THURSDAY, 12 FEBRUARY 2015
No. 130 © Hallamshire Times www.hallamshiretimes.co.uk £1.60
Campaign for local ‘talking buses’ gains momentum
Read more on page 2
‘Disgusting’ man jailed for Shetland pony sexual abuse
LOCAL Dore’s lantern parade and lights switch-on marks the beginning of Christmas Read more on page 2
Sexual deviant tied metal dog lead around animal’s neck, carried it to secluded paddock and abused it until all it had left were injuries and psychological scars By Jeff Mangum
A convicted rapist with a ‘disgusting’ bestiality perversion was jailed for four years after sexually assaulting a Shetland pony.
Alan Barnfield, 44, was convicted of outraging public decency after he abused the animal with a bottle.
Judge Peter Kelson QC told Sheffield Crown Court that the verdict confirmed sexual assault but said the jury could not be certain of whether sexual intercourse had taken place. The incident had taken place in the early hours of 8 August 2012 at Oak Tree Stables on Rakes Lane, Loversall, Doncaster. Barnfield, of Hexthorpe Lane, Doncaster, had approached the stables and tied a metal lead around the neck of a Shetland pony called Savannah. He then guided her to a secluded paddock while Sky, a second pony, naturally followed the pair. He fastened them to a fence and abused Sky with a bottle of Lucozade.
“You’re a man who enjoys looking at images of intercourse between animals and humans.”
Barnfield was later found by police carrying a bag with several deodorant bottles, a water bottle, a spray bottle and a dog lead. He told the jury that he worked in a deodorant factory and always carried a few bottles with him. The spray was intended to keep him clean through-
‘Repulsive’: Alan Barnfield, 44, outside Sheffield Crown Court
out the day as he ‘suffered from severe OCD’. Yet he was seen with a soiled knee and dirty clothes at the time of the arrest, consistent with having kneeled down to tie a lead around the pony’s neck. Charlotte Harrison, who lives opposite the field, saw him leading the horses into a wooded area and phoned officers worried that he was trying to steal them. Her husband Roger Harrison remembers seeing a light by the paddock. The pervert lied through his teeth during the trial, changing his account several times to maintain his innocence. But police had collected forensic ev-
Thousands angered by Devonshire demolition Plans to destroy shops faced with protests By Jesse Lacey
Almost 20,000 people have signed a petition to withdraw plans to demolish 162-170 Devonshire Street buildings.
A planning application to convert the stretch of independent shops in the heart of Sheffield into a three-storey block of apartments has been submitted to the City Council.
Developers plan to bulldoze the shops to accommodate commercial and residential spaces, like restaurants, cafés, and small studio apartments. If the proposals were approved, shops like Rare and Racy, Syd and Mallory’s, Filibuster, and Natural Bed Company would be destroyed.
Matt Helders @matthelders ‘You can’t let em knock down these shops! Classic, independent businesses in sheffield.’
These shops are all part of the centre’s unique identity and attract valuable assets like investors, students and
tourists. The petition has received public support from local politicians and luminaries, with Arctic Monkeys’ drummer Matt Helders defending the cause on Twitter. Frontman of Castleton grunge band Drenge has also tackled the issue on their website saying Rare and Racy’s “presence in the city is silent and composed but vital and enriching.” Protesters claim that there is no deficit of flats and apartment complexes in the city but independent shops are a rare sight. Commenters in the petition’s webpage also said that the demolition would rip the heart out of the community and replace it with ‘faceless residential slab’. Many have defended that the building where the shops are located is a historical landmark of pre-war design. Campaigners are also arguing that the planning application, submitted by Primesite Ltd, goes directly against the council’s Devonshire Quarter Action Plan. The action plan contained guidance aimed at preserving the ‘vibrant urban village’ character of the area to rival
idence of his DNA on bottles found in the field and horse DNA on his penis. They also claimed that he was ‘sweating profusely and smelling strongly of horses’ at the time of the arrest. He blamed the excessive sweating on his tramadol prescription during his trial despite not having mentioned this to police at the time. The pony pervert also justified the horse DNA found on him by saying he could have accidentally touched himself when he arrived home after petting the horses. He had also put his clothes in the wash as soon as he got home, making it impossible for any DNA to be detected. Police also found several pictures
Manchester’s Northern Quarter. But business investors released a statement that argued the proposals would deliver structures that “will simultaneously respect and enhance the existing historic vernacular of Devonshire Street whilst also offering high quality contemporary design where appropriate.”
Paul Blomfield @PaulBlomfieldMP ‘Pleased to support campaign to save Devonshire Street shops.’
Councillor Jillian Creasy, along with several other Green councillors, have spoken out against the demolition plans, calling it “the final nail in the coffin for small independent businesses in the area”.
and videos of bestiality on his phone that he claimed not to know about. He told the jury that he received these images automatically from strangers in pubs and bars through Bluetooth without his consent. Next to these photographs were pictures of his own cats and rodents. Barnfield also claimed not to own or actively search for animal pornography himself due to a lack of interest, but that it often showed up on websites when trying to buy household items ‘such as guitars’. He went as far as telling the jury that he had lodged a complaint against a website that displayed bestiality in its advertisement space. “You’re a man who enjoys looking at images of intercourse between animals and humans. “You were going out to have a go yourself that night. You were acting out what you had seen in images,” Louise Reevell, prosecuting, told the court. Sky was found with injuries to her face and genitals and was described as being severely traumatised. A victim impact statement read out in court from Jodie Walton, the pony owner, said that Sky’s behaviour had changed and she would entirely avoid the area where she was attacked. She had also begun ‘shaking and trembling’ and kicking out at others. “I had to give Sky to a friend so that she could start afresh and get her confidence back,” the report said. Sentencing Barnfield, a pervert with a previous conviction of rape, Judge Kelson said: “Sky is a living creature who you caused great pain to. “There is no credit to you whatsoever. The outrage to public decency is enourmous. You have an utterly disgusting perversion.”
Creator of the petition and local poet Jonathan Butcher stocks his books in Rare and Racy. He calls it ‘one of the few independent traders in Sheffield left who support local and national underground record labels, publishers, and magazines’. In his online petition, due to be handed in to the Council on 6 November, he said: “The establishments threatened have long proven to be a hub of creativity and independent entrepreneurial talent. “These local businesses and retailers are an important part of our economy, character and identity. “The eradication of these cherished and unique aspects to our landscape would be a crisis, both economically and culturally.”
‘Hub of creativity’: these independent shops face axe if planning application goes through
SOCIETY Young thug killed friend’s grandmother for £104 Read more on page 3
COUNCIL Sheffield election system faces changes in 2016 Read more on page 3
INQUEST Homeless epileptic dies unexpectedly in police cell Read more on page 4