A Derbyshire woman whose dogs killed 15 sheep and injured a further 13 has been ordered to pay out over £700 in costs.
Evie Watson was walking her lurcher type dog Beans and Spanish Greyhound Patcho in the fields near her home in Littleover on 17 May.
Beans was off the lead but after Watson dropped Patcho’s lead while she untangled him, both dogs then ran off.
The dogs were found over three hours later in a field with a number of injured and dead sheep.
In total 15 sheep were killed and a further 13 were injured, with the cost to the farmers being more than £7,400.
One of the dogs was found collapsed so Ms Watson picked him up and took him to the vets before reporting the matter to police the following day.
In a victim impact statement, the farmer said: “I am hopeful that our financial losses will be covered by insurance but this really should not have happened in the first place.
"Farmers like us work hard, and our livelihood depends on us producing good quality livestock and is a long term enterprise. A disruption such as this can take years to recover from.”
Ms Watson, 27, was subsequently charged with being the owner of a dog worrying livestock.
She appeared at Southern Derbyshire Magistrates’ Court on 28 August when she admitted the offence and was fined £475 and ordered to pay a £190 surcharge and £85 costs.
Sergeant Chris Wilkinson, from Derbyshire's Rural Crime Team, said livestock worrying can have a devastating impact on farmers.
He said: “No-one ever wants to believe that their dog is capable of hurting other animals but as has been seen time and time again they can return to their predator instincts.
“That’s why it is vital that dogs are always kept on leads around livestock no matter how much control you believe you have over them.
“Livestock worrying is a crime which could, as has happened in this case, land you in court, so it’s just not worth the risk.
"Don’t take the chance and keep your dog under control and on a lead.”
According to the latest figures from NFU Mutual, livestock theft remained high in 2023, at an estimated cost of £2.7m across the UK.
