CONVICTED (2023) | Brian John Farmer, born c. 1999, of 16 Church Street, Nairn IV12 4AP – left a dog to starve to death in an abandoned property.
Brian Farmer’s dog chewed anything that was in the house in Church Street in Nairn including a sofa, its foam filling and food tins in a vain battle to survive. Photo credit: Press & Journal
Farmer pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to an 18-month-old American bully/Staffy crossbreed called Duke by failing to provide him with access to food or water whereby he starved to death. He also admitted abandoning the dog.
Fiscal depute Naomi Duffy-Welsh told the court that industrial cleaners appointed by Highland Council to attend the abandoned property discovered the dog’s skeletal and decomposing remains.
The Scottish SPCA were contacted and arranged to pick up the dog from the locus. SSPCA chief inspector Iain Allan described the scene of horror that confronted the team.
He said: “On entering, the first thing we noticed was the terrible state of the property, which was filthy with a strong, foul-smelling odour.
“There was a lot of rubbish covering the floor consisting of empty food packets, empty chewed food tins, chewed foam from the sofa and dog faeces. The room was cold as there had been no heating on within the premises for some time.
“We were shocked to see the emaciated body of a large dog in the kitchen/living room area.
“It was obvious from the state of decay of the carcass that the dog had been dead for some time. The dog was lying stretched out on the linoleum floor in front of the chewed up sofa.
“We were able to identify the dog as Duke, a one-and-a-half-year-old American XL bully cross Staffordshire bull terrier type dog.”
Duke’s body was taken for a post mortem where the vet determined the cause of death as severe malnutrition. Weighing just 14 kilograms, his skeleton protruded through his skin and his head was described as appearing too big for his body.
Decomposition suggested he had been dead for several weeks.
Defence solicitor David Patterson said that Duke had been left in his client’s care but claimed he didn’t own the dog.
In mitigation he described Farmer’s life as “challenging” adding that “a lack of education and social development” had caused him to suffer from mental health issues.
Sheriff Ian Cruickshank told Farmer that due to his personal circumstances combined with the fact that he was under 25 and had never been in prison before, he enjoyed the protection of the law if there was an alternative to custody. Instead he imposed a community sentence.
Sentencing | community sentence of 250 hours of unpaid work; two years of social work supervision. Lifetime ban on ever keeping an animal.
CONVICTED (2023) | Moy Estate gamekeeper Rory Parker, born c. 1998, of Drumbain Cottage, Moy, Tomatin, Inverness IV13 7XW – shot and killed a protected bird of prey in a pre-meditated attack.
Rory Parker was fined £1,575 after he admitted shooting a sparrowhawk on the notorious grouse-shooting Moy Estate, which is owned by Celia Mackintosh but leased out to an unnamed tenant.
In a video filmed by an RSPB Scotland investigations team, Parker was seen firing two shots into the air as the bird, a protected species, flew overhead at Tom Na Slaite, Ruthven, on 16 September 2021.
The video shows a plastic “decoy” owl on a fence post, which the RSPB said was most likely being used to attract birds of prey.
Parker, who is stood near the owl, can be seen to raise a gun and fire two shots, before scrambling over moorland to collect a bird which is clearly still alive but injured enough that it cannot escape.
Raptor Persecution provide commentary on what happened next. They wrote: “{Parker is] calm and proficient as he stamps his foot/knee on the bird to crush it, before casually picking it up and retuning to his hiding place in the bush. It appears to be quite routine and he does not look at all disturbed at having just committed a serious wildlife crime.”
The land where the sparrowhawk was shot is used for pheasant and partridge shoots and is managed by a tenant of the Moy Estate.
The court heard police recovered two shotgun cartridges and feathers from the site of the sparrowhawk shooting.
In court, Parker admitted the offence under the Wildlife and Countryside Act.
Mark Moir KC, defending, told Sheriff Sara Matheson that his client had been in his job since he left school.
Mr Moir said: “He is deeply shameful of what he has done. He has brought the estate into disrepute and has now resigned.
“His firearms certificate is likely to be revoked as a result of this conviction. He should have been shooting pigeons and crows that day. Feral pigeons are a problem on the estate.
“However, the sparrowhawk flew over and there was a rush of blood. He says it was a stupid thing to do.”
Sheriff Matheson told Parker Scotland’s birds of prey were precious and deserved protection.
Following sentencing, RSPB Scotland said that parker was the 56th gamekeeper to be convicted of raptor persecution offences in Scotland since 1990.
