A load of old bull

Tulkinghorn is a big fan of Horse Law, the official journal of the Equine & Animal Lawyers Association, and also uses it to keep abreast of all things bovine.
The most recent issue reports on a fascinating case seen before Manchester County Court, which arose after the claimant was charged by a large cow or bullock belonging to the defendant, and received injuries to the face from its horn. Compensation claims progressed quite happily during the initial stages, with the defendant's insurers admitting liability for the accident. But when proceedings were issued almost three years later the defence queried the liability issue and claimed that the animal involved had in fact been a 'de-horned cow'.
Tulkinghorn was happy to read on and discover that the district judge did not allow the defendants to resile from their original admission. From the editorial comment on the case, it is clear that Horse Law has no time for such "tiresome and timewasting" defences.
"Perhaps after a lifetime in the law I am unduly cynical," the author admits, before adding rather confusingly: "To claim in defence that said bovine did not have any horns is mendacious and misleading. No bovine needs horns attached to cause very serious or fatal injuries with the place on its heads [sic] where horns would be if it had any."
An essential read, at any rate.