A 75-year-old dog walker was left fearing for his life after being savagely attacked by a herd of cows on a public footpath in Cornwall.
"Trampled and butted" on a coastal stroll
Brian Gregory, aged 75, was enjoying a caravan holiday in Porthcothan, Cornwall, when the incident occurred on June 30 last year. He was walking his Labrador, Molly, along a public footpath on the South West Coast Path at Park Head when a herd of cattle with calves suddenly turned on him.
Mr Gregory was trampled and butted by the animals, sustaining severe injuries. In a desperate bid for safety, he let go of Molly's lead, which caused the herd to chase the dog away from him. However, the move came too late to prevent him from being seriously hurt.
Severe injuries and a delayed response
The attack left Mr Gregory with a severed artery, horn marks, and deep gashes down to the bone. Passers-by helped him and Molly back to their caravan, and an ambulance was called. He was rushed to hospital, where he needed surgery and spent five days recovering from his wounds.
The farmer responsible for the cattle, Beverley Chapman of Tembleath Farm, St Columb Major, was informed of the attack on the same day. An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) later revealed that instead of removing the cattle from the path, Chapman added more animals to the herd.
A month later, two local residents were also attacked by the same herd while walking their dogs along the identical path. They were forced to shelter in gorse bushes by a cliff edge, and one of their pets was seriously injured, requiring surgery. Chapman was informed again but only removed the cattle four days later when formally instructed to do so by Cornwall Council.
Court ruling and safety warning
The HSE found that Chapman had kept the cattle, known to be protective and unpredictable with calves, in a field with a public right of way. She had other enclosed fields without public access available to house the animals.
Chapman pleaded guilty to breaching the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. At Bristol Magistrates’ Court on December 16, she was fined £5,260, ordered to pay £4,650 in prosecution costs and a £2,000 court surcharge.
HSE inspector Simon Jones stated: "Given the nature of the cattle attack, it is fortunate that the injuries sustained by Mr Gregory weren’t fatal." He emphasised that cattle are extremely protective of their calves and that Chapman failed to act after being made aware of two separate attacks on walkers.
"It was only when officially instructed by a public rights of way officer from the local council that she took action," Inspector Jones concluded.
