A judge has warned that if two people accused of stealing a goat do not appear in court there will be arrest warrants.
District Judge Michael Ranaghan was speaking at Craigavon Magistrates’ Court on Friday morning when two people failed to attend in relation to the case.
The cases have now been adjourned to August 14.
Sally Ann Finnegan (28), of Enniskeen in Craigavon, and Willy McDonagh (20), with an address given as Molesworth Street in Cookstown, are charged with theft of a pygmy goat on June 15 this year.
They were present at an earlier court but have yet to give their “attitude” to the charge.
The earlier court was told there had been fears a three-week-old pygmy goat ‘stolen’ from Tannaghmore Animal Farm at Lurgan could have died as it was missing for two days whilst weaning.
A prosecutor had said: “The goat was still weaning on its mother”.
She added: “Why you would want to steal a goat?, I really don’t know”.
She said the farm “were very concerned about the goat still weaning” and because of that “potentially die”.
The court was told the goat was “away two days” before being found and re-united with its mother.
The defence lawyer told the earlier court the defendants were “originally arrested for another offence – unnecessary suffering – because the goat was taken but that was ultimately decided not to be proceeded with”.
Tannaghmore Animal Farm is run by the local council for families and children to visit.
At the earlier court both accused were each released on £100 bail with a condition not to enter Tannaghmore Farm.
