Farmers have been reunited with their stolen sheep after picking them out from ovine identity parades.
Two members of the same farming family found with more than 100 stolen sheep were facing jail after being convicted of rustling the animals from their neighbours' farms, after a four-week trial.
A senior detective branded County Durham-based Charles Raine, 66, and his nephew Phillip, 46, “parasites” who fed off other hill farmers' stock. The prosecution had called the thefts “deliberate, organised, and orchestrated”.
Sixteen farmers from both sides of the Pennines were able to identify 116 sheep as belonging to them, despite usual markers being removed.
Identifying a sheep for a farmer was as easy as a parent picking out their child from a group, an expert who gave evidence in the case said.
Richard Betton, a hill farmer in upper Teesdale, said each ewe had different markings and patterns on their head or unique markings on their horns.
“Just like people, their features are different, their patterns of black and white, the length of their tail, the type of wool, there's all sorts of different things.”
He added: “Most farmers will know all the markings of their neighbours, and think 'Oh, that's Joe's'. You ring them up and they come and collect the sheep. That trust has been betrayed by the Raines. It has caused deep hurt in the farming community up and down the Pennines.”
The two men were convicted of conspiracy to use criminal property by a jury at Teesside Crown Court. Phillip's partner Shirley Straughan, 41, was cleared of the charge.
Judge Tony Briggs said: “All sentencing options including custody remain open.”
While a lamb may cost as little as £100, other lambs and sheep can be worth thousands.
By depriving their rightful owners of the animals for several years, their victims have also lost out on the lambs that would have been born.
The Independent