A Milford Haven farmer has received an apology and compensation from 10 teenage boys who caused criminal damage to his hay bales.
The group entered a field of his farm and caused £360 worth of damage to the bales, which were set aside as winter feed for his livestock.
The incident occurred during the summer holidays and, after consultation with and approval from the farmer, was dealt with through the use of a Youth Restorative Disposal (YRD) – a quick and effective way of dealing with low-level, anti-social and nuisance offending, offering an alternative to arrest and formal criminal justice processing.
PCSO Stacy Thomas was instrumental in coordinating the YRD process.
PCSO Thomas said: “This was a really successful use of the YRD process with a positive outcome for the farmer and the group of boys.
“The farmer received compensation for the damage caused, as well as an apology from each boy and he was happy with the police action taken. Their parents were also positive and very supportive to police throughout the process.
“It is a good outcome for the boys as they have been punished for their mistake but without being given a criminal record, which could have an impact on future plans including travel and career.
“Hopefully none of them will cross my path again and they will have learned from this experience.”
After receiving the report of the incident, which occurred on Wednesday, July 22, police visited the homes of each of the teens who had committed the offence. They were asked to attend a group meeting with their parents at Milford Haven Town Hall. At this meeting it was explained that their actions had caused £360 worth of damage and they would be dealt with through the use of a Youth Restorative Disposal.
The end result was all 10 boys visiting the farmer at his home, apologising for the damage caused and handing over the compensation. The farmer also had opportunity to explain to the group the dangers of playing on farms and the impact their actions had on his farm and animals.
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