Man tried to have sex with sheep: Crown

Photo / Hawkes Bay Today

A man is facing a criminal charge after he was caught allegedly trying to have sex with a sheep.

The 34-year-old Mid Canterbury man appeared in the Ashburton District Court on July 26.

He was remanded on bail on one charge of attempting to commit an act of indecency with a sheep.

The lawyer representing the man applied for a suppression order prohibiting the publication of his name, occupation and address after the Herald on Sunday started making inquiries about the incident.

It is understood a woman jogging saw the alleged incident on the outskirts of a small town, about an hour away from Christchurch, and reported it to police.

Ashburton Sergeant Victoria Walker refused to comment on the case as it was before the courts.

The man has applied for legal aid and will reappear in court on August 23. He is the second person to be charged in relation to having sex with animals in Canterbury this year.

In April a 16-year-old youth appeared in the Christchurch District Court charged with bestiality after allegedly having sex with a four-year-old donkey he had taken into the middle of a suburban reserve.

The youth has since admitted the offence and undergone a court-ordered psychiatric evaluation.