‘Blind’ man found in cattle barn with vet’s glove and wooden shaft

When a farmer investigated noises in his barn at 2.20am he found a “blind” man wearing a balaclava and a head-torch, with a veterinary inspection glove, a brush shaft, rope, and a penknife, crouching down in an attempt to hide.

The Co Tyrone farmer and his brother managed to drag the man over the top of a cattle pen and pin him down on silage while they waited for police to arrive. While he was being held, the intruder spoke in a “foreign accent” saying, “Me-me-steal-ear-tags. Me-me-look-at-tags.”

Police arrived at the scene and removed the balaclava to reveal Anthony Morris, aged 44, of Bradkeel Rd, Plumbridge, Tyrone, who had worked for the farmer in the past.