Broughton Hampshire: Dozens of dead animals found in disturbing discovery outside village shop with blood smeared over windows

Dozens of dead animals have been dumped outside the entrance of a village shop in Hampshire. At least 38 hares, a dead kestrel and barn owl were found in a disturbing discovery.

The offenders had impaled an owl and kestrel on the door handles, and had also smeared animal blood and guts over the windows on Thursday night (14 March). Broughton Community Shop said in a statement they had reported it to the police and asked residents to share CCTV footage of the High Street area from 3am to 3.45am on Thursday.

The shop wrote on Facebook: “Safe to say none of us were expecting our day to start as it did this morning at Broughton Community Shop. We’re ok. Shocked but ok. Thank you again for all of your help, we are so lucky and grateful for your support and extremely quick response to help us clear up”. 

A local responded to the post saying that the incident “is the second event like this in a matter of weeks.” Zoe Bizzey said: “The first one was at a local primary school not far from this. Just awful! I hope there is some CCTV near the shop.”

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Police said the animals were collected and officers are investigating what happened. The force is trying to identify the owners of a silver Suzuki Grand Vitara.

Mike Hensman, treasurer of the volunteer-run shop, told the PA news agency: “One of our guys who comes in the morning to get the papers and open the shop found them. He’s a guy who has been around a bit, he shoots, and he was quite taken aback when he saw all this mess and carnage. The rest of the team came in to hose it all down and get rid of all the bodies.”

He added: “People say ‘oh it’s a warning’, I don’t know what it is. It obviously floats someone’s boat, I can’t possibly try and imagine what goes through these people’s minds.”

In February, dead animals were dumped outside Awbridge Primary School about 10 miles from the village in Broughton. Staff found a headless dear, rabbits, pheasants and hares at the shocking scene, with some animals crushed on the pavement.

Locals on social media are blaming illegal poachers hunting in the area. One user wrote on Facebook: “Whatever, I'd wager that they're to be seen at the local Boxing day and New year's Day foxhunt gatherings in a show of support.”. While another said: “Has the shop refused to sell pheasant and partridge if so you no who the culprits are.”

Local resident Mandy Robinson, 47, told the Hampshire Chronicle last month that the school scene was “like something out of a horror movie”. She said: “This was only about an hour or so before the school breakfast club began, so there were going to be primary school children walking by this horrible sight. I don’t know why someone would do this.”

Mike Jelen, a conservation manager who works on the estates in the area, said: “This is now happening twice a week. It’s total anarchy and the police are doing little about it. By dumping the bodies like this, the poachers are sticking two fingers up to farmers and rural communities”.

Hampshire police told MailOnline: “We can confirm we are investigating following a report that a number of dead animals were left outside a shop in Broughton. We were called at around 6.20am on Friday, March 15.

'The bodies of around 50 dead hares, as well as a barn owl and a kestrel, were found outside the Broughton Community Shop in High Street. The animals have been collected and an investigation is underway. As part of our investigation we are seeking to identify the owners of a silver Suzuki Grand Vitara.”

The force added: “If you saw a vehicle matching this description in the area between Thursday night and Friday morning, please get in touch. If you have any information about this incident, please call us on 101, quoting the crime reference number 44240111410, or you can report it via our website - https://www.hampshire.police.uk/tua/tell-us-about/cor/tell-us-about-existing-case-report/”.