Occultists slaughter sheep on Prince Charles's estate
By NICK CONSTABLE
19th August 2006
Butchered: A mobile phone photo of the dead sheep. Below, PC David Pickles
Sheep have been mutilated and slaughtered in what appears to be bizarre occult rituals on land owned by Prince Charles.
In some cases, the butchered animals have had their eyes removed and their carcasses arranged into a satanic star.
A bloodstained stone altar and wooden stake have been discovered by local farmers.
Police are now investigating the killings near Princetown, Devon, part of the Duchy of Cornwall's 69,000-acre Dartmoor estate.
Officers are examining whether the attacks form part of a ritual fantasy triggered by phases of the Moon.
Princetown is the highest town in the eerie landscape of Dartmoor, which famous for its wild, undomesticated ponies and the loonies which supposedly wander it from time to time after they have escaped from one of the many mental hospitals in the area.
Since the attacks began last year, more than 20 ewes and rams have been strangled and some have had eyes, tongues or sex-organs cut out.
Three incidents in the past two months all happened on nights with either new or full moons. And RSPCA officers are investigating a dead sheep found last week which had a half-moon symbol carved into its flesh.
Carcasses are often laid in lines near gateways or, in one incident, were arranged as a seven-pointed star.
Farmer Chris Cole, 49, who has lost two sheep, said: "It's really unnerving. We don't know who is behind this and where it might lead."
Another farmer, who has had 12 sheep killed, said: "People are getting scared. If this cult can kill and mutilate sheep, what might they do to us?'
The farmer, who would not be identified for fear of reprisals, added: "We believe they are linked to the Roman god Janus, the god of gateways. Dead sheep are often left in front of a gate - their heads twisted back as though looking through it."
The Duchy of Cornwall last year generated £14million to help finance Prince Charles's public and private life. The Prince takes a keen interest in its moorland farms and is expected to be personally briefed on the attacks.
The area includes one of Dartmoor's most important Bronze Age sites - the Merrivale stone circle and ritual complex - which local legends describe as the "Gateway of the Dead".
Princetown beat officer PC David Pickles said the attacks were being treated as "criminal damage with a ritual motive".
dailymail.co.uk
By NICK CONSTABLE
19th August 2006
Butchered: A mobile phone photo of the dead sheep. Below, PC David Pickles
Sheep have been mutilated and slaughtered in what appears to be bizarre occult rituals on land owned by Prince Charles.
In some cases, the butchered animals have had their eyes removed and their carcasses arranged into a satanic star.
A bloodstained stone altar and wooden stake have been discovered by local farmers.
Police are now investigating the killings near Princetown, Devon, part of the Duchy of Cornwall's 69,000-acre Dartmoor estate.
Officers are examining whether the attacks form part of a ritual fantasy triggered by phases of the Moon.
Princetown is the highest town in the eerie landscape of Dartmoor, which famous for its wild, undomesticated ponies and the loonies which supposedly wander it from time to time after they have escaped from one of the many mental hospitals in the area.
Since the attacks began last year, more than 20 ewes and rams have been strangled and some have had eyes, tongues or sex-organs cut out.
Three incidents in the past two months all happened on nights with either new or full moons. And RSPCA officers are investigating a dead sheep found last week which had a half-moon symbol carved into its flesh.
Carcasses are often laid in lines near gateways or, in one incident, were arranged as a seven-pointed star.
Farmer Chris Cole, 49, who has lost two sheep, said: "It's really unnerving. We don't know who is behind this and where it might lead."
Another farmer, who has had 12 sheep killed, said: "People are getting scared. If this cult can kill and mutilate sheep, what might they do to us?'
The farmer, who would not be identified for fear of reprisals, added: "We believe they are linked to the Roman god Janus, the god of gateways. Dead sheep are often left in front of a gate - their heads twisted back as though looking through it."
The Duchy of Cornwall last year generated £14million to help finance Prince Charles's public and private life. The Prince takes a keen interest in its moorland farms and is expected to be personally briefed on the attacks.
The area includes one of Dartmoor's most important Bronze Age sites - the Merrivale stone circle and ritual complex - which local legends describe as the "Gateway of the Dead".
Princetown beat officer PC David Pickles said the attacks were being treated as "criminal damage with a ritual motive".
dailymail.co.uk