Thieves will drive a Suddie farmer out of business

Dear Editor,
Rearing poultry and growing a variety of fruit crops in a well fenced two-acre plot of roadside land at Suddie with myself and family domiciled there, helps me financially as a pensioner, but now thieves are depriving me of my full benefits.
During one night, my well secured pen just aback of my house with nine drakes and five roosters was broken into; the biggest one ranging between 8 to 10 pounds was stolen. The padlock was not disturbed and after observing from where entry was gained, there was a shocking discovery of only the heads from each one of the birds was left inside the pen, with all 14 of their bodies missing. In which case, the birds were beheaded by the robber before they were stolen.
There was evidence to suggest that during a heavy rainfall that night the slaughtering was done right in the pen from the remains of the blood on the ground. Who could have been the culprit(s)? They remain unknown to me and the Police, but it would seem that a market had to be secured at some business place that uses this type of meat. It had to purchase the stolen property.
The poultry business will eventually dwindle as it is no longer encouraging to continue after this bitter experience. In broad daylight, a 16-year-old school girl who could well be described as a barefaced thief was caught “red handed” at the top of a tree by my door step picking ripe oranges.
It was only by chance I was able to see her, but she showed no remorse with the Police and when brought before the court. Stealing seems to be a culture nowadays in this district with me suffering too huge losses from the regular stealing of my fruit crops with the perpetrators remaining unknown.
From my own knowledge, there are many thieves who have never been caught but they should try to keep out of trouble which is easy to get into but hard to come out of. As the saying goes “prevention is always better than cure”.

Sincerely,
A concerned
small farmer