Two students face being locked up after blowing up a sheep with fireworks.

Leighton Ashby and Oakley Hollands were recorded lighting powerful fireworks inside the animal and subjecting it to a 30-minute assault.

They were reported to the police after inviting two other students of Plumpton College, Henry Savell and Leila Goodwin-Crisell, to see a “dead badger”.

However, when the pair arrived, they saw Ashby, of Beckett Road, Ashford, and Hollands, of Mussenden Lane, Horton Kirby, attacking the sheep in what a judge described as a “sadistic and utterly barbaric” act.

Prosecuting, Joe Lewis said the attack happened on the evening of November 6, 2023. The pair began by punching and kicking the sheep, before smashing its head against a fence, causing a critical injury.

They then inserted a firework into its mouth and then its anus, mutilating the carcass.

The witnesses reported the incident, which happened at Ditchling Beacon, the highest point of a nature reserve in East Sussex, to the force, and an investigation was launched.

Brighton Magistrates’ Court District judge Amanda Kelly said: “It’s hard to comprehend how you could both inflict such brutal cruelty on a defenceless animal. It was sadistic and utterly barbaric.”

She added: “Videos were taken and shared. The sound of laughter can be heard in those videos which is mind-boggling and suggests there was some sort of glorification of what was being done.

“There were attempts to cover up and to involve others in what was done. You asked other young people to lie about what happened.

“You offered to pay someone else to help you remove the sheep’s body.”

The prosecutor argued the case should be sent to the crown court for sentencing, where a greater prison sentence could be passed.

He said videos found on Ashby’s phone showed other sheep being attacked at Ditchling Beacon, and Holland’s phone contained a picture of a fox which had been killed and dismembered.

He added: “This shows cruelty was not confined to livestock but extended to wild animals. The recovered media demonstrates a pattern of repeated cruelty to animals.”

The prosecutor said Ashby had also hidden the sheep’s ear tags in the communal toilets of the college, adding: “The crown says that those were kept as trophies.”

Defending Ashby, Tim Stirmey asked for a psychiatric report to be commissioned for his client, who had not been forthcoming in interviews with probation for pre-sentence reports.

Defending Hollands, Robert Gregory said his client had broken down while discussing the case ahead of today’s hearing (October 10).

Both will be sentenced on November 7, just over two years on from the incident, at Lewes Crown Court.

Previously, Superintendent Rachel Swinney said: “This was an appalling act of cruelty on a defenceless animal, filmed by the perpetrators for their own gratification.

“A thorough investigation was conducted as soon as a report was received, and we have worked with local farmers and the wider community to offer reassurance and advice.

“We remain committed to protecting our rural communities and will continue to work with our partners to clamp down on rural crime.”