Dog owner convicted of worrying livestock in Northamptonshire village

A 63-year-old man has been convicted of letting his dogs chase and injure sheep for the second time in less than a year.

At Northampton Magistrates’ Court on June 2 last year, Jose Lopez-Vidal, of Laburnum Close, Woodford Halse, pleaded guilty to five counts of being the owner of a dog worrying livestock.

He was ordered to pay £1,038.27 compensation, £533 victim surcharge, £85 costs, and fined a total of £1,333.

However, on Christmas Day (December 25, 2025), he took his two dogs, Bandit and Ace, for a walk and lost sight of them for over half an hour after letting them off the lead.

In that time, they chased and attacked a flock of pregnant ewes in a field between Preston Capes and Charwelton, which resulted in not only the death of three sheep but up to 25 per cent of the unborn lambs due to miscarriage

The savage attack was witnessed by the landowner who attempted to stop the out-of-control animals, but with the owner nowhere to be seen, he had no other option and fatally shot one and seriously injured the other.

Northamptonshire Police was called and from the deceased dog’s collar, officers were able to identify and contact the owner, who had found his injured dog, which has since recovered following veterinary treatment.

Lopez-Vidal was subsequently charged with two counts of being the owner of a dog worrying livestock and on April 13 at Northampton Magistrates’ Court, he once again pleaded guilty to the charges.

He was ordered to pay the landowner compensation for the full costs which was a total of £6,605.

Lopez-Vidal had already been issued with a community protection warning letter following his first conviction, however after the recent attack in December, he has now been made subject of a one-year Community Protection Notice.

The Community Protection Notice requires:

• Dog/dogs to be kept on a lead when they are out for a walk in a public place or on land not belonging to Lopez-Vidal
• Lopez-Vidal not to enter land that he knows or ought to know may contain livestock with his dog/dogs

PC Chloe Gillies, of Northamptonshire Police Rural Crime Team, who led the investigation, said: “Jose Lopez-Vidal is fully responsible for not only what happened to the sheep but also for the fact that his dog also died following this incident.

“Sadly, due to him not having his dogs on the lead regularly, they ran off from him and have attacked sheep in the Charwelton and Preston Capes area for a long period of time.

“This incident on Christmas Day showed that Lopez-Vidal had an absolute disregard for the law. He knows what happens when he lets his dogs off the lead, yet he continues to reoffend.

“Farmers and landowners are within their right to protect their livestock from dog attacks and as in this case if there is no other option to be able to stop them, they can shoot them.

“As we see from this incident, the outcome of livestock worrying offences is devastating and we therefore welcome the new legislation which came into force in March, which not only gives the police more powers but allows the courts to issue unlimited fines.”

Report livestock worrying by calling 101 or online at www.northants.police.uk/RO. In an emergency, such as when a dog is worrying livestock and cannot be stopped, call 999.

Farmers can legally shoot a dog worrying livestock, but only as a last resort when the dog poses an immediate and direct threat and there are no other reasonable means to stop the attack.

Anyone who shoots a dog to prevent livestock worrying must notify the police within 48 hours.

For more information on the Countryside Code visit here.