Week-old lamb shot dead at Hailsham farm

Jack Holt visited his lambing field in Ersham Road, Hailsham to discover the animal had been shot in the head overnight – by what he believes was a rifle.

In a Facebook post shared more than 1,000 times, he said, “So for all the hard work my family, staff and myself do and someone sick does this.”

He said the lamb’s mother, who had only had one baby this year, was standing with it crying over it.

Mr Holt said, because of this loss, the ewe would have to be fattened up for meat because he cannot afford to keep her a whole year being unproductive.

In response, a number of concerned people said they would sponsor the sheep so she can lamb again next year, with others even offering to buy her.

A Just Giving page has been set up to pay for Mr Holt’s expenses so the sheep does not have to be slaughtered.

But, although grateful, the farmer said, “I don’t want any money for me. I’m going to donate it to charity and I have decided to keep the ewe for next year.”

Any money donated will go towards the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution, which supports struggling farmers.

But this is not the first time the farmer’s livestock have been struck by tragedy. Earlier this year, Mr Holt lost several heavily pregnant sheep in a violent dog attack.

This was devastating – emotionally as he had to deal with the carcasses, and financially too.