Two brothers from Wimborne appeared before Bournemouth Magistrates Court yesterday after taking a tractor from a farm on which they used to work and driving it through a fence.
They both pleaded guilty to taking a vehicle without consent and vehicle interference.
The court heard how Steven and Kristopher Shutler went to a farm near Wimborne and drank around 24 cans of cider before taking the tractor. The prosecution said Steven Shutler then drove the tractor around a field before deciding to take it through a fence to get the vehicle off the farm, “because they didn’t want to wake anybody up.”
With his brother Kristopher Shutler on board, Steven Shutler then drove the tractor to a nearby farm on which they tried to take another tractor, but faced difficulties and accidentally ran the battery down.
Both brothers were arrested after fingerprints were found on the dashboard of the second tractor.
When arrested, the court heard that the brothers made a full and frank admission of what they had done, and were sorry for their actions. The defence described the incident as “a bit of a drunken prank”.
Steven Shutler could also face a 12 month driving ban due to his driving of the tractor while under the influence of alcohol, and this will be finalised after the adjournment period on April 3rd.
