A TORCHED mobile building and a cat left blinded in one eye after being shot with an airgun are the latest incidents to befall a local farmer who claims he is the victim of a hate campaign. Kenneth Sawkins, 74, maintains that an individual with a grudge against him has been destroying his property on Brick Kiln Farm, near Four Marks, and making false allegations to council officials. The intensity of the dispute increased dramatically last Wednesday evening when Mr Sawkins left his farmhouse to find the race- control cabin of Tongham Motor Club, which owns the building but leases land on the farm to race their cars, in flames. Two fire units reached the scene at around 7 pm and brought the blaze under control, but the one-storey 25-foot-long structure with viewing platform was already in ruins. "Had the barn been set on fire, where I've got about 10 tonnes of fertiliser and all that straw and everything, it would have been a bit of a disaster," said Mr Sawkins. The same night, the farmer discovered that his tractor had also been targeted. A hole had been drilled in its oil sump, causing damage that will cost hundreds of pounds to repair. And only a week before, his cat was viciously maimed after someone shot it in the face with an airgun. The cat, called Mouser, was adopted as a kitten by Mr Sawkins 18 months ago when he found it wandering around his farm. But two weeks ago the animal was discovered, close to death with a destroyed left eye hanging from its socket, laying in one of the farm's sheds. "It was very distressed," Mr Sawkins said. "And there was a hell of a mess. The poor thing kept squealing. We had the police up but they didn't do anything." An Alton vet later performed surgery on it, successfully removing the eye but failing to locate the remaining fragments of airgun pellet, which remain in the animal's head. Mr Sawkins, whose cattle farm has been in the family for 86 years, said that this is the latest, and most serious, in a series of events. He said that, along with his stock going missing and nails being strewn down his drive, he has also suffered numerous visits from council officials and representatives of the Environment Agency who claim allegations concerning the pollution of nearby land have been made against him. "There's trouble all the time," he said. "But what can you do about it? You can't get any proof." John Sherwood, vice-chairman of Tongham Motor Club, told The Herald that initial estimates put the cost of replacing the control cabin at more than £5,000. "The whole thing's ruined," he said, "a complete write-off." Apart from the cabin itself, items within the building that perished include a music system, Tannoy system, traffic-light arrays and high-visibility clothing. The club's season begins again in March but Mr Sherwood does not believe the members will have any difficulty replacing the damaged room and equipment by this date. "Whoever's done it is a complete idiot," he said. "We have our suspicions, but you can't go on suspicions. There's been a sequence of events leading up to this." Mr Sherwood said that around two-and-a-half years ago an engineers' shed on the site was broken into and tools and equipment stolen. While he cannot say conclusively that the two incidents are related, again, he has his "suspicions". He added: "We're awaiting the next attack." Alton Police are investigating the incidents. Anyone who has any information about either the fire or the damage to the tractor should contact Alton police on 0845 045 45 45 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.
