A woman was seriously injured after being trampled by cows in Devon while walking her dogs along a coastal path with her husband
She thought she was going to die as the cows charged at her. Thankfully, her husband managed to scare them off and pull her to safety. But she was hurt pretty badly, with a head wound and bruises all over.
Now, a farmer named Richard Dormor is on trial. He’s accused of not keeping the public safe from his cows. These cows had just calved and were acting aggressive. The incident took place back in May 2021.
The couple was enjoying a walk when they came across a narrow path with a herd of about 40 cows. Some of these cows had calves, and they looked restless. At first, everything seemed fine, but then things took a turn.
Suddenly, a brown cow charged at Mr. Williams, the husband. He tried to make himself look bigger, and the cow stopped. But then, a group of cows charged at Mrs. Williams, knocking her down and trampling her.
She curled up in fear, seeing hooves all around her. It was a scary moment, and she thought she might not make it. Mr. Williams tried to help her but got butted by another cow. Luckily, some other walkers came to their aid and helped get her to safety.
The prosecution argues that the farmer should have known better. They say he didn’t take the right steps to protect people using the path. There’s even a history of similar incidents on his farm, which should have been a warning.
The trial will look at whether Dormor did enough to keep the public safe. He claims he assessed the risks before moving the cows into that field. The jury will hear from various witnesses, including an expert on cow behavior, over the next few days.
