Moment farmer steals sheep from livestock market in the darkness of night before selling them as his own - as he is jailed for thieving hundreds of animals over a seven-year period

By ED HOLT and ISABELLA MACHIN, REPORTER Published: 23:06, 13 May 2026 | Updated: 23:08, 13 May 2026 This is the moment a farmer stole sheep from a livestock market in the middle of the night before he sold them as his own. Over a seven-year period, Peter Parker carried hundreds of sheep from across England in a series of major livestock thefts. In one particularly daring heist, the 60-year-old stole a staggering 650 animals from Newark Livestock Market in 2017 - worth an estimated £23,000. He stole a further 50 sheep from Penrith and District Farmers Mart and 23 from Hereford Livestock Market. Last week, Parker - from Brant Broughton in Lincolnshire - was sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison at Nottingham Crown Court. The conviction followed a joint prosecution between Nottinghamshire County Council Trading Standards, West Mercia Police and Cumbria Police. CCTV footage showed him arriving at the markets late at night with a lorry load of sheep, which he would swap for other sheep that were of a higher quality than his own. In one instance, filmed in August 2023, Parker appears to be ushering dozens of sheep back and forth between two trailers - a large red trailer and a smaller grey one.  CCTV filmed in August 2023, appears to show farmer Peter Parker ushering dozens of sheep back and forth between two trailers - a large red trailer and a smaller grey one. Pictured: Parker during one of his sheep heists. Over a seven-year period, Parker swiped hundreds of sheep from across England in a series of major livestock thefts Some of his crimes also took place while he was on bail.  Parker was also found guilty of two regulatory offences of failing to notify the relevant authorities of the movement or death of cattle, as well as eight further offences which included causing unnecessary suffering to sheep. His repeat offending was reported to have had a serious impact on livestock markets, farmers, and confidence in animal health and food safety systems.    Councillor Dawn Justice, Cabinet Member for Communities and Public Health at Nottinghamshire County Council said: 'Our Trading Standards officers take animal welfare and disease control very seriously.  'For years Mr Parker's offences have undermined animal welfare, disease control and trust in the livestock industry. Today's sentencing is an excellent result and sends a strong message that we will not tolerate livestock theft or breaches of the legal requirements that are in place to protect animal and public health.  'Our Trading Standards officers will continue to work closely with market operators and enforcement partners to protect both farmers and the wider public.' Martin Beck from the National Rural Crime Unit said: 'Mr Parker was highly organised in stealing sheep from around the country over a significant period of time.  'Livestock theft is not a victimless crime, not only did he betray the trust of livestock auctioneers and fellow farmers, the impact of his crimes created a risk to public and animal health. 'Investigations into livestock theft often reveal that such crimes require specific agricultural knowledge, sometimes involving individuals close to the industry. Livestock theft is a serious issue. This conviction sends a clear message that the police and enforcement partners will pursue those who are involved in rural crime. 'The National Rural Crime Unit would like to thank Nottinghamshire County Council Trading Standards and Cumbria Police for dealing with this complex and lengthy investigation and bringing Mr Parker to justice.  'Police and enforcement partners are working together to pursue those who steal livestock and target the farming industry. We will find you and we will prosecute you.' The Daily Mail has approached Cumbria Police and West Mercia Police for a comment.   No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.