A pair of farmers have narrowly avoided prison after they stole almost £20,000 worth of cattle.
Lloyd Fowlie, 32, and Craig Arbuckle, 30, were sentenced in Aberdeen Sheriff Court yesterday for stealing 14 cattle from a farm in the Monymusk area in 2016.
It was estimated the animals were worth around £1,400 each.
They were taken from Lower Todlachie, to the west of Monymusk, between July 14 and July 23.
Fowlie, of Guise in the Tough area, and Arbuckle, from Pitreuchie Farm near Forfar, were found guilty by a jury in December.
Prior to sentencing yesterday, their defence agents both appealed for Sheriff Morag McLaughlin to spare them a custodial sentence.
They argued that it is almost lambing and calving season, and the pair will need to be available at their farms to take part in the work.
Fowlie’s defence solicitor told the court his client previously had a good reputation for his farming skills in the north-east, however that reputation is now “in tatters”.
Arbuckle’s lawyer argued his client has suffered from mental health issues due to the conviction.
Sheriff Morag McLaughlin said that, given the “serious nature” of the offences, a custodial sentence was “at the forefront of her mind”.
She acknowledged the appeals for leniency from the pair’s solicitors, and noted that the men were at low risk of re-offending having read reports.
Fowlie and Arbuckle were both sentenced to remain under curfew for 11 months, and to carry out 300 hours of unpaid work to be completed over 18 months.
Chief Inspector Norman Stevenson, the police’s rural crime lead for the north-east division, said: “The conviction of Lloyd Fowlie and Craig Arbuckle is very much welcomed, and a testament that rural crime and the safety of those in such areas is taken very seriously.
“We recognise the significant and devastating impact that rural crime can have on local businesses.”
In recent years it has emerged that the cost of the problem in Scotland has been on the rise.
The cost for rural crime was up 62.2% in 2018 to more than £1.57 million, according to NFU Mutual.
Figures in the rural insurer’s 2019 rural crime report also revealed the cost in the UK as a whole was £50m that year – up 12% on 2017 and the highest overall cost in seven years.
