Police are investigating after 11 sheep were stolen from Jeremy Clarkson's Diddly Squat Farm in Oxfordshire, where his TV show Clarkson's Farm is filmed. The former Top Gear presenter discovered the loss while counting his flock with co-star Kaleb Cooper.
Emotional Plea to Thieves
Speaking to The Sun, Clarkson said: "It's upset me . . . you can't ever form a bond with a sheep. Anyone who has anything stolen, it's awful, but to have animals stolen, it's really galling. They were happy here. This is my favourite field on the farm."
He added: "The police have been very good, actually. Once you go through 700 hours of recorded messages, I got through to a girl. I said: 'I know it's going to sound like I'm from 1856, but I've had some sheep stolen.'"
Police Response and Breed Details
Clarkson recounted the officer's reply: "She went through the name and address and then she said: 'Oh, not your Easycares'. She's obviously been watching the show, but it is the Easycares."
The Easycare breed does not require shearing and "require minimal shepherding and veterinary care". Clarkson warned the rustlers: "Put them back. It's a farm. We're armed. Just so they know. It p***** me off. Honestly, it just p***** me off."
Financial Loss and Investigation
Clarkson said he has no idea when the theft occurred, believes there are "some missing from the other field a mile or so away", and noted that "nobody else has got Easycares". He recently sold 24 of them at a market for £205, making the loss around £2000.
He noted that Diddly Squat "has a film crew here all the time" and "a drone in the air", so he reckons the sheep were stolen "on a day or night when they weren't filming".
