Fundraiser launched for couple after 64 sheep stolen near St Columb

Michael and Annie went out to their field near Indian Queens and found it stripped almost bare. Sixty-four ewes and lambs, the bulk of the couple’s flock, had been rounded up and driven off in the space of one Saturday evening. Weeks on, with their summer income gone, friends have set up a fundraiser to help them stay on their feet.

A flock taken in a single evening

The theft happened on farmland near the Halloon Roundabout, between St Columb and Indian Queens, close to where the A30 and A39 meet. Devon and Cornwall Police believe the 64 ewes and lambs were taken between 3pm and 9.50pm on Saturday 18 July.

Most of the animals were Texel cross Roussin sheep, with some Poll Dorsets and North Country Mules among them. Whoever took them would have needed a trailer or lorry, and time to load a large flock, on a working evening beside two of Cornwall’s busiest roads.

Friends launch a fundraiser

The appeal was started by Lucy Shazell, a friend of the couple who farm the land. Writing on the fundraising page, Lucy Shazell said the raid had taken livestock worth around £20,000, most of Michael and Annie’s income for the season.

“Because they have very little stock left, their income for this summer has effectively vanished,” she wrote. The money raised will go towards replacing animals so the couple have a flock for next year, and towards living and farm costs after the loss.

The appeal has a target of £5,500 and had begun drawing donations within days of going live.

How to help, and what police still want to know

Anyone who wants to support the couple can donate through the GoFundMe page.

Officers are still appealing for information about the theft itself. They want to hear from anyone who saw livestock trailers or lorries in the area that evening, anyone spotted moving sheep, and about a blue hatchback car reported nearby. Dashcam and CCTV footage from the roads around the Halloon Roundabout could also help.

PC Lucy Wyatt, the force’s Rural Affairs Officer, said: “The theft of livestock can have significant financial and emotional impact on farming families.”

Anyone with information can call police on 101 or report online, quoting crime reference 50260189691.