Ian Thomson, head of investigations, said: “This conviction was the end result of exemplary partnership working between Police Scotland, RSPB Scotland, the Wildlife DNA Forensics team at Science and Advice for Scottish Agriculture and the Wildlife and Environmental Crime Unit of Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.”
He said the persecution of birds of prey was continuing in Scotland “unabated”.
A spokesman for the Moy Estate said they had suspended Parker from his position after being made aware of the “unacceptable” incident. The spokesman further added that they are committed to maintaining the highest standards of game management.
Despite this assertion, the Moy Estate is currently under licence restrictions imposed by NatureScot in June 2022 after the police provided “robust evidence” that birds had been killed or taken illegally on the land.
All birds of prey are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and killing them is against the law, punishable by an unlimited fine and/or jail.
Shooting estates such as Moy may target them, however, for fear that they will predate and kill young grouse or eat eggs, reducing their numbers and making shooting less profitable.
CONVICTED (2023) | farmer James Robert Moar, born December 1955, of Rosebank, Deerness, Kirkwall, Orkney KW17 2QL – neglected cattle so badly, two cows had to be put down
Councillor Jimmy Moar kept farm animals in hazardous conditions and failed to feed them properly. Despite this, he wasn’t banned from owning animals
Moar, councillor for Orkney’s East Mainland, South Ronaldsay and Burray, pleaded guilty to two animal welfare charges dating back to spring 2022.
Both of the incidents took place at Moar’s home address in Deerness, where he kept around 50 cattle and several sheep.
Livestock on councillor Jimmy Moar’s disgusting farm were left to suffer because he had “too many plates to spin”
In court, Moar admitted to causing unnecessary suffering to two cows, between April 7 and May 5, 2022, by failing to provide them with veterinary treatment or pain relief for their foot infections.
He also failed to provide them with sufficient nutrition which led to them becoming emaciated and requiring euthanasia.
The second charge said he failed to ensure the needs of a number of cattle were being met.
Several emaciated cows were found on Jimmy Moar’s farm and two had to be euthanised on welfare grounds
He admitted to failing to provide them with comfortable, clean and dry resting areas; feed that was free of faecal contamination; and failed to seek veterinary treatment for their lameness.
This second offence took place between May 6 and 17, 2022.
Following Moar’s guilty plea in December 2022, the court had deferred his sentence to see if there was any evidence of him improving the condition of his animals and making significant changes at his farm.
Further inspections from the Animal and Plant Health Authority (APHA) took place ahead of sentencing.
According to Moar’s solicitor, these found that significant improvements had been made.
The solicitor said, at the time of the offences, Moar had been running for council, while also working on his farm and as a builder.
This had resulted in “too many plates to spin” and Moar becoming “overloaded.”
The solicitor conceded that “animals suffered as a result.”
In light of ‘improvements’, having been made Sheriff David Sutherland decided not to disqualify Moar from keeping animals.
In a separate case, Moar was sentenced to a further 40 hours of unpaid work on a charge of assault dating to January 2021.
Sentencing | 120 hours of unpaid work to be completed within one year; two-year supervision order.
CONVICTED (2022) | Peter Armitage, born March 1981, of Lochquoy Farm, Durran, Castletown, Thurso, Caithness KW14 8TE and his former employee Kyle R Mackay, born c. 1998, now of Birsay in Orkney – failed to provide 2000 adult hens with sufficient food and water, causing their deaths,
Peter Armitage (left) was jailed for two years and three months and given a 15-year ban on keeping animals for numerous animal welfare and hygiene offences. His former employee Kyle Mackay, who also allowed a calf to starve to death, walked free from court with a community payback order.
Armitage, director of the now dissolved company Caithness Free Range Eggs Ltd, was jailed for two years after inspectors found a litany of failings at his farm, including dead hen carcasses and rat droppings.
He was also banned from keeping animals for 15 years as a result of the offences, which occurred between September 2016 and September 2017.
Farm manager Kyle Mackay, previously of Shelbay, John O’Groats, was given a Community Payback Order requiring him to carry out 180 hours of unpaid work.
Mackay, who was 17 at the time the offences occurred, was in charge when Armitage was not working.
The court heard how the company came to the attention of Highland Council as a result of an anonymous call on July 7, 2017.
The call stated: “Rats and dead chickens lying everywhere the place is disgusting they need shut down, this place is not up to standards for any animal to live in, the poor chickens look like they are dying.”
