Inquest hears Ralph and Peter Jump killed by water buffalo

Husband Ralph Jump, 57, and son Peter, 19, were crushed by the raging bull on the farm in Gwehelog, near Usk, making luxury soap from buffalo milk.

Father-of three Mr Jump was dragged down the field by bull Yolo - and his son tried to save him.

Managing director Mr Jump - known as John - had returned home after a work morning out with his wife Josephine on May 5.

Ralph Jump. Picture: Wales News Service

Mrs Jump was preparing food in the kitchen when daughter Isabelle, 22, ran in screaming: "Yolo is pushing dad down the field."

The mum and daughter ran out to desperately try and distract the animal.

Mrs Jump said: "I could see John being rolled by the bull down the field.

"I screamed at Isabelle to phone an ambulance and I could hear that he was groaning."

Mrs Jump said she could see that her husband was unconscious but still groaning when son Peter turned up with an iron bar.

The inquest heard "very large" four-year-old Yolo did not like son Peter and would "stick his head up and watch" when the teenager was nearby.

Mrs Jump said she didn't want her son in the field - but he bravely went in.

She added: "All of a sudden the bull started going for Peter and got him."

The inquest heard the field was "full of mud" and the bull was "going at" Peter.

Mrs Jump said that when she went back to her husband she could see that he was dead.

She said: "When I got back to him I realised he had gone.

"I couldn't hear him and I knew that he had gone."

The inquest heard the bull then went for Isabelle, who was on the phone, and left her badly injured - but she survived.

The beast then turned its attention back to brother Peter.

The inquest heard firearms officers turned up and fired shots at the animal. The animal was hit and ran to the other side of the field.

The inquest heard firearms officers and paramedics rushed to the scene as Josephine screamed at them for help.

Firearms officer Temporary Inspector Robert Gunney said the steep field was filled with "potholes" from the heavy beasts walking on it.

He said it was "ankle breaking territory" and would have been extremely difficult to drive on the terrain.

The inquest heard officers used .308 rifles and shotguns to fire at Yolo in the field.

Temp insp Gunney said: "It took several shots of both the heart and the head to put the bull down."

The inquest heard Ralph was pronounced dead at the scene after he was stabbed by the bull's horns on his right side.

His cause of death was multiple injuries caused by trauma.

The inquest heard he suffered a heart attack a year earlier and medics believe ischemic heart disease could have contributed to his death.

Peter was rushed to the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff and had emergency surgery to remove part of his small bowel.

Peter Jump (right) with sister Isabel and brother Sam. Picture: Wales News Service

But he tragically died from his injuries following bleeding on his lungs.

Peter, described as a "strong young man," had been studying metalwork and blacksmithing but had returned home due to the Covid crisis.

The inquest heard Ralph broke health and safety guidelines to enter the field alone when he was attacked by Yolo.

Josephine and Isabelle then took sticks into the field in an attempt to move and direct the bull.

But Dr Sara Lumley, of the Health and Safety Executive, said Ralph should not have entered the field alone, with no handling equipment and without a place for refuge - such as a tractor or a barrier.

Giving evidence, she said: "You can never assume that a bull is safe and this bull had shown previous signs of aggression.

"As a minimum there should have been two people and some sort of separation or refuge present and handling equipment."

Mrs Jump said she found out that her husband had died at the scene and later that evening found that her son Peter had died at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff.

Company director Mr Jump was pronounced dead at the scene at their farm on May 5 last year.

Peter was airlifted taken to the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff, but died "later that evening".

The court was told there were "no suspicious circumstances" in either of the deaths.

Mr Jump - who was recovering after a heart attack last year - rented the idyllic country farm to start a sustainable buffalo soap business with his family.

Mr Jump - managing director of a heating company - hand-reared the buffalo at their three-acre farm along with his youngest two children.

Daughter Isabel organised the sales of the hand-wrapped bars of scented soap - and the Bufalina Soap Company started selling them ahead of last Christmas.

Son Peter worked full-time at the family farm while older brother Sam is a talented musician and aspiring songwriter.

The inquest, which is being held before a jury, heard the family decided to take over the farm of more than eight acres because they "wanted to start something new" in the rolling countryside Mrs Jump said: "After about two years we decided to purchase the buffalo.

"My husband had extensive experience with raising cattle."

The inquest heard the couple intended to breed the cattle and bought their Mediterranean Water Buffalo from the buffalo dairy in Aberystwyth.

But they then realised they could start manufacturing soap from their farm using the milk products.

Peter Jump (right) with sister Isabel and brother Sam. Picture: Wales News Service

Mrs Jump added: "We noted we could use the milk from the buffalo and make soap."

The couple had been renting the farm for six years before the tragic attack took place.

Mr Jump was MD of the Wunda Group, based in Caldicot. The company supplies heating equipment and employs 56 people - but is on lockdown.

The farm is the base of The Bufalina Soap Company - selling a range of scented buffalo soap from £4 to £42.

The company says: "We make our soap with the milk from our herd of Mediterranean Water Buffalo, located in the Welsh Marches.

"Around the world this buffalo breed is famous for its dairy products such as mozzarella, gelato and ice cream. The richness of the milk makes it ideal for making a creamy, luxurious and gentle soap which leaves the skin feeling soft and moisturised.

"Our unscented and scented soaps (mainly made with essential oils and a couple with parfums) are all free from Palm oil, Parabens, Petrochemicals – made only from Water Buffalo milk, coconut oil, olive oil, sunflower oil, bees wax and shea butter."

Senior coroner for Gwent Caroline Saunders said the circumstances surrounding both deaths were "unnatural".

The inquest heard the health and safety report found the measures "fell far below the standards of the HSE guidelines."

The hearing was told water buffalos usually weigh between 500-600kgs (78-95 stone) with some reaching as heavy as 800kgs(125 stone) and that teenager Peter died from injuries sustained in the attack.

His cause of death given as 1a cardiac arrest with 1b lung and abdominal injuries and 1c polytrauma.

Summing up, Senior Coroner Caroline Saunders said siblings Isabelle and Peter had successfully managed to distract the bull.

But she said: "They could not escape the advances of the bull when it turned its attention on Peter and Isabelle in turn."

The coroner also praised the "obvious bravery" of the police in putting the welfare of the victims ahead of their own.

The jury recorded a narrative conclusion in relation to Ralph's death.

A jury spokeswoman said: "Ralph was attacked by the bull and died at the scene from the injuries he sustained.

"His death was contributed by not having a second person present when he entered the field and not having a refuge or place of safety within the field."

The jury recorded a conclusion of misadventure in relation to Peter's death.