A church magazine editor has been charged after allegedly collecting roadkill from a roadside with the intention of taking it home to eat.
Guy Carpenter, 42, said he noticed a dead deer on the central reservation of the A66 near Barnard Castle, County Durham, before stopping his vehicle and lifting the animal onto his shoulders.
However, passing police officers intervened, switching on their vehicle’s blue emergency lights and informing him that he was breaking the law by moving the deer carcass.
After the June 7 incident, Mr Carpenter received a court summons and appeared at Peterlee Magistrates’ Court on Monday, where he was charged under The Deer Act 1991 with removing the carcass of a deer without the consent of the owner or occupier of the land.
The court heard that an out-of-court resolution is being pursued ahead of Mr Carpenter’s next scheduled appearance in October.
Mr Carpenter has since spoken of the “extreme stress” caused by the case, saying: “A dead animal on the road would be seen as a liability, rather than an asset, to anyone.”
He argued that by removing the deer himself, he believed he was saving other people time and money, describing the legal process as “unprecedented” and “entirely unnecessary”.
Recalling what happened, Mr Carpenter, who also works as a photographer, 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?”’
Guy Carpenter appeared at Peterlee Magistrates’ Court facing a charge under The Deer Act 1991
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 added. ‘It didn’t feel justified in the slightest. 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.’
It is understood that, under UK law, deer are considered ownerless until they are killed, after which the carcass becomes the property of the landowner where it was found.
In Mr Carpenter’s case, the deer belonged to National Highways as it was found on its network.
Mr Carpenter edits the magazine for the Holmedale Benefice Churches near Richmond, North Yorkshire.
He has received support from Darren Grimes, the Reform deputy leader of Durham County Council. 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 Durham Police spokesman 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.
‘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.’
Mr Carpenter was granted conditional bail. Chair of the bench Colin Clark adjourned the hearing until October 26, but said: ‘The prosecution have proposed a way forward which is to your advantage. Before October 26, hopefully a resolution will be reached.’
