THE billionaire tycoon owner of a country estate near Dulverton is offering a £10,000 reward to catch the culprit who slaughtered one of his prize stags.

Fashion and restaurant mogul Richard Caring - who includes top London restaurants The Ivy and Le Caprice amongst his expansive business portfolio - is offering the cash following the incident at his 500-acre rural retreat, Pixton Stables.

Estate manager Alex Cheyne said the body of the six-year-old stag - one of 20 red deer in an enclosed area in front of the grade two listed property - was discovered by a local man checking his sheep nearby last Sunday.

"The stag had two bullet holes in the neck which look as though they are from a low calibre shotgun - possibly a 2.2," said Mr Cheyne.

"He just bled to death and we estimate he probably took around three or four hours to die.

"What has made us so angry is that it looks as though it has been done just for pleasure and for no other reason.

"The carcass was just left there so he wasn't even shot for the meat - it looks like it's just somebody who thought it would be a laugh to shoot this animal."

Mr Cheyne said Mr Caring - who visits his country home regularly - was "very, very upset" about the incident and was considering bringing in security guards to patrol the area.

"Last year we had about a dozen or so deer shot on the estate but they were wild.

"The ones in front of the house are fed and are kept in an enclosed area, so it's a bit different."

Mr Cheyne said he believed the shooting may have taken place on Saturday night but although he lives on site, he and his wife heard nothing.

"The deer are only about 1,000 yards away from us but we believe the person responsible used a low calibre gun.

"It's just so pointless and Mr Caring is determined to find the culprit, which is why he is offering such a substantial reward for any information that will lead to at least a prosecution and, hopefully, a conviction."

Mr Cheyne said the police had been informed of the incident.

"We just want this person caught before we lose any more deer. This stag was worth about £2,000 and he seems to have been killed just to give someone a bit of pleasure."

Mr Caring, who is due to visit his Exmoor hideaway next week, bought the grade two listed property almost four years ago but has spent millions of pounds refurbishing and extending it.

He is listed 146th in this year's Sunday Times Rich List.

One of the most controversial elements of the extension was his plan - approved by the Exmoor National Park Authority in 2007 - for a glass winter garden/palm house.

Dubbed the 'winter palace', it boasted a bowling alley, gymnasium and swimming pool.

Anyone with information on the killing of the stag should contact Mr Cheyne on 01398 324243.

l Former Beatle Paul McCartney's deer sanctuary on Exmoor was in the limelight this week in a war of words between anti-hunt campaigners and the Quantock Staghounds.

The League Against Cruel Sports maintained it had footage showing the hunt allegedly trespassing in St John's Wood, which was bought by McCartney and his late wife Linda in 1991 to provide a safe haven for deer away from hunters.

The League claims riders chased a herd of deer on McCartney's land and then used two hounds to flush out a stag - allegations roundly refuted by the hunt, who deny any of their staff or dogs were in the sanctuary.