A farmer who allegedly caught two men trespassing on his land, then tied them to his quad bike and sped them to the police station has been hailed as a hero online, despite being arrested.
The man, 52, had tied two boys, aged 17 and 20, to the front and back of his vehicle before driving them four miles to police.
But instead of questioning the couple about the alleged invasion, they took him in for questioning and then arrested him for false imprisonment and assault.
Today one of the boys revealed the details behind the terrifying incident which saw them strapped to the quad bike and raced from the farm in Lancashire to a nearby police station on Sunday.
Leland Hornby, 17 years old, he said to the sun that his friend had been riding his electric bike through the farmer’s field on Saturday night, but when he was about to leave, he discovered that the farmer had closed the gates.
A farmer was caught on CCTV driving through Lancashire with two boys, aged 17 and 20, tied to his quad bike after accusing them of trespassing.
The farmer tied the two ‘terrified’ males to the bike as one claimed he almost fell off a couple of times.
The farmer was later arrested on suspicion of false imprisonment and assault.
His partner then decided to leave his bike on the property overnight, where he would pick it up in the morning.
But when the boy returned to the farm, the bicycle seemed to have disappeared.
“As we were walking back, the farmer came up behind us, jumped off his quad bike and tackled us to the ground,” Hornby told the newspaper.
The pair tried to outrun the furious farmer, but he managed to capture them both while putting their hoods on them before tying them to his quad by their hands and feet.
‘We couldn’t move. “I was at the back of the quad and my friend was at the front,” Hornby said, revealing he was “scared” of what the farmer might do.
The teen said he and his friend were thrown onto the vehicle, but were not properly restrained, so they nearly fell a couple of times during the ride to the police station.
Shocking CCTV footage captured the moment the quad bike raced through the winding streets before arriving at the police station.
But after his strange arrival, the farmer was arrested by the police.
Speaking to the newspaper, Hornby’s mother said: “They were scared to death.” Absolutely terrified. “They both almost fell off the quad.”
She said the events had left her upset and bewildered as to why the farmer had reacted in such an extreme way rather than simply calling the police.
A Lancashire Police spokeswoman said a man called them to a property on Sunday and said he had arrested two men.
But as police headed to the farm, the farmer called a second time to announce that he had arrived at the local police station with the couple.
“When officers went to meet the man, they found a teenager and a man in his 20s on a quad bike with his hands and feet tied,” he said.
“They were not secured to the quad.”
However, following the incident and arrest, several internet users took to social media to hail the farmer as a hero for his actions.
Under a post showing the two men tied up at the back and front of the quad, one Facebook user said: ‘Brilliant! And I hope to see more of this in the future!’
Another added: ‘Vigilance justice!’
One more commented: ‘Excellent! What a shame we can’t see faces!’
The farmer was subsequently arrested on suspicion of false imprisonment and assault, but has since been released on bail pending further investigations.