Farmer who used shotgun to chase off metal thief loses licence despite being cleared of any crime



Bill Edwards, 21, was arrested for attempted murder after confronting thief

Fired shotgun at criminal David Taylor's van as he drove at his mother

He was cleared of any crime, while thief walked free with just £100 fine

But now police have revoked his gun licence - meaning he cannot work



Bill Edwards, 21, was arrested for attempted murder after confronting a metal thief on his property

A farmer accused of attempted murder after catching an intruder red-handed has been banned from keeping firearms - despite being cleared of any crime.

Bill Edwards, 21, caught unemployed criminal David Taylor on his land stealing metal and fired his shotgun at the thief's vehicle as it was speeding towards his mother Louisa Smith, 50.



He then chased the van until it was stopped in the next village by police.



But it was Mr Edwards who endured a horrendous ordeal at the hands of police who arrested him on suspicion of attempted murder and confiscated his guns.

Taylor, from Scarborough, later walked free from court laughing with just a £100 fine for theft, after claiming he was 'traumatised' by the incident.

But Mr Edwards' firearms certificate has been revoked by North Yorkshire Police, who branded him 'a danger to public safety or the peace'.

The former boarding school pupil has appealed against the decision to a crown court judge and faces ruin if it fails.

'It will stop me farming,' he said. 'If I can’t get my certificates back soon I won’t be able to continue farming. I have also lost my only hobby - shooting.

'In addition to losing my own farming, much of my work is for other farmers who expect me to control pests for them too.



'Not doing this makes me much less employable in a place where there are already too many farm workers and not enough jobs.

'I am really struggling to find any work, and if it wasn’t for my father’s support I’d have had to stop already.'

The young farmer has had his firearms licence revoked, despite being cleared of any crime

Mr Edwards relies on his guns for his livelihood and is now struggling to find any work

He added that his guns had been 'ruined' while in the hands of the police.

'It looks like they have played hockey with them - and kept them in damp storage conditions,' he said.



The farmer, from Scalby, Scarborough, was arrested last summer on suspicion of attempting to murder Taylor.

He always maintained he only turned his shotgun on the van because he feared for the life of his mother as Taylor sped towards her.

His four shotguns and two rifles - worth at least £3,000 - were all confiscated when he was arrested in August.

When he was finally released from police bail on December 20 he was given a letter from North Yorkshire Police saying they were going to review his suitability to hold a firearms certificate.

Bill’s father Garry Edwards, 67, from Bradford, said: 'The police have finally revoked Bill’s certificates and passed his guns to me. All the guns are badly damaged.



Unemployed criminal David Taylor (left) walked free from court in January with just a £100 fine, despite having allegedly driven his van towards Louisa Smith (right), forcing her son to fire the shots to protect her



'In theory, I can finally now do his pest control for him. But even if I had enough time to do it properly it’s now far too late, the foxes are completely out of control and Bill will probably go out of business.'

A spokesman for North Yorkshire Police said: 'As Mr Edwards has appealed against the decision to revoke his firearms certificate it would not be appropriate to comment until the court proceedings have been completed.'

The British Association of Shooting and Conservation, the national representative body for shooting sports, has shown support for Mr Edwards.

Senior Firearms Officer Matt Perring said: 'A gun is absolutely essential to a farmer. There is nothing like having your own gun to control the land.'

He said employers needed farm workers who were trusted to carry guns to stop pests and vermin attacking crops.

'Otherwise, it’s like asking someone to put up a fence with a broken arm,' Mr Perring added.