THE reward to catch the killers of a three-day-old calf has now reached �5,000.

THE reward to catch the killers of a three-day-old calf has now reached �5,000.

Two more generous Hunts Post readers have each offered �1,000 for information that leads to the successful prosecution of the people who stabbed the animal in the eye with a screwdriver.

The attack, which took place in a field off Bromholme Lane in Brampton – part of Rectory Farm, Godmanchester – on May 24, has caused outrage among many readers, including Derek Gladwin of Ramsey who last week added �1,000 to the �2,000 reward offered by the calf’s owners.

Now, Alastair Horsley, 51, of Bloomsfield Close, Little Paxton, and another reader, who wishes to remain anonymous, have each added �1,000 to the reward fund.

Mr Horsley, who has an 11-year-old daughter, said catching the perpetrators of the crime should be the “absolute priority” for the police.

“It really concerns me that someone can go around doing this sort of thing,” he told The Hunts Post.

Cambridgeshire police have been criticised by farm owner Basil King for their handling of the case. He believes not enough was done to immediately check the screwdriver DNA evidence or to apprehend two men seen in the area after the calf was killed.

Mr King is looking at ways to improve security on his farm, and waiting for the results of forensic analysis on the screwdriver which are due at the end of the month.