An addiction recovery charity has dismissed a member of staff following an appeal launched by Nottinghamshire Live to identify the people responsible for a cruel attack to which a stag was subjected to. A group of three men were pictured at Wollaton Hall and Deer Park by a photographer on New Year’s Eve (Tuesday, December 31) abusing the animal, which was sitting down on the grass.
The pictures showed one of the three men holding a deer’s antlers and shaking its head, while another member of the group is seen laughing. Chris Golightly, the photographer who took the picture, explained that the group then slapped the stag on the rump before walking away.
The Carpenter’s Arms, a charity which focuses on addiction recovery, has announced that it has dismissed one of its staff members after he was identified as one of the men in the pictures. A statement from them, posted on Facebook on Monday (January 6) reads: “At 6.20pm on Friday 3rd January, we were alerted by a member of the public to a disturbing incident where a staff member got too close in their interactions with the wildlife at Wollaton Park.
“We absolutely expect better of our staff both in working hours and personal time. With regret but with the deep sense of responsibility held by so many of our staff and volunteers, we have, with immediate effect, relieved the staff member of his role at the charity.
“We have also contacted the police to aid them with their enquiries. Outside of the police enquiries, we are unable to make any further comments that identify individuals.”
It is unclear whether any arrests have taken place in connection with the incident. Nottinghamshire Live has approached Nottinghamshire Police for comment.