Police drop case against man who picked up dead deer

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 21 Oct, 09:32 · Archive

Durham Police has withdrawn its case against Guy Carpenter, a 42-year-old church magazine editor who picked up a dead deer from the A66.

Guy Carpenter, a 42-year-old church magazine editor and photographer from Dalton, was prosecuted after stopping on the A66 at Greta Bridge near Barnard Castle on 7 June and picking up a dead deer from the central reservation to take home and eat. He was stopped by police at the scene and told he was breaking the law. He received a court summons two months later and appeared at Peterlee Magistrates' Court, where an out-of-court resolution was initially offered.

The case attracted attention given concerns about stretched police and court resources. However, Durham Police have now dropped the case following a review. A force spokesman said officers recognised that Carpenter held a 'genuinely-held belief that he was allowed to remove the animal from the roadside'. The spokesman added that there is 'a common misconception that deer carcasses can be removed from the roadside without permission of the landowner', noting it is an offence under the Deer Act 1991. Carpenter was met by an officer who informed him the application to withdraw the case would be made, and the court officially withdrew it the same day.

How it is being reported

• Police drop case against church magazine editor who picked up dead deer off A66Police have dropped a case against a church magazine editor who picked up a dead deer off the A66 in a bid to take it home and eat it.The Northern Echo · 21 Oct, 05:30
• Police drop case against church magazine editor who picked up dead deer off A66Police have dropped a case against a church magazine editor who picked up a dead deer off the A66 in a bid to take it home and eat it.Darlington & Stockton Times · 21 Oct, 05:30

In this story: Guy Carpenter · Durham Police · Greta Bridge · Barnard Castle · Peterlee Magistrates' Court

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem