By BI: Four Muslim barbarians have pleaded guilty to illegally slaughtering sheep after they killed the animals without stunning them, then slitting their throats and letting them bleed out while writhing in pain, as part of an Islamic tradition of animal sacrifice.

Express Inspectors found headless carcasses, meat, knives and a table inside the boot of a car after paying a random visit to Llechrydau Farm on the Wrexham/Shropshire border.

The animals had been tied up and slaughtered in October last year so the men could eat them as part of a Muslim festival.

The inspectors turned up on the day before Eid al-Adha – the Islamic festival of sacrifice.

Cumalia Acun, 32, Fatti Acun, 26, Ismail Arslan, 24, and Hadyar Ayhan, 28, pleaded guilty to nine charges at court on Wednesday.

They claimed to be unaware their actions were illegal – but a judge fined them hundreds of pounds.

Prosecutor Louise Edwards said inspectors turned up at the farm after receiving an anonymous tip-off about illegal slaughtering.

She said: “They maintained that they did not know it was illegal as it was something they would do in their own country.”

Defence lawyer Aimee Phoenix said the Turkish men were “sorry and upset” that they were in court.

She added: “None of these men were aware of the legislation surrounding the slaughter of these animals.

“Had they known they would have played no part in this at all.”

Kebab shop owner Cumalia Acun was fined £590 after admitting two charges of killing an animal without prior stunning and two of restraining an animal in an inappropriate manner prior to it being killed. He was also ordered to pay £230 in costs.

Fatti Acun was fined £430 after pleading guilty to one of each of the same charges and had to pay an additional £222 in costs.

Facing the same charges, Ayhan was fined £160 with £220 costs.

Meanwhile Arslan, who has now moved to Doncaster, admitted restraining an animal in an inappropriate manner prior to it being killed and was fined £75 with £220 costs.