Solent NewsEnglish villagers suspect a Satanic cult is roaming their woods, after sheep and cattle were found slaughtered and marked with pentagrams.
Over the past five days, Hampshire’s New Forest National Park has been hit with a spate of disturbing animal murders.
Three cattle were found knifed to death, two sheep were killed and marked with pentagrams, a heifer was injured, and a church was sprayed with Satanic symbols – something wicked this way comes, it seems.
Police have launched an investigation into the strange, grim incidents in Bramshaw – naturally, residents and local farmers are growing increasingly concerned for the village’s safety.
Judy Rudd, who’s lived in New Forest for 40 years, was walking her two dogs when she came across the deceased, bloodied sheep.
‘It had purple and green aerosol symbols sprayed on it. It was a pentagram and a cross. It had been stabbed to death. The wounds were in the side of the body by the rib cage. It was very unpleasant… some people think it’s sinister,’ she said.
Solent NewsHer husband Julian added:
I think it’s reasonable to say it’s not just lads messing about. The owner’s very cut up about it and very worried. There’s a certain amount of concern, it’s unnerving – we’ve lived here 40 years and there’s been nothing like this before.
I don’t agree that it’s done to shock – you don’t go around knifing animals simply to shock people. It’s related to something other than simply a desire to injure animals – it’s either witchcraft or whatever. It’s rather worrying.
Witchcraft appears to be a common suspicion among the residents. Reverend David Bacon, from St Peter’s Church in the village, says while it could be kids, he’s ‘seen a lot of stuff’ over the past 15 years, ‘but nothing like this’.
A24Rev. Bacon added: ‘There’s been witchcraft round here for hundreds of years – the New Forest is well known for witchcraft and black magic happening, and this has obviously gone up a level. The symbol drawn on the sheep is a Satanic symbol, that’s quite well known.’
In addition to an inverted cross and ‘666’ being painted on the doors of the church, three calves were also found brutally stabbed in Linford, just nearby.
Solent NewsThe farmer who owns the injured heifer – which required veterinary treatment – says it’s scary to think there’s potentially a group people out there doing this to animals. ‘I’ve also got a grandchild and we’re out and about in the dark… why injure and kill animals and put symbols on them?’ he said.
Sergeant Andy Williams, of Hampshire Constabulary’s Country Watch team, said:
These incidents are unusual in the New Forest. We are looking at the circumstances of each one to see if they are linked, and to see how these animals came to be injured. We would also urge anyone who uses the Forest, including Commoners, to be vigilant. Please contact us if you see anything suspicious.
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After graduating from Glasgow Caledonian University with an NCTJ and BCTJ-accredited Multimedia Journalism degree, Cameron ventured into the world of print journalism at The National, while also working as a freelance film journalist on the side, becoming an accredited Rotten Tomatoes critic in the process. He’s now left his Scottish homelands and took up residence at UNILAD as a journalist.