As a result, an unannounced inspection was carried out by the council’s Environmental Health and Animal and Plant Health Agency on July 18 that same year.
The farm was found to be in a poor state of repair and very dirty with dead birds and parts of dead birds visible to inspectors as they walked around.
Pigs were found roaming the outbuildings and chicken houses, with chicken carcasses lying out in the open.
Inspectors noted chicken feet and feathers hanging out from the mouths of the pigs.
One of the chicken sheds was carpeted with what looked like a whole flock of decomposing birds and chicken carcasses were found within the egg collection areas.
Trays of collected eggs on benches were covered in bird faeces and rat droppings.
A farm worker said that the chickens had been dead for “about a month and a half.”
Inspectors returned for a second inspection the following day and found that the poultry and pigs had access to bait boxes which contained rat poison.
The environmental health officer spoke with Armitage and it was agreed that he would voluntarily cease trading with immediate effect.
He agreed not to offer or supply any eggs for sale which was subject to further engagements to rectify the issues.
The senior veterinary Inspector instructed Armitage to stop feeding the pigs raw eggs and prevent them from accessing the hen houses. He served a movement prevention notice on Armitage.
Later, on July 21, Environmental Health issued Armitage with a Remedial Action Notice (RAN), under the Food Hygiene (Scotland) Regulations 2006.
The notice re-enforced the voluntary closure of the site and prohibited the operation of the egg grading and packing unit and the supply of eggs for sale.
Subsequent inspections and welfare monitoring visits uncovered further issues and eventually there was a voluntary depopulation of the site on September 5, 2017.
Both Armitage and Mackay pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to approximately 2000 adult hens by failing to provide them with sufficient food and water, resulting in their deaths.
They also admitted to allowing pigs to gain access to the hens, which resulted in the animals attacking, killing and consuming some of the birds.
In a separate charge, Armitage also admitted failing to keep the premises clean and maintained in a good condition.
He failed to ensure that adequate procedures were followed to prevent pests and fed eggs and eggshells to pigs and allowed pigs and chickens to consume broken eggs.
The court heard that he also failed to take measures to meet the needs of approximately 6000 hens.
He failed to provide a suitable diet and environment and did not house them separately to other animals or protect them from suffering, injury and disease.
Mackay pleaded guilty to a further charge of failing to provide sufficient food and water to a calf which died.
At Wick Sheriff Court Sheriff Jo Platt told Armitage: “The narration of the facts was beyond troubling, it was horrifying and the nature of the offences is evidenced very clearly by the photographs which were taken.
“Together, they constituted a catalogue of horror and animal abuse. Such callous disregard for the welfare of the livestock for the care of which you were responsible, led to conditions of not merely of neglect but demonstrated to extreme cruelty as you starved livestock to death.”
Turning to Mackay, Sheriff Platt said that he had to consider different factors in his case.
The sheriff said that the accused’s first job with the egg operation, as a lad of 17, then, had proved to be “a disastrous decision at the very least”.
The sheriff added: “I hope it stands you in good stead for the future because it provides a stark lesson in how things must not be done” but also made the point: “You could have taken the action which one of your colleagues took and contacted the authorities.”
CONVICTED (2022) | Sheila Brolly, born January 1957, of Torran Farm, Ford, Lochgilphead PA31 8RH – allowed her dogs to be in such poor condition they had to be euthanised on welfare grounds.
Brolly, who owns the Torran Bay Hostel, was given a woeful three-year ban on owning animals and 18-month supervision order following a Scottish SPCA investigation in relation to collies Dan and Goldie.
She pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to the two dogs and was sentenced on November 10, 2022.
Eight-year-old Dan was suffering from a persistent ear infection while Goldie, aged nine, had several visible tumours in her mouth.
Complications from untreated medical conditions caused them such prolonged suffering that they had to be put to sleep on welfare grounds.
Brolly also failed to provide the dogs with suitable living conditions including clean water or a comfortable resting place.
Scottish SPCA inspector Yvonne Sloss said: “We attended Brolly’s property in July 2020 following concerns for the two collies she kept on the premises.
“We found the dogs to be living in a metal trailer with some fencing around it to create a makeshift run.
“There was no bedding and not enough water to sustain two dogs, especially given the high temperature that day.
“There was a noticeable smell of infection coming from the two dogs.
