Cow manure fetishist jailed for five years for death threats to farm owners

David Truscott threatened to kill a farming family after they tried to stop him from laying naked in cow slurry on their land

A man with a fetish for rolling naked in cow manure has been sentenced to five years in jail after he threatened to kill a family when they tried to stop him from targeting their farm.

David Truscott, 43, had developed an obsession with Woodbury House Farm in Redruth, Cornwall, and repeatedly targeted the land over an eight-year period.

Initially removing cow pats from the farm, Truscott’s behaviour escalated when he began entering the farm to masturbate while “wallowing” in slurry, Judge Philip Wassall told the court on Friday.

When farmers Clive and Jackie Roth attempted to prevent his actions by erecting bollards and removing slurry from their fields, he began to take revenge.

Truscott repeatedly set fire to their shed, tractor, enclosures and hay - killing a calf in one blaze, and was subsequently jailed in 2005, 2009, and 2011.

In September 2009, he received a 16-week sentence after he stripped naked in the cattle pen, released the cattle and climbed into the slurry spreader.

On his release, Truscott returned to the farm and sat naked in cow faeces, and was jailed for a further 20 weeks.

David Truscott who has cow slurry fetish (Devon and Cornwall Police/PA Wire)

Last year, he admitted making threats to kill the Roth family and damage their property.

Prosecuting, Eleanor Purkis said: “The defendant has a fetish in relation to animal faeces.”

His last offence was in June last year, when Truscott told support workers he wanted to "get revenge" on Mrs Roth and her 17-year-old son, said Ms Purkis.

"He said 'I will buy a car with the £2,500 I have in my wardrobe and I will drive to Cornwall. I will kidnap them and I will burn them," Ms Purkis said.

Truscott was described as ”joyful“ while describing his revenge as he played with lighters, Ms Purkis said.

In a police interview, Mrs Roth said Truscott's offences had affected the family business financially.

"She feels the place is no longer clean in relation to the sexual acts being carried out,“ Ms Purkis said.

On Friday he was handed an extended sentence of 10 years following psychiatric reports.

Truscott, who has autism spectrum disorder, will spend the first five years of his prison sentence receiving hospital treatment, and will serve an extended licence period of five years on release from prison.

The judge also imposed an extended restraining order to keep him from the farm.

Representing Truscott, Robin Smith said: "Clearly, he is a complex and troubled character."

Members of the Roth family, who attended court, did not wish to comment following the hearing.

Additional reporting by PA