Farmer who ‘hogtied’ trespassers arrested for ‘frightening’ false imprisonment

A farmer who “hogtied” two trespassers to his quad-bike and drove them to the local police station has been arrested for false imprisonment.

The two young men were left “frightened to death” after the farmer performed a citizen’s arrest and attached the pair of trespassers to his vehicle.

Arriving at the police station, Neil Greenwood, 52, was instead marched in for questioning and then arrested for false imprisonment and assault.

The pair had been riding an electric bike across Greenwood’s field the day prior and when trying to leave, decided to ditch the vehicle there as the gate they had entered through had subsequently been locked.

Returning the next day to retrieve the bike, Greenwood tackled the two to the floor and bound their hands and then placed them on his quad bike.

Leland Hornby, 17, one of the young men the 52-year-old “hogtied”, said he was “frightened to death” during the ordeal.

Speaking to The Sun, he said: “As we walked back the farmer came up behind us, jumped off his quad bike and tackled us to the ground.”

Hornby said that he tried to run away but was chased down, before being tied up and placed on the quad bike.

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“We were bound by our hands and feet. We couldn’t move. I was on the back of the quad bike and my friend at the front,” he claimed.

“He said he was going to drive us to the bottom of a lane. I was scared of what he might do.”

As the pair were not strapped down to the bike, throughout the journey to the police station, they almost fell off.

Greenwood had previously phoned Lancashire Police to inform them of the trespassing, with officers then being sent out to the property. However, whilst they were on their way, they received a call that the 52-year-old was already at the station.

“When officers went to meet the man, they found a teenager and a man in his 20s on a quad bike with their hands and feet tied,” a spokesperson for Lancashire Police said.

“They were not secured to the quad bike.”

The 17-year-old’s mother also told The Sun: “They were frightened to death. The pair of them nearly fell off.”

However, following the arrest, some individuals have taken to social media to praise the actions of the farmer.

One said: “Brilliant! And I hope to see more of this in the future”, whilst another added: “Vigilante justice!”

A third commented: “Excellent! Shame we can’t see the faces!”

Greenwood has been released on bail pending further enquiries.