“Dan appeared to be missing part of one ear, which Brolly said was the result of a fight with another dog several years ago. ”
She continued: “On closer inspection I was horrified to see that Dan had flesh falling away from both his ears. The smell of infection was overpowering and Dan was yelping when his head was touched.
“Goldie had several large growths in her mouth, which were so big they could be seen when she was panting.
“Her coat was matted and there was discharge and blood dripping from her jaw. Again, the smell of infection was incredibly strong.”
Brolly said neither dog had ever seen a vet at any point in their lives and she had treated Dan’s previous ear wound with a blue spray that she would use for the sheep.”
Ms Sloss continued: “Once both dogs were examined by a veterinary surgeon the true extent of both their conditions were revealed. Dan’s gums were inflamed and his incisor teeth were very worn. It’s impossible to judge how much pain this was causing him as he was already in so much pain from his ears.
“Both his ears were so infected that the skin in the ear canal had thickened and calcified around his right ear drum, showing the infection had been ongoing for some time. The infection had eaten away the flesh at the entrance to his right ear canal and both ears were full of blood and pus.
“The infection had been allowed to continue for so long and become so severe it was now incurable and there was no chance of Dan recovering successfully. Therefore, the decision was made to put him to sleep and end his suffering.
“Goldie had several broken and worn teeth, which would have caused her considerable pain. The tumours in her mouth had grown so large that they were now encompassing some of her teeth and causing others to become loose.
“This, coupled with the infection would have left her in considerable pain. The tumours had been left so long they had become inoperable and it would have been impossible to restore her mouth to its normal condition so she was also euthanised on veterinary advice.”
She continued: “The Crown Prosecution Order [stated] that even a lay person would be able to identify these conditions and how they would cause suffering and pain. This pain was severe and inflicted needlessly over a prolonged period of time.
“Had Brolly taken swift action at the onset of these conditions and provided her dogs with the appropriate veterinary attention, they need not have suffered and may even still be alive and well today.
“We’re pleased Brolly has received a ban on owning animals and hope she will seriously consider her ability to look after any animal in the future.”
Sentencing | 18-month supervision order. Three-year ban on owning animals (expires November 2025).
CONVICTED (2022) | Chris Maginn, born 30 August 1946, from Leith in Edinburgh but with strong links to Tarbert in Argyll – tormented and killed animals and also committed gross acts of sexual and physical child abuse.
In a years-long campaign of historic animal and child abuse Maginn, described on his various social media profiles as “an actor, educator, community worker and sculptor”, kicked pet cats, threw a kitten at a door and drove nails into a goat’s head. He also forced a girl to kill her pet gerbil with an axe.
Maginn also sexually abused a boy and a girl and mistreated them and another girl. He abused them mentally, leaving them scared, alarmed and anxious.
He denied doing anything wrong, forcing his victims, who are now adults, to give evidence against him in a trial at Dumbarton Sheriff Court. He was convicted of five charges spanning 1981 to 1987 and jailed for just three years.
He was also placed on the sex offenders’ register for the rest of his life.
Maginn began abusing the children in March 1981, at addresses in Argyll and Bute villages. He “wilfully ill-treated” the trio, assaulted the boy, sexually abused him, and sexually abused one girl.
He treated the “children in a manner likely to cause them unnecessary suffering or injury to health.”
The court heard he also attacked them, grabbing the boy and younger girl by the throat and pushing and throwing the boy about. He sexually abused the girl, making “inappropriate and sexual comments”, having sex in front of her and making her see him naked.
She was also assaulted by him in a swimming pool in Oban, Argyll and Bute, being held against a wall, and touched by him, with him pressing his body against her. She was also made to strip and wash in front of him, was stared at while she was naked, and was touched inappropriately, before he put cream on her body.
When she was older, he continued to make inappropriate and sexual comments, stripped in front of her and made her strip. He also told her to perform sex acts on herself, tried to make her bathe with him, touched her inappropriately, tried to get her to simulate breastfeeding another child, and kissed her.
He also repeatedly sexually abused the boy, when he was aged between 10 and 13, causing the youngster to see him naked, masturbating in front of him and offering him a semen sample to view under his microscope.
Maginn also beat the boy on a number of occasions, hitting him on the head and body, leaving him injured.
CONVICTED (2022) | Michal Kulesza, born 14 October 1976, previously of Bristol but now living in Aviemore – punched and kicked two small dogs over a two-day period of sustained abuse.
