Leighton Ashby, Oakley Hollands: Two students jailed for ‘callous and sadistic’ killing of sheep in Sussex, UK
Horrific details of the callous killing have been detailed in court.
Two men have been jailed for the brutal killing of a sheep in a field near Ditchling Beacon, East Sussex.
Leighton Ashby, 22, and Oakley Hollands, 20, appeared at Hove Crown Court on Monday to receive their sentences after they both pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to an animal in November 2023.
Horrific details heard in court revealed that the pair pinned down one sheep and began beating it for 30 minutes.
Sign up to The Nightly's newsletters.
Get the first look at the digital newspaper, curated daily stories and breaking headlines delivered to your inbox.
By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.Fireworks were then inserted into the sheep’s mouth and anus before being detonated.
A Sussex Police spokesperson said the pair used explosives to cause “catastrophic injuries to the animal”.
Footage of the attack was found on Holland’s phone, who could be heard laughing and telling Ashby to “kill it”.
The sheep’s ear tags were also found in a nearby property, believed to be taken from the scene by Ashby as a “token”.
Judge Jeremy Gold KC described the actions of the two agricultural students as “a betrayal of the very vocation they were studying.”
After considering the “gratuitous” nature of the violence and the use of explosives on a live animal, Ashby was sentenced to two years in prison and Hollands has been sent to a young offender institution for 20 months.
Both men are banned from owning, keeping, or being in the presence of any farm animals for life.
Judge Gold described the incident as “callous and sadistic” and said the “chilling laughter” heard during the animal’s suffering proved the act was premeditated and for the two men’s “twisted entertainment”.
He added that the probation service regarded the pair “as presenting a high risk to animals in the future”.
Representatives from the RSPCA and local farming unions gathered outside the court and expressed relief for the student’s sentencing.
“This isn’t just about one sheep; it’s about the safety of our livestock and the standards we expect from those who wish to work with animals,” a spokesperson for the Sussex farming community said.
“Today, the law sent a clear message that cruelty has consequences.”
