Goat thieves spoil farmer's back-to-school plans - steal twelve of his prized herd

With the back-to-school rush fast approaching, a Clarendon farmer is pondering how to buy his two children's school supplies as the money he was hoping to get from his 12 Boer goats vanished in the last two weeks.

Criminals, who are a part of a suspected praedial larceny ring in Clarendon, raided his community of Palmers Cross, stealing a large number of goats.

The farmer, who asked THE STAR to withhold his identity because he is afraid of the culprits, said he turned back a number of offers to sell the goats as he wanted to cash in on the investment close to when school reopens.

"Mi have mi youths dem a touch high school and a it mi did a plan to use fi buy up weh mi fi buy," the farmer said.

The farmer said he specifically invested in Boers as he has found that they mature faster than other breeds. He now has none.

The farmer's plight was echoed by a voicenote circulating with another Clarendon farmer complaining of armed men stealing 26 of his goats.

Most people fraid

The voicenote said: "The thief them a come all in mi yard with gun with light deh pon it and yuh affi a peep through window and can't come out. Dem come tell yuh seh if you value your life you better stay inna your house."

Like his fellow farmers, the farmer who spoke to THE STAR said that he reported his loss to the May Pen police via phone because he is afraid his name might reach back to the culprits.

"Most people afraid to go down a the station," the farmer said.

Commander for the Clarendon police division, Vendolyn Cameron-Powell, told THE STAR that the May Pen police have recently arrested men from Rosewell, a neighbouring community of Palmers Cross, who had a number of goats in their possession. But she said no one is coming forward.

"We lack information and when we could press further charges on them and get them into prison, they might just walk with a little minor thing because we don't have substantial information," she said.

Cameron-Powell is planning to host a community meeting in Palmers Cross to encourage the affected farmers to come forward.

"Because of fear they can't just sit down aside and let these men use them as a feeding tree and that is what these criminals like, when people fear them," Cameron- Powell said. "So we gonna see if we can encourage them to speak up."