Overview
- Leighton Ashby, 22, was jailed for two years and Oakley Hollands, 20, received 20 months in a young offenders’ institution at Lewes Crown Court sitting at Hove Trial Centre on 23 February.
- The pair chased, punched and kicked a young ewe for about 30 minutes before inserting fireworks that mutilated the animal, with Hollands filming and urging Ashby to “kill it.”
- Footage of the attack was recovered from Hollands’ phone and the sheep’s ear tag was later found in a Monster can at Plumpton College after a witness obtained and shared the videos with staff.
- Prosecutors said additional clips on a device, including a dead fox being dismembered and a badger being kicked, showed a worrying pattern of interest in animal mutilation.
- Protesters assembled outside Hove Trial Centre and a community impact statement cited widespread shock and anxiety, while Sussex Police said the case was treated with appropriate seriousness and the college said the behaviour was at odds with its values after suspending and excluding students.