A Cornish farmer has been fined after a cow was repeatedly attacked on a popular seafront footpath, endangering the lives of pedestrians and seriously injuring a 75-year-old man.
The incident occurred on the South West Coast Road at Parkhead, near Porthcothan, when members of the public were attacked by the same herd of cows with young calves, which were being kept in a field crossed by a public right of way.
The most serious attack occurred on June 30, 2024, when Brian Gregory, 75, was walking his Labrador Molly while on a caravan holiday in Cornwall.
As he passed through a field, he was suddenly charged by a herd. He let go of the dog’s leash and let the cow chase it away, but it was trampled and gored before it could escape.
Mr Gregory was helped back to the caravan by a passing pedestrian, where his partner raised the alarm. He suffered a severed artery and other serious injuries and was hospitalized for five days, requiring surgery.
Farmer Beverley Chapman of Major St Columbe’s Tembres Farm, who was caring for her cattle, was informed of the attack on the same day. Despite this, she did not remove the cows from the field, but instead added more cows and calves to the herd, expanding its size. Some of the calves were 42 days old.
About a month later, two local residents walking their dogs along the same route were also attacked by the swarm. He escaped serious injury by taking shelter in gorse bushes near the edge of the cliff, but one of his dogs suffered serious injuries and later required surgery.
Even after this second incident, the cows were not immediately removed and remained in the field for another four days. It was only removed from the road after Cornwall Council’s road rights officer formally instructed that action be taken.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive found that cows with calves, which are known to be protective and unpredictable, were being kept in fields accessible to the public despite safer alternatives being available. Farmers could access other enclosed fields without public rights of way that could be used instead.
On 16 December 2025 at Bristol Magistrates’ Court, Beverley Chapman pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(2) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. She was fined £5,260 and ordered to pay prosecution costs of £4,650 and a surcharge of £2,000.
After the hearing, HSE inspector Simon Jones said: “Cows are very protective of their calves and even calm cows can become aggressive if they think their calves are threatened.”
He added: “Given the nature of the cattle attack, it is fortunate that the injuries suffered by Mr Gregory were not fatal. Mr Gregory took all appropriate precautions during the walk.”
Mr Jones said the farmer took no action despite repeated warnings. “Despite being notified of the attack on pedestrians on two separate occasions, Mrs Chapman took no action to control the danger by removing the cow from the South West Coast path or separating the cow from the pedestrian,” he said.
The HSE said the incident highlighted the serious risks posed when cows with calves are kept in fields intersected by public rights of way, particularly if advance warnings are ignored.
