New Forest brothers jailed for assault and animal cruelty
A vet has described the attack as the worst case of animal cruelty that they'd seen in their 24 years in the profession
Last updated 22nd Jan 2024
Two New Forest men have been jailed for a total of eight years and eight months for assault, animal cruelty and possession of offensive weapons.
Brothers, Kristen Christopher Cooper, 24, of Whitelands in Bransgore and Todd James Edward Cooper, 29, of Jubilee Court in Sway were sentenced at Southampton Crown Court yesterday (Friday 19 January).
During last August’s five-day trial for the assault and weapons offences, the court heard how both Cooper brothers, and another man, chased a member of the public into a Co-Op store on Betsy Lane just before 5pm on Saturday 4 March 2023.
The member of the public was pushed to the floor before having a catapult fire an item in his direction. No injuries were caused but the Cooper brothers, and their accomplice, fled the scene.
A short while later on the same day, at approximately 7.30pm, a further incident occurred outside the same Co-Op store on Betsy Lane.
A black SUV was seen by CCTV to ram into the back of a Vauxhall Astra – pushing the Astra into a parked car, before the occupants of the SUV vacated the vehicle and confronted those in the other vehicle.
Kristen and Todd Cooper were identified as being the men in the SUV, who caused damage to the Vauxhall Astra using a crowbar and a baseball bat. A catapult – utilising a ball bearing – was fired into the vehicle. The ball bearing was later seized by police when the vehicle was recovered for evidential purposes.
The jury returned a verdict on Friday 25 August at Southampton Crown Court and found both Kristen Cooper and Todd Cooper guilty of two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, two counts of making threats to cause injury with offensive weapons and one count of criminal damage.
Kristen and Todd Cooper were each jailed for three years in relation to these offences.
Reacting to the sentencing, Sergeant Paul Buckland, of the Criminal Investigation Department, said: “I am extremely pleased with today’s outcome and to see that justice has now been served in this case.
“These men will now spend a significant amount of time behind bars, which is exactly where they belong.
“Today’s sentencing means these men can no longer harm anyone else.”
“To echo the judge’s remarks while sentencing, the whole incident must have been extremely traumatic for the victims.
“It is abundantly clear that these two men believed they could terrorise New Forest residents with impunity, with a total disregard for any consequences.
“I must place on record my thanks to the victims in this case for their support, assistance and determination throughout the investigation and court process.
“I hope these sentences will help them to move on with their lives, safe in the knowledge that these men are locked away.”
Kristen Cooper was also sentenced to two years’ imprisonment after admitting seven offences of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal.
This jail term followed a warrant executed at the defendant’s address on Monday 3 October 2022.
Officers seized the defendant’s phone and on it they found several videos showing the defendants causing unnecessary suffering to animals, mainly in rural areas at night.
They showed Cooper causing suffering to injured deer and hares and in some cases encouraging dogs to attack them. There were also videos showing wildlife with injuries suggesting they had been mutilated.
The videos were reviewed by an expert as part of the prosecution process, who described them as some of the worst cases of animal abuse he had seen.
Todd Cooper was also sentenced to a further eight months behind bars after admitting an animal cruelty offence that involved he and Kristen Cooper holding down a deer while he struck it over the head with a blunt object.
A vet stated this was the worst case of animal cruelty that they had seen in 24 years in the profession.
Reacting to the sentencing for the animal cruelty offences, New Forest Inspector Darren Ord, said: “This was a lengthy investigation which has showcased excellent partnership working between Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary and Dorset Police.
“These horrific crimes have caused a great deal of harm and suffering, and we are pleased that these crimes have been recognised with this sentencing, and the offenders have been brought to justice.
“We take reports of rural crime extremely seriously and our officers will continue to work with partners to show criminals that offences of this kind will not be tolerated in Hampshire, or across our borders.”
Angharad Thomas, Crown Prosecution Service Wessex Wildlife Lead, said: “This was a shocking case, involving unimaginable violence and cruelty to animals on a level that I have, thankfully, rarely seen before.
“Working closely with the Rural Crime Team throughout, we were able to make sure we had all the evidence we needed for a strong prosecution case, ensuring that these defendants faced justice for their cruelty and absolute disregard for protected animals.”
Both men will serve at least half of their sentence before being eligible for release on licence.
Kristen Cooper will also be subject to a Criminal behaviour Order for ten years, disqualified from owning a dog for ten years, and he and Todd Cooper must adhere to the conditions of a restraining order, which is in place to prevent them from having any contact with their two victims.”