Man jailed in 'unique and repulsive' Shetland pony sex case
A man has been jailed for four years after he was cleared of having sex with a Shetland pony but convicted of outraging public decency.
Alan Barnfield, 44, was accused of having sexual intercourse with a pony called Sky in a field near Doncaster, South Yorkshire, in 2012.
Judge Peter Kelson QC told Barnfield he believed the jury had come to the verdicts it had because it believed a sexual incident with the animal had taken place but could not be sure that actual sexual intercourse had occurred.
Judge Kelson suggested it was possible that horse DNA got on to the defendant even if he was abusing Sky in another way, including with a bottle.
The judge added that while the outraging public decency charge was only added halfway through the trial, it actually carries an unlimited sentence whereas the main charge he was cleared of - intercourse with an animal - carries a two-year maximum.
Judge Kelson said the case was "unique and repulsive" and that Barnfield has an "utterly disgusting perversion".
Prosecutors told the jury at Sheffield Crown Court that police were called to a field near the village of Loversall, South Yorkshire, in the early hours of 8th August 2012.Officers spoke to Barnfield because concerned residents had thought he may have been trying to steal Sky and another pony in the same field, Savannah.Later, after both animals were found to be injured.
In a victim impact statement read to the court, Sky's owner, Jodie Walters, said the pony's personality changed after the incident.
Ms Walters said the pony would shake and tremble when she was led near where the attack happened and "would just stare as if she was fixated on something".She said she eventually had to give Sky away so she could have a "fresh start" somewhere else.