Third man pleads guilty in vile Northamptonshire sheep butchering case that plagued county last year

The third and last man charged with illegally butchering more than 350 sheep across Northamptonshire in 2019 has pleaded guilty in the case.

Viorel Manu, 39, of Birmingham, was due to stand trial on Monday (March 23) but changed his plea to guilty of conspiracy to steal in relation to the slaughter and illegal butchery of sheep and lambs.

He joins Robert Iordan, 23, and Florin Nutu, 36, both also of Birmingham, who pleaded guilty to the same offences at Northampton Crown Court on Friday, February 14.

Between June 22 and October 7 in 2019, Northamptonshire's farmers had their livelihoods hit hard by the three men, who travelled across rural areas in the county, killing and butchering sheep in order to steal the meat and profit from it.

Northamptonshire Police attended 12 incidents of illegal butchery in the five-month spree, in which time more than 350 sheep were slaughtered.

All three men will be sentenced at Northampton Crown Court over video conference on Friday (March 27).

Lead investigator DC Jamie Cooper said: “These crimes caused farmers a great deal of upset and anger last year and I’d like to thank them and the wider rural community for their support and patience during our investigation.

“Operation Stock was a huge team effort and I hope this case shows just how hard we will work to protect the livelihoods of our farming and rural communities, who were deeply affected by this crime series.”