Farm worker, 75, crushed by bull
A dairy farm worker was crushed to death by a bull after being cornered by the animal in a pen, an inquest has heard.
James Leech was killed at Dunston Dairy Farm near Penkridge Stafford Coroner's Court was told.
The animal – named Network – had been put into the yard with a herd of cows but turned on Mr Leech on July 9 last year, the inquest jury heard.
The bull rammed Mr Leech against a gate several times before a student on work experience tried to intervene and shouted, but it came too late for the victim.
Mr Leech was airlifted to University Hospital of North Staffordshire died eight days later.
The 75-year-old from Dunston had worked with cattle his whole working life, and despite having had a stroke and a hip replacement he chose to continue working at the farm run by Betholt Ltd.
Mr Leech even decided what jobs he would carry out and when said managing director of Betholt Ltd Mark Holt.
The only witness to the attack on Mr Leech was a student Mr Orrie Carville who was on a placement at the farm.
He described the events on July 9 last year in a statement given to Staffordshire Police. Det Con Victoria Wilde relayed the details to yesterday's inquest.
The death was investigated by the Health and Safety Executive – HSE – which served the farm with an enforcement notice on August 13 after it emerged none of the herding staff was aware of any risk assessments in place. The HSE said it would review the case after the inquest.
The inquest jury returned a verdict of accidental death.
