A gentle, animal-loving woman died after she was trampled by a herd of cows, an inquest has heard.

Allison Payne, 55, was fatally injured when she was trampled by cows while walking her dog in a farmer’s field near where she lived.

Allison’s sister paid tribute to her, as her “best friend and soulmate” and the “best sister anyone could wish for”.

In a statement read out to the court, Helen Hammond said: “Allison developed a love for all animals. Later in life she had her own animals including three rescue dogs.

“She had a twinkle in her eye. She always wore her beautiful smile and it suited her well.

“When I found Allison my worst nightmare was confirmed and my world fell apart.

“Writing this has made me relive the most hideous day and the all-consuming grief for my beloved sister.

“We had so many plans, adventures and much left to explore together. She was my best friend and soulmate but now I feel so alone.”

The inquest into Allison’s death heard that there were no witnesses to the incident in August, 2022. She suffered fatal injuries when she was trampled by a herd of cows in a farmer’s field near Billingshurst.

The entrance to the field in which Allison Payne was walking The entrance to the field in which Allison Payne was walking (Image: Google Street View)

Allison often walked her dog, Penny, around fields surrounding the village near Horsham and would walk the route she was walking when she died “at least weekly”.

She was walking the Staffordshire bull terrier just after 11.30am on August 22, 2022, in a field with around 20 cows, each with calves around five months old.

A passer-by later found Penny without Allison and posted a missing dog appeal on social media.

Allison was found in the field off Rowner Road where she was treated by paramedics and air ambulance crews.

She was pronounced dead at the scene.

The inquest in Horsham heard the field had two paths in it – an official public footpath and “unofficial” footpath which had been worn in by foot traffic.

The official footpath had stiles at either end and signs suggesting cows with calves could be aggressive and advised walkers to find an alternative route.

Mervin Hamer, manager of the farm which owned the field, told the inquest that he had seen Allison walking along the “unofficial” path two days prior to the incident.

The court also heard that she “could have been running away from her original location from the stampeding cattle”.

A post-mortem examination gave Allison’s cause of death as a result of multiple internal injuries and her being “trampled upon by cows”.

The inquest heard that Allison had moved to Billingshurst from Birmingham when she was very young and had lived in the area for more than 50 years.

She went school in the area and left education at the age of 16 to become a travel agent.

Allison travelled to over 50 countries in her lifetime including the Galapagos Islands.

Ms Hammond added that her sister’s “favourite memories were made when she could experience the natural world”.

Having been made redundant in 2019 she later began a course to retrain as a nutritional therapist.

Allison also enjoyed swimming and keeping fit. She volunteered at a dementia café and helped elderly residents get to and from doctor’s appointments.

She was also described as an animal lover and was a vegetarian for many years.

A jury concluded that Allison’s death was an accident as a result of “extensive, critical injuries consistent with a trampling incident.