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When David Bellis' three-year-old son took this selfie, the family wasn't expecting this fallout.

David thought he'd just get a photo of himself and his son enjoying a walk together, with the horse in the background.

But after the resulting photo won him a £2,000 holiday, he's been branded "shameful and stupid" online – because he didn’t have the horse owner’s consent.

He's even been accused of "worming his way into a £2,000 voucher".

David, 31, said his son, Jacob, had taken the photo of the duo enjoying a walk together when a horse in the background looked up and ‘smiled’, even sticking out his tongue.

(Image: Mercury Press & Media Ltd)

The dad-of-one and partner Rhian Jones, 31, entered the picture into Thomson Holiday’s ‘Made Me Smile’ competition and scooped a £2,000 trip – which would be their first family getaway.

But David has since been told by the horse’s owner, Nicola Mitchell, that he did not have her consent to photograph the horse – and she is contacting Thomson Holidays to complain.

David, who works on off-shore wind turbines, has since received messages from Nicola’s friends calling his actions ‘shameful’ and demanding he hand over half the winnings, reports Wales Online.

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He said: “Jacob is really upset and has been crying and asking me if we are not going to be allowed to go on the holiday anymore.

“I don’t understand why Nicola is so annoyed about it. I was on a public path that everyone uses to go to the local school and everyone sees the horse there."

(Image: Mercury Press & Media Ltd)

“I just think it’s sad that rather than being happy for me that I won a holiday someone’s automatic thought is that they have been cheated out of something," David continued.

“At first they thought I was winning £2,000 cash and were saying I should give them half, but it’s a holiday so they are not getting a penny.

"I’m not giving them the holiday either.

"They would have to come on the holiday with me – and that isn’t happening unless we’re both in a saddle together on the horse.”

Mum-of-three Nicola, also from Prestatyn, bought the horse, Betty, for her daughter, Katelyne, three years ago and Betty has since been taught to stick out her tongue.

(Image: Mercury Press & Media Ltd)

Nicola, a secretary, said: “I was really annoyed to hear he had won a £2,000 holiday and had used a picture of our horse without our permission. He should have asked for our consent.

“It’s not like it’s just £100. £2,000 is a lot of money and would go quite a long way for a family.

“I didn’t give him permission to use our horse in a competition.

"I will be phoning Thomson Holidays to tell them what has gone on but I don’t know what they will do. But I will tell them I’m not happy.

“There should be some token gesture as it is our horse that has really won them the holiday.

“I didn’t even know that this competition was on. If I had known about it we would have entered it ourselves and could have won as Betty is always sticking out her tongue.”

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David has also received abusive messages on Facebook calling him "shameful" and "stupid".

(Image: Mercury Press & Media Ltd)

David had been walking with Jacob down a path that goes past the field where Betty was staying at the time.

Jacob asked to take a photo to show mum Rhian the fun they were having, when father and son were surprised to find a nearby horse had decided to get involved.

The pictures show the horse look up and smile before baring a toothy grin.

David said: “The field is right behind our house, in fact you can see our home in the pictures.

“Jacob loves the horses and wanted to show mummy a picture of us enjoying the day so we posed up with a horse quietly eating grass in the background.

“I couldn’t believe it when I realised the horse had decided to pose up for the photos too.

"He started out as a smirk and then started grinning wildly, he looked absolutely crazy. He clearly loved being in front of the camera and enjoyed the attention.

“When I saw Thomson Holidays were running a competition with smiling as the theme I thought of this picture that I had taken back in November and thought it was worth entering.

"I never thought I would win so we were all over the moon when I did."

(Image: Mercury Press & Media Ltd)

“Jacob was particularly happy as he sees the picture as his. I never thought of asking anyone for consent for the horse – it was clearly viewable from the road, so why would I?" he added.

"I just don’t understand it at all.”

But Nicola Mitchell’s dad, Phillip Dunn, 67, said: “He has wormed his way into a £2,000 voucher.

"He is earning money off our horse, which is naughty.

“My daughter could have entered the competition if she had known about it.”

Thomson Holidays terms and conditions for the competition state: “Any photos submitted which feature people must be of you or have been taken with the permission of the subject (and if they are under 18, the permission of their parents or guardians as well) and must not infringe the copyright of any third party or any laws.

“You warrant that the photo you submit is of you or your own work and that you own the copyright for it.”

There is no mention in their terms and conditions of getting permission to take photographs of animals.

Thomson Holidays has confirmed it is investigating the matter.