AN online fundraiser has been launched to help meet the legal bill of the County Durham farmer cleared of charges over the forcible removal of a car from his land.
Many messages of support and congratulations have been sent by people across the region and beyond since Robert Hooper successfully cleared his name after a trial at Durham Crown Court earlier this month.
The 57-year-old fourth generation Teesdale farmer was found not guilty of dangerous driving and criminal damage, having used his telehandler vehicle to move a Vauxhall Astra, parked at Brockersgill Farm, Newbiggin-in-Teesdale, on Saturday June 5, last year.
Mr Hooper claimed it was blocking the entrance and exit of the farm and said he asked the driver and passenger several times to move the vehicle.
When they refused he attached fork rails to the telehandler and picked up the Astra, dumping it on a verge of the B6277, just outside the boundary of his property, damaging it in the process.
Mr Hooper was struck at least twice in the face by the Astra passenger as he was performing the manoeuvre and the farmer told the court he feared for his safety due to threats issued in his direction.
Following his acquittal, on Friday, February 4, he was greeted outside the court by supporters from Upper Teesdale Agricultural Support Services (UTASS).
Speaking outside the court after the verdicts, Mr Hooper’s partner, Karen Henderson, said: “The overwhelming support of the local community and people from afar has kept him going during these last eight months of hell.”
She has now launched the gofundme appeal to help to meet, “the substantial bill for expenses incurred as a result of the trial.”
Thanking people who make donations, Ms Henderson said: “Robert is now hoping to draw something positive from the experience and hopes that a crowd-funding appeal to help with his costs will generate a surplus to fund projects that assist rural communities, in particular a local charity, UTASS, and the national Farming Community Network.”
Within a few hours of the fund being launched several hundreds of pounds were donated towards the £20,000 target.
Donations can be made via https://www.gofundme.com/f/farmer-robert-hooper?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=p_cf+share-flow-1
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