighty-year old Kent farmer admits to beating two swans to death with shepherd's crook

An 80-year-old farmer from Kent has pleaded guilty to animal cruelty charges after beating two swans to death.

David Thompson, 80, of Whitehall Farm in Snargate pleaded guilty to killing the birds when he found them in a field among rape seed crop on his farm in April.

A helicopter camera captured the footage which was shown to the court, with police later searching the property and finding the dead birds.

"In order to receive that injury there must have been considerable force," Prosecutor Sophie Read.

"A third [surviving] swan was just able to hold its head up. Examinations of the wing and rest of the body should no other injuries.

"It was about two weeks for it to eat for itself and showed signs of considerable stress while it was in the care of the vet. In 18 days it was released from the vet."

Defending Matthew Knight said: "When the defendant is around the farm he always carries a crook so when a sheep is in trouble he can handle it. He admits if you are foolish enough to strike a swan you are going to cause it harm. But he didn’t intend to kill or injure but accepts in hindsight that it could be very likely to do them serious injury, and that is what happened."

RSPCA inspector Dave Grant told Kent Online: "There is no doubt these poor swans would have suffered - they were bashed about the head brutally and repeatedly. It would not have been a quick death.

"When we arrived one of the swans was already dead, and a second barely alive - just raising his head weakly. It was so sad. Thankfully there was a happy ending for a third swan, who was treated by a vet and nursed back to health in our care, before being released back to the wild."

Mr Thompson is due to be sentenced on November 29.