Dorset farmer given community order after threatening to shoot teenage trespasser
Stephen Smith, 60, pleaded guilty to using threatening or abusive behaviour and possessing ammunition without a certificate after confronting a boy he found outside his daughter's bedroom
A Dorset farmer was handed a community order after he threatened to "get my gun and shoot you all" during an alcohol-fuelled confrontation outside the home of a teenager he had found in the early hours near his daughter's bedroom, a court heard.
Stephen Smith, 60, of Manor Farm in Studland, pleaded guilty to using threatening or abusive words or behaviour and to possessing ammunition for a firearm without a certificate. Magistrates in Weymouth ordered him to carry out 80 hours of unpaid work within 12 months and to pay £85 in costs and a £114 victim surcharge.
Prosecutors told the court Smith was woken at about 3:50 a.m. on an unspecified date last year to find a teenage male outside his daughter's bedroom. Smith told the boy to leave; the boy did so after Smith's wife persuaded him to go. Smith later learned the teenager had been invited by his daughter to go out to watch the sunrise.
Ms. Laura Lohk, prosecuting, said Smith spent the following day stewing about the incident. After watching the European Championships final at a pub and consuming alcohol, Smith drove a large tractor with a trailer to the teenager's address and parked it there with the engine running and lights on. The boy's mother saw him and called out. An argument ensued in which Smith used aggressive language and made the firearm threat, the prosecutor said. Neighbours witnessed the disturbance and police were called at about 11:30 p.m. on July 14 last year.
The court heard Smith had a gun cabinet at home but did not own a firearm; his lawyer said he possessed only ammunition and had no intention of using it. In mitigation, Ian Daly, defending, described Smith as "old school" with "certain values" who expected an apology he did not receive. Daly told magistrates that Smith's actions were "puerile" and out of character and that he "cringes" at what he said.
District Judge Orla Austin described the episode as "a serious matter" and "a disgraceful incident," saying those present were frightened and uncertain whether Smith intended to carry out his threat. The judge imposed the community order on the basis that the offence warranted punishment and rehabilitation in the community.
Smith has run Manor Farm in the affluent village of Studland on Dorset's Isle of Purbeck for about 33 years and was described in references as a respected member of the community. The court heard the incident caused alarm and was witnessed by several neighbours.
Smith's guilty pleas covered using threatening or abusive words or behaviour and possessing ammunition without a certificate. The convictions were recorded at Weymouth Magistrates' Court, which issued the unpaid work requirement and financial penalties as part of the sentence.