A North Yorkshire man has been prosecuted for removing a deer carcass from the A66.
Guy Carpenter, 42, of Dalton, was travelling on the dual carriageway near to Barnard Castle when he noticed the fallen beast on the central reservation.
He had pulled over to retrieve the carcass, when passing police officers took an interest in his actions.
The 42-year-old church magazine editor reckoned that even if the meat was no good, he'd still be doing a public service by removing the remains from the roadside.
For his trouble he is now being prosecuted for an offence under section 1 of the Deer Act 1991, which prohibits the removal of a deer carcass from land without the owner or occupier's consent or other lawful authority.
The maximum sentence on summary conviction is a fine at level 4 (£2,500) and/or 3 months' custody.
Speaking of the incident, which took place on 7th June 2026, Mr Carpenter said: "I picked up the deer, put it on my back, and went to cross back over and a police car came whizzing towards me with blue lights on.
"They stopped the car really abruptly. They pulled in front of me and said: 'What are you doing?'"
Mr Carpenter told the officers of his plan to salvage the carcass and make good use of it at home.
A few weeks later he received a summons to answer the allegation at Peterlee Magistrates' Court. The first hearing was listed for 7th September 2026.
Mr Carpenter told The Northern Echo: "When the notice dropped, my response was immediate panic.
"I have been hoping that sense might prevail and police might say they are dropping it.
"A dead animal on the road would be seen as a liability, rather than an asset, to anyone.
"I am a perfectly responsible, decent, law-abiding member of society. It completely undermines your faith in the justice system. Everyone I have told about it has been very supportive."
The case was adjourned in the hope that an out of court resolution can be achieved before the next hearing on 26th October 2026.
Technically speaking, as the carcass lies on National Highways land it is the property of the Crown. Practically speaking, it is of no value or benefit to anyone but Mr Carpenter.
The deputy leader of Durham County Council, Councillor Darren Grimes, has waded into the argument by questioning the public interest in taking the matter to court.
I have to say, based on events as reported, I am in agreement. I consider there to be negligible public interest in pursuing this matter. At most, the officers on the day should have given a few words of advice.
I can only surmise that they might have taken objection to the manner in which Mr Carpenter had parked his car or was seen moving about the highway. The road in question is a clearway.
While it is conceivable that National Highways may have located and removed the carcass by itself, it would only have ended up rotting away in a skip.
At least Mr Carpenter could put the remains to some use, so there was some good to come of the creature's demise.
There are plenty of shop thieves, drink drivers and drunken thugs the court could be dealing with instead of this.
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