CONVICTED (2018) | serial animal hoarder and abuser Jennifer Parnell, born c. 1944, previously of Beaconsfield Road, Clevedon BS21 – breached a previous ban on keeping animals after eight cats were found in squalor at her home.
In April 2012 Jennifer Parnell, then living in Burnham-on-Sea, was banned from keeping dogs and cats for 10 years after being convicted of cruelty charges relating to three dogs and four kittens. Now her disqualification order has been extended until 2038 after eight cats were found in disgusting conditions at her current address.
Parnell had crudely white-washed the windows of her home in an attempt to hide the faeces-ridden rooms inside the property and the cats who lived there.
But when the RSPCA got into her home, they found the eight cats living in squalid conditions.
One of the cats was so poorly he had to be put to sleep. He had been left to suffer with a blocked bladder.
Parnell was brought to court but failed to turn up and had to be brought back to court under a warrant.
She was convicted of three charges of causing animal suffering.
“This could have all been avoided if the disqualification order had not been breached,” said RSPCA acting chief inspector Stephanie Daly.
“The courts impose disqualification orders for a reason – to protect animals from suffering and neglect at the hands of people who have been convicted of doing so.
“We rely on the public to inform us if someone has breached a ban and take this very seriously – as do the courts,” she added.
The surviving cats will now be made available for rehoming.
Sentencing:
26 weeks in prison, suspended for two years; £2,000 towards boarding costs. Ban on keeping dogs and cats extended until 2038.
Update December 2018
We have been advised that Jennifer Parnell (who has been known to use aliases including the surname Stewart) has now moved to Ashcombe Road, Weston-super-Mare. We understand that this serial hoarder and animal abuser relocates often to avoid detection. Anyone in that road should keep an eye out for those giveaway white-washed windows.
Parnell also apparently keeps four horses in Portbury, near Gordano, which were not the subject of the cruelty case. We also hear that two dogs were in her possession as well but the RSPCA’s prosecution only concerned her keeping of cats.
Please watch out for her. By all accounts this is no confused old lady, but a devious individual who has apparently left landlords, vets, farriers and others thousands of pounds out of pocket.