The RSPCA was handed 25 video clips during which Kulesza caused Jack Russells Sonia and Rocky to yelp and scream in pain. The dogs belonged to Kulesza’s landlord, who was initially unaware of the abuse.
Prosecuting for the RSPCA solicitor Lindi Meyer said: “Kulesza was not known to his landlord before this time.
“However soon after he moved in it was noticed that the dogs had started to behave differently and appeared nervous around the defendant. As a result of this, the landlord installed CCTV in the kitchen and the living room and informed the defendant that he was doing so.
“On March 29, he was able to download and view footage which showed Kulesza violently abusing his little dogs on a number of occasions – particularly singling out Rocky for the abuse.”
The landlord contacted the RSPCA and immediately told Kulesza to pack his bags and leave. RSPCA Inspector Dan Hatfield was shown two sections of CCTV footage which “showed Kulesza repeatedly punching Rocky resulting in him yelping and screaming”.
One of the clips shows the dogs in their bed in a corner, next to a fridge. Kulesza is heard raising his voice when Rocky enters and gets onto his bed.
Kulesza follows, kneels in front of the dog on the bed and raises his arm with a clenched fist. Police say he then “brings it down on Rocky with considerable force four times, before changing his swing and punching the dog a further seven times while Rocky yelps with each blow he receives”.
In another clip, he is filmed kicking Rocky, and in a different one again, Kulesza is seen aggressively pulling the dogs’ bed from under them. Further clips capture the dogs yelping, screaming, and being repeatedly struck by Kulesza.
There is no misbehaviour on the part of the dogs shown by CCTV footage, with the violence appearing to be unprovoked.
During interview, Kulesza, who pleaded guilty to two animal welfare offences in court, said he was unable to explain or justify his actions, describing himself as being in a rage and state of heightened anxiety and that the dogs had done nothing to him.
He later said in court he was grieving his girlfriend who had died in a car accident five years ago in his homeland.
Solicitor Lindi Meyer added: “This was a particularly nasty case in which two helpless dogs were needlessly physically and mentally abused.
“The physical and mental suffering the dogs were subjected was blatantly unnecessary and avoidable.
“Rocky was subjected to and suffered repeatedly from acute pain and some of this would become more chronic – and the tail pull injury would have been particularly painful.
“He suffered from persistent high levels of stress and anxiety due to the physical as well as the violent verbal abuse directed at him.”
Sentencing | 42 weeks in jail, suspended for two years. 250 hours of unpaid work. 30 days of rehabilitation activity. £328 in costs and charges. Banned from keeping animals for 10 years.
CONVICTED (2022) | Rory Knox, born c. 1982, of Scott Court, Helensburgh G84 8BS – inserted a sex toy into a dog, where it became stuck.
Depraved Rory Knox attacked the unnamed female dog, who belonged to his then partner, on April 18. 2021.
The sickening incident took place at the woman’s home in Milton of Campsie, East Dunbartonshire, while Knox was alone with the pet.
Knox called his partner to inform her what he had done.
Fiscal depute Ross Harris told the court: “He asked if she could speak. He stated, ‘I have went and done something really stupid’.
“He went on to say he was playing about with the dog and got the sex toy stuck inside her.
“A few hours later, the woman noticed the dog appeared stressed. The accused asked several times for the dog not to be taken to the vet as he would be arrested.
“The woman took the dog to the vet the next day.
“The vet’s clinical director spoke to the woman, and she said she had noticed the dog’s external genital area swollen and informed him what the accused said.
“The dog was examined and appeared calm and not in any distress. Her genital area was swollen and dry.
“The initial examination returned nothing of note. The dog was taken for an X-ray and a rectal examination, and the object was taken out of the dog.
“It was an 8-10cm sex toy.”
The clinical director informed the woman he would be reporting the matter to the SSPCA, and she said she was happy with this and had been considering calling the police herself.
She called Knox and told him how much the vet bill was. He deposited the £338 into her bank account.
Meanwhile, Knox, who had returned to his home town Helensburgh, got a visit from police and was arrested in the early hours of April 20, 2021.
He provided a “no comment” answer to all questions and remained in custody pending further enquiries.
Mr Harris said: “The police attended at the vet and seized photos of the sex toy and X-rays. The woman stated it was similar to the one she had bought the accused at Christmas as a joke.
“He was arrested and charged and replied, ‘I accept that’.”
Knox appeared in court for sentencing after pleading guilty to causing the animal unnecessary suffering
His lawyer said the incident cost him a lengthy relationship.
