Bedminster Man Accused Of Killing Herd Of Goats

A disabled man from Bedminster, who owns a holiday home in Spain, claims he has been wrongly accused of beating up a family and killing their herd of goats.

Keith Nicholas, 56, denies any wrong-doing but was tried by a Spanish court while he was in the UK and now faces house arrest when he goes back.

He is accused of beating up a goat herder in the Spanish town of Chella, near Valencia.

The father-of-one, who has three stepchildren, has been given ten days house arrest and must report to a Spanish penitentiary in October.

He said he finds the situation ridiculous but is frustrated the penalty may mean he misses his stepson's wedding later this year.

Mr Nicholas, who grew up in Withywood and now lives in Somermead, Bedminster, with a holiday home in Spain, suffers from multi-focal motor neuropathy, a condition which affects his nerve endings and muscles.

He said: "I have difficulty walking up stairs so how I could beat someone up I don't know. Then they are saying I killed all the goats and then set them all free. So that doesn't make any sense."

Mr Nicholas said the court case came out of a long-running argument he has had with the goat herder who neighbours his friend's property in Chella.

He said: "About two years ago the same man, who used to have his goats in a shed on my friend's land, accused me of beating him up and killing his dog. The incident went to court and I was cleared. It cost me a fortune because I had my own interpreter.

"The next thing I knew I had to sign for some paperwork at the town hall. It was a summons – it had the wrong address and my name was spelled incorrectly. I assumed it was to do with the court case I won and my solicitor told me to ignore it.

"I was then sent another letter. I'd apparently been tried in absence and found guilty of beating up this guy, his wife and daughter and then killing all the goats. It also said there was a 200 euro fine. I laughed when I read it – it's just crazy and the legal system over there doesn't make any sense.

"Now I've had a letter telling me I'll be going under house arrest for ten days. I've got to report to the prison service in October for an interview and when we will see what happens. My wife is going mad because I'm supposed to be at my stepson's wedding at Thornbury Castle."

Mr Nicholas is adamant he will not pay the fine and will gladly go to prison if need be. "I've been given a criminal record and no opportunity to challenge it", he said. " I'll go to prison if that's the only way to blow the lid off this farce."

He has contacted MP Dawn Primarolo to help him appeal the penalty.