A West Yorkshire farmer has avoided an immediate spell behind bars after his cattle trampled a man to death and left his wife paralysed.
Martin Howard Mitchell was given a six-month custodial sentence, which was suspended for 12 months following the incident on a farm in Netherton, Wakefield.
Michael Holmes, 57, had been walking on a public footpath with his wife Teresa and their dogs on 29 September 2020 when they entered a field containing cows and calves on Hollinghurst farm. The farmer had made no attempts to segregate the cows and calves from the footpath and the couple were attacked and trampled by the cattle.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that Martin Mitchell had failed to ensure that the risks to members of the public were controlled, including that, where possible, cows with calves were suitably segregated from the public footpath.