BIRD BATTLE: LANDOWNER CLEARED OF ASSAULT AFTER THROWING PARTRIDGE AT GAMEKEEPER

In a wild west-style showdown, a man has been cleared of assault charges after throwing a dead partridge at his gamekeeper. William Elder, a 60-year-old farmer who owns Stancombe Farm in Askerswell, was accused of two counts of assault after a game shoot gone wrong. It seems the gamekeeper, Daniel Burden, didn't like Elder berating him and other 'beaters' over the radio about some of the high-paying clients not getting enough birds.

The dispute escalated when Elder threw the partridge at Burden, hitting him on the leg. In response, Burden picked up the bird and threw it back at his boss. The incident was witnessed by Steve Smith, the shoot captain, who had to step in between the pair. Later, Elder was also accused of kicking a teenage game 'beater' in the backside.

Elder denied both allegations of assault, but admitted to throwing the bird out of sheer frustration. He claimed that the teen was "extremely aggressive" and had a beater's flag raised above his head, so he kicked out in self-defence. The hearing heard that the incident happened towards the end of a day of shooting on Elder's 700-acre farm, one of the first events to be held after the relaxation of Covid rules.

Despite the bird battle, Elder was cleared of both counts of assault. Chairman of the bench, Robert Ford, said they had two contradictory statements regarding the alleged assault of Burden and could not be sure beyond reasonable doubt that it happened. However, with the alleged assault on the teenager, Ford said they accepted that Elder was a man of good character and believed he perceived a threat, so the push was proportionate.

It seems that on this occasion, the game was not the only thing getting shot.