Care Worker Not Guilty

A care worker left fighting to save his career after a walk round the Hoghton Tower estate has had the case against him dismissed by South Ribble Magistrates.

The middle-aged man and his partner, a nurse, had decided to take a walk round Hoghton Tower before St Catherine's Hospice 'Symphony at the Tower'.

They headed towards the River Darwen via Bolton Hall and followed the track not realising that only part of it is a footpath (there are no signs). Reaching a dead end they headed back and took a short cut to the River Darwen. Unfortunately for them the short cut took them near a pheasant pen where they were confronted by a Hoghton Tower gamekeeper. They promptly left and continued on their walk.

Walking Stick: Weapon of mass
destruction?

On returning to their vehicle a few hours later, they were met by police who arrested the man for 'criminal damage' to a car battery at the pheasant pen. Police confiscated the man's walking stick as evidence.

The case against him seemed based entirely on the fact that the couple had once attended a peaceful demonstration against duck shooting at Hoghton Tower.

If convicted the care worker could have lost his career, so the months leading up to the court case were very stressful for the couple.

When the case did go before magistrates it was quickly dismissed after the Hoghton Tower gamekeepers gave their evidence against the care worker.

No-one at Hoghton Tower seems to have noticed the irony of them hosting an event to raise money to pay for care, whilst on the same day a care worker was left fighting for his career simply for opposing the slaughter of wildlife.