Police hunt horse killer who tortured animal in 'cowardly and barbaric' attack

By CHARLES WALFORD

Eric was found dead in a field after having been mutilated by sick thugs

A horse died after being horrifically mutilated in a ‘cowardly and barbaric’ attack.
The tortured animal suffered severe injuries to its head and body in the sickening incident. Police believe the two and a half year old stallion was sedated before the brutal attack in which it had an eye cut out and its teeth removed.
The horse, called Eric,also had its genitalia removed.

Dawn Jewell with her beloved horse before he was killed

Forensic searches are being carried out in the field, where a mare and a foal were left untouched. The horse was attacked between 4pm on Sunday and noon on Monday in the field near Stithians in west Cornwall. Vivian Allaway, the mother of the horse’s owner Dawn Jewell, said the attack had devastated her daughter, who is in her 40s. Speaking from the family’s home in nearby Herniss, she said: ‘To lose him like this is total devastation for her. ‘This horse was the love of her life - he was her absolute favourite. The poor girl is absolutely beside herself.’

Officers search for clues on Dawn Jewell's land after her prized stallion was killed

Mrs Allaway went to the field with her daughter and was shocked by the brutality of the attack. She said: 'It was the worst thing I have ever seen - and I don’t wish to see anything like it again.' Police are investigating the attack along with the RSPCA. One line of inquiry will be to see if someone has a grudge against the horse or his owner. RSPCA spokesman Jo Barr said yesterday: 'This is a shocking incident and I cannot imagine what would cause someone to carry out such a cowardly and barbaric act.

'I would urge anyone with information to contact either the police or the RSPCA.'
She said an RSPCA officer and a vet would be examining the body to try and establish the cause of death and to discover whether the mutilation was carried out before or after the horse died.
Meanwhile, police are urging all horse owners to be vigilant in Cornwall.
Vanessa Gilbert from the Devon and Cornwall Horse and Pony Association said there had been a recent knife attack on a horse in Wales but she was unaware of anything similar in the West Country

source: dailymail