Five men have been sentenced for stealing 14 cows worth more than £20,000 from a farm on Anglesey, North Wales. The livestock was taken from a shed on the outskirts of Llanerch-y-medd in December 2022. The farmer had checked the cattle one evening and secured them, but the following day some were loose and 14 were missing.
North Wales Police used CCTV to identify a lorry travelling to and from the area, later seen on the A55 heading towards Wrexham. The vehicle was linked to Liam Kettleborough, 29, and analysis of his phone revealed messages between him and the other four defendants: Jack Billington, 23, Stanley Jones, 26, Michael McLeod, 57, and Clifford Smith, 65.
CCTV showed Kettleborough, McLeod, Jones and Billington travelling together in a Toyota pickup from Wrexham to Anglesey. Kettleborough and Jones then collected a flatbed lorry with a storage container, loaded 14 cows previously selected that day, while Billington and McLeod waited nearby. Both vehicles then travelled in convoy back towards Wrexham.
Police traced the stolen cows to a cattle farm in Stoke-on-Trent owned by Smith, where they were taken the following day. Two of the cows gave birth after being stolen; the calves were also recovered and returned to the victim. Police believe the cattle were specifically selected to fraudulently replace some of Smith’s fallen stock.
All defendants were sentenced at Caernarfon Crown Court on Friday 20 March. PC Michelle Allsup said: “Thefts of this nature are thankfully rare, but they have a significant financial and emotional impact on businesses and families… the wider impact of this crime was considerable.” The victim was compensated by insurance but had to restart breeding, affecting expected income.
