Farmer shoots millionaire hedge fund manager's two dogs dead and dumps the bodies on the lawn at his mansion after they escaped and savaged his sheep
- A farmer shot a hedge fund manager's two dogs dead after they killed his sheep
- Frank Langrish, 66, then dumped the bodies on David Kowitz's front lawn
- He claimed the dogs had been killing sheep for years and this was a 'message'
A farmer shot a millionaire hedge fund manager's two dogs dead after they killed six of his sheep and injured another eight so badly they had to be put down.
Frank Langrish, 66, and one of his shepherds killed an alsatian and an akita cross after finding them still running loose alongside the bodies of the sheep on his land in East Sussex.
Mr Langrish then loaded their bodies into his Land Rover and drove them to nearby mansion Fairlight Hall, near Hastings, where the dogs American owner David Kowitz lives.
After confronting him on the steps of his Gothic mansion, Mr Langrish claims Mr Kowitz showed no emotion over the dogs and, when asked if they were his, simply said: 'I suppose so'.
When he arrived at the scene in his field near Hastings East, Sussex last month Frank Langrish (pictured), the alsatian and an akita cross were still on their loose
Mr Langrish said he had taken the dead dogs to Fairlight Hall, designed in 1843, because he wanted to send him a message and claimed local residents had been 'living in fear' of his dogs for years.
Other farmers have accused Mr Kowitz of failing to take sufficient steps to control his dogs.
Two of his alsatians were put down in 2012 after killing 23 sheep, while last December four ewes were killed at a time when some of his dogs were reported missing.
Mr Langrish told The Times: 'We know he has been responsible over the last few years for various dog attacks in that area.'
Mr Kowitz later apologised for his actions in a letter and blamed guests for letting the dogs loose.
After killing the dogs the farmer dumped their bodies on the lawn at nearby Gothic mansion Fairlight Hall owned by American David Kowitz who was the dog's master, before demanding to speak to him
He wrote: 'Our containment system failed on a night of major activity at the house — and before we could complete our plans to rehome the dogs. We keep dogs for our security but failed you by not ensuring they were not mistakenly released by house guests. Our sincere apologies.'
Tim Jury, the farmer who lost 23 sheep in the 2012 incident, said he wrote to Katy Bourne, the Sussex police and crime commissioner about the dog attacks and asked her to support tougher sanctions in such cases.
He wrote: 'Farmers are frequently being asked to pay more attention to animal welfare, and often rightly so, but there are not sufficient penalties placed on neglectful pet owners to do the same.'
Mr Jury also called for dogs to be kept on a lead in public places and criticised dog owners for making the excuse that they 'didn't know there were sheep' when letting their pets loose in fields.
Sussex police said it was not taking action against Mr Kowitz because the dogs responsible for the sheep attacks were dead.
In 2015 Mr Kowitz's wife, Sarah (pictured with her husband and their children), was photographed with three of the family's dogs on the lawn in front of Fairlight
Farmers in the area say they have been living in fear of the millionaire's dogs for years
Mr Kowitz's wife, Sarah, was photographed with three of the family's dogs at the home in 2015 for a piece in Sussex Life magazine.
In the article she spoke about her love for the 'unspoilt' countryside and had made environmental improvements to their Grade-II listed home including insulating the property with sheep's wool.
Mr Kowitz is also facing problems from auction house Sotheby's.
The firm has launched a claim against his business, Fairlight Art Ventures, over a painting sold by Sotheby's for £6.7million but which was later found to be fake.
There is no suggestion Mr Kowitz knew the painting was fake when it was handed over to Sotheby's to sell.
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