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Theft victim's ordeal
From the Swindon Advertiser, first published Thursday 3rd May 2001.
A YOUNG assistant gardener was left shaken after his face was slashed by a knife-wielding suspected poacher.
Gareth Jupp, 21, who has worked at Bremhill House, near Calne, for almost a year, said he was in the garden on Friday April 27 when he heard a gunshot coming from the woods which are home to deer, pheasants and rabbits.
Mr Jupp said he discovered a man carrying a single barrel shotgun.
He said: "The man was pleasant at first. He said it was a nice day which it was. Then I told him that he was trespassing and asked him to leave."
"He said there was no such thing as trespassing and took out a knife and slashed my face.
"I didn't expect it so I didn't see it coming. It happened so quickly."
He said he grabbed hold of the man and received a further cut on his forearm in the ensuing struggle.
He said: "We had a tussle, I hit him in the face and he ran off. I grazed my knuckles on his teeth."
Mr Jupp said the cuts to his face and arm were not serious.
He said: "They looked worse than they were at first because of the blood."
He said the incident had left him feeling very shaken and he was having difficulty sleeping at night.
He said his attacker was a stocky, white, dark-haired male aged between 40 and 45.
The suspect was unshaven and scruffy-looking and wore a khaki army jacket, he said.
Anyone with information should contact Calne police on (01249) 654455.
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