He added: “It’s a bad offence and not really one that can be mitigated. At the time, his life was particularly chaotic. He was gripped by cocaine use.
“The matter is serious and also quite bizarre. This man clearly needs help. Supervision would provide that and hopefully, reduce the risk of further offending.
“There also requires to be a punitive element here. He would comply with any order.
“As bad as the offence is, there is an appropriate reaction to it. His admittance of it to the complainer, him covering the vet bill she required to pay on the day and his acceptance when charged. There was a degree of responsibility taken by him.”
Sheriff Shona Gilroy said: “Thankfully there is no long-term injury for this dog. What is concerning is the degree of self-pity about the situation you find yourself in.
“I do agree that there needs to be some examination regarding your motivation around this offence.”
Sentencing: one-year supervision order; 100-day tagging order. Disqualified from keeping, owning or being responsible for any animal for seven years.
CONVICTED (2022) | Bryan Maclennan, born c. 1987, of 62 Firhill, Alness IV17 0RS – shot seagulls with a catapult, stole their eggs and kept an injured bird in a cage in his kitchen.
Maclennan pleaded guilty to three charges under the Wildlife and Countryside Act. He admitted two charges of intentionally or recklessly injuring a wild bird by striking it with a ball bearing from a slingshot or similar instrument and a third charge of taking or destroying eggs from a wild bird.
The court heard that Maclennan was spotted acting strangely by police in Invergordon, Easter Ross, in May 2021.
When they stopped him he was attempting to dispose of an injured herring gull he had been carrying in a plastic bag.
A search of his person and home uncovered slingshots, ballbearings, herring gull eggs and an injured bird in a cage on top of a freezer.
Maclennan’s solicitor Neil Wilson said his client had offered an explanation for his actions to the social work team and had been assessed as posing “no risk of reoffending”.
Fining Maclennan £940 and granting a motion for forfeiture of the catapults, ball bearings and gull eggs, Sheriff Aitken told Maclennan this was “not the way to deal with” any perceived menace from the birds.
He said: “I take the view that these are in fact fairly serious charges and that anyone who is prepared to use a weapon against another living creature is someone to be concerned about.”
The sheriff added: “Injuring something and then taking it home and keeping it on a cage in the kitchen is also concerning.”
The Press and Journal reported that Maclennan was back in court after being caught catapulting ball bearings at another bird.
He admitted a further charge under the Wildlife and Countryside Act, following an incident at Kirkside, Alness on July 24, 2022.
MacLennan was accused of a single charge of intentionally or recklessly injuring and taking a wild bird.
He admitted striking the gull and rendering it unconscious before taking away the injured bird in a bag.
Calling for pre-sentencing reports the sheriff told MacLennan: “You have been dealt with previously for something very similar. This will need to stop otherwise something most regrettable might happen”.
MacLennan will reappear for sentencing sometime in October 2022.
CONVICTED (2021) | farmer Albert Sauer, born c. 1935, of Tangymoil Farm, Kilkenzie, Campbeltown PA28 6QD – caused huge pain and suffering to a herd of donkeys.
The donkeys were neglected with deformed and overgrown hooves.
Albert Sauer pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering after two donkeys in his care were euthanised on humane grounds.
Scottish SPCA officers visited the farm after receiving a report of animal neglect from a concerned member of the public.
There they saw five male and six female donkeys whose hooves were so badly deformed that they struggled to even walk properly.
Some of the animals were underweight with bald patches on their coats. Sauer admitted they had not been seen by a vet for some time.
The surviving donkeys are recovering from their ordeal in the specialist care of The Donkey Sanctuary.
In total, 11 donkeys were removed from Sauer, with the nine surviving animals taken into the care of international animal welfare charity The Donkey Sanctuary.
Scottish SPCA inspector Yvonne Inglis, who led the investigation, said: “This is without a doubt the worst case of equine neglect I’ve come across.”
“All it would have taken to save these donkeys from months of pain and suffering was regular foot trimming from a farrier. There is no justification for allowing the health of these poor donkeys to deteriorate to this point.
“Thankfully, The Donkey Sanctuary stepped in to offer support and have been providing them with care and treatment in the right environment. They are all in a much better, happier place now.”
The nine surviving donkeys have slowly been nursed back to full health with each appointed dedicated grooms.
They all require special diets to build their weight back up as well as farrier and dental treatment.
Sentencing: Fined £300. 10-year ban on owning donkeys or horses.
