Crime & Safety
‘A red kite stole my mother-in-law’s sausage rolls’
John Oxenham saw the widely shared photos of the bird of prey clutching the baked snack and knew immediately where they’d come from.
The 67-year-old explained that he often leaves food scraps in his and wife Samantha Frewin’s garden in South Newington, and recognised the kite that took them.
Having visited Mrs Frewin’s mother, June, at her home in Kent on Mother’s Day, they returned home with a tub of her homemade sausage rolls.
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Two days later, Mr Oxenham left some of the baked goods out in the garden for the birds.
Then, after arriving in Cornwall for a getaway the following day, the couple came across photos of the kite clutching a snack that looked ever-so-familiar.
Mr Oxenham, a retired commercial pilot, said: “I’m the culprit who put out the sausage rolls.
“We went down to see Sam’s mum in Kent for Mother’s Day, and she gave us a tub of sausage rolls.
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“I put some out for the birds, and that’s when the kite took the sausage roll.
“My wife showed me the pictures and said: ‘This story about the kite is going mad!’.
“You can see it was my mother-in-law’s – they’re pale in colour.”
Mrs Frewin, 47, said she first noticed the photo being shared on Instagram.
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“As soon as I saw the photo, I thought: ‘Oh no… That’s one of my mum’s sausage rolls’,” the retired HMRC worker said.
“Sam showed me the picture,” Mr Oxenham added.
“It was instantly recognisable. I said: ‘That’s our kite with your mum’s sausage roll’.
“I thought I would put the world right on where it came from.
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“I’m just glad he wasn’t photographed with some naan bread in its talons… The ravens love their curry!
“At least the red kite found a nice source of food… What would she rather have, a manky mouse or a nice sausage roll?”
Amateur photographer Mark Hopkins snapped the hungry bird of prey in his garden in Ruscote, in Banbury, when the giant bird soared overhead.
Mark, 57, a welder, said: “There are often kites flying over us, but I’ve never seen this before.
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“There was one huge red kite that banked up in front of me, and it was clearly holding something in its talons.
“I wasn’t sure what it was at first, but looking at the pictures on my camera, it was obvious it was a sausage roll.
“Whether it had snatched it out of someone’s hand or picked it up off the floor, I don’t know, but it did look fresh.
“It was a remarkable thing to see, and I’m just so happy I had my camera ready at the right time.”
There are an estimated 4,000 to 6,000 breeding pairs of red kites in the UK, with increasing numbers living in urban areas.
The 46-year-old has been starring alongside her family on the reality TV show Keeping Up With the Kardashians since 2007.
With 20 seasons released, the programme, which also stars sisters Kim and Khloé, has been a global hit.
Last July, Ms Kardashian was spotted in the Cotswolds and Oxfordshire, taking a holiday in the UK.
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Uploading a string of 13 photographs on Instagram, she shared the snaps of her trip.
The reality TV star captioned the social media post: “Dreamy storybook fairytale enchantment.”
Among the various locations featured were Stow-on-the-Wold in Gloucestershire, as well as Estelle Manor near Witney.
A three-bedroom property, Stepping Stones in Bourton-on-the-Water, featured on the reality star’s Instagram Stories during her stay last year.
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Now, it has been given a significant upgrade, with a new kitchen, updated soft furnishings, and fresh furniture.
The work forms the second phase of a wider £100,000 investment on the site that began in 2025.
The first stage focused on the four neighbouring one-bedroom cottages, which were completely overhauled with new kitchens and bathrooms, as well as improved beds, sofas and other fixtures.
Stepping Stones still showcases original details such as exposed Cotswold stone and beams, but now combines them with a warmer, more contemporary interior aimed at families and small groups.
Cotswold Cottages has this week confirmed the completion of the refurbishment of Stepping Stones, its largest cottage on the site.
Acclaimed Status Quo drummer John Coghlan has been seen for a second time at The Farmer’s Dog pub near Burford.
Last April, the musician was enjoying a drink with his wife and a pal at the watering hole, previously known as The Windmill.
Now, one year on, Mr Coghlan has returned to the venue, which was bought by Mr Clarkson for around £1,000,000 and opened in August 2024.
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Mr Coghlan, who lives nearby, posted a photo of himself and his wife Gillie in the terrace area at the back of the pub, drinking a glass of Hawkstone Lager Zero.
Having previously been open to the elements, the decking has since been covered and has sofas from the inside as well as heaters and an outside bar.
Posting on the social media site Facebook, Mr Coghlan said: “Enjoying a 0 per cent at The Farmer’s Dog (Clarkson’s lovely pub).”
In his previous post last year, the rocker said he knew Mr Clarkson and often visited the pub as it is so near to his home.
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“Gillie and I had a jolly evening at The Farmer’s Dog, Jeremy Clarkson’s pub,” he wrote.
The famously moustachioed muso was an original member of the Quo and toured the world as part of the band’s classic line-up at the height of their 1970s fame, selling out venues across the globe and storming the charts.
He was behind the kit on their biggest hits, including Down Down which got to number one in 1975 and Rockin’ All Over The World.
Clarkson’s Farm series five is due to hit streaming service Prime Video next month, one year after the fourth season.
Eight new episodes are expected to be released, once again giving viewers an insight into life at Diddly Squat Farm at Chadlington as well as the Cotswolds pub.
As previously reported, a car was smashed into the side of a parked white Peugeot taxi in Woodgreen Avenue.
It then caused the taxi to collide with the house it was parked outside of, leading to significant damage to the bricks.
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Nobody was injured in the crash, but the road was taped off for most of Monday, August 18 last year while officers investigated.
Two people were arrested shortly after the crash, with two more shortly afterwards.
All four of those arrested were released on conditional police bail pending further enquiries by investigating officers.
However, Thames Valley Police have now confirmed that no further action will be taken.
A spokeswoman said: “All those arrested have been released from police custody with no further action to be taken.
“Following a thorough review of all the lines of enquiry available to us in this case, this investigation has now been filed.”
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