CONVICTED (2016) | hoarders David Govan, born 19/11/1950, and wife Marilyn Govan, born 03/09/1953, of Windmill Close, Bassingbourn, Royston SG8 5FJ – prosecuted for antisocial behaviour relating to their 38 dogs.
Dog hoarders Marilyn and David Govan of Royston, Hertfordshire
The council had received regular complaints from neighbours of antisocial behaviour relating to the Govans’ dogs howling and barking, the smell of faeces, and dogs escaping from the property. In total, the couple kept 38 dogs of various breeds at their former property in Hay Green, Royston.
The local authority gave the couple two months to reduce the noise by reducing the number of dogs on the property.
Mrs Govan contacted the council to express displeasure with the way the couple had been treated, and informing officials that they wouldn’t reduce the amount of dogs at the property.
After a second order found the noise levels were still too high, the dogs were then seized from the home by the RSPCA and the police.
The raid was prompted after a neighbour raised concerns about the welfare of the animals.
The council also made an application for a Criminal Behaviour Order against the couple, preventing them from having more than three dogs at the property, having any female dogs on any of the land comprising their property, and allowing dogs to bark, howl, yap or whine, whilst also being required to collect, bag and bin any faeces attributed to their dogs.
As far as we know the couple, who have sold the Hay Green property and moved into nearby Windmill Close, still have custody of the dogs.
CONVICTED (2016) | pet hoarder Maite Garcia aka Maite Garcia Rodriguez, born c. 1970, of Nightingale Lane, Wellingborough NN8 4TP – starved and neglected 20 pets.
Wellingborough pet hoarder Maite Garcia is banned from keeping animals until July 2026
Garcia pleaded guilty to 14 charges of animal cruelty and neglect.
Two of the charges related to the diets of five cats, which the RSPCA says were judged not “suitable.”
Seven domestic cats were not protected from pain, injury, suffering and disease as shown by an ear mite infection and were also not kept in a “suitable environment.”
An adult Bengal style cat called Sassy, was not taken to the vets when she was in “poor condition.
Garcia did not show the correct duty of care to a ragdoll style cat called Lily, and did not treat a rex type cat for an ulcerated eye.
A female bulldog with eye and skin conditions, a boxer dog by the name of Zeus and a bulldog with conditions “affecting her skin, eyes and ears,” were also included in the charges.
Wellingborough Magistrates’ Court heard how RSPCA inspectors visited Garcia’s house on August 5, 2015, after concerns that a cat was too skinny.
But after entering the property they found five dogs and 15 cats to have scaly skin, scabs and sores. They were also underweight, with some completely bald.
There was no evidence of food or water on the floor, with cats overcrowded and on tables and chairs.
Seven cats were found in an unsuitable wooden pen, with diarrhoea on the floor and litter trays saturated with excrement.
In a police interview, Garcia said she had not taken any of the animals to the vet since December 2014.
She said she was aware that her pets had a skin condition and had looked it up on the internet and used shampoos on them.
She also admitted that she knew some of them had eye conditions, but did not take them to the vet as she didn’t think they were suffering.
Garcia maintained that she did not believe they were in pain and said all of the pets were fed two meals a day. She claimed she spent up to £100 a month on dog food.
When asked by inspectors where the food was, she told them it was in the toilet and they hadn’t looked there – but the door was locked.
Among the pets she owned were male and female bulldogs, boxers, a Persian cat, Bengal cat and ragdoll cat.
The court heard that Garcia had received a pay-out of about £10,000 after winning an employment tribunal, much of which she used to buy the pets.
She claimed she could not afford to pay for the vets bills, but bought a kitten for £700 prior to the inspector’s visit.
Mitigating, Sean Smith told the court that Garcia was addicted to owning pets to make up for her unhappy home life.
He said: “This is not a case where the defendant is intending to hurt the animals.
“Buying an animal was like a hit, so powerful that she bought another, and another, and another, and in a short space of time she had collected a lot.
“She did not legislate for the cost of the vets bills.
“We are talking about someone who has not thought this through at all, clearly.”
Sentencing her, chairman of the bench John Baker said: “These are serious offences due to the number of animals and the neglect caused.
“You knew all along that you could not look after them.
“This clearly crosses the custody threshold but we believe that you need some help.”
RSPCA inspector Polly Underwood, who investigated the case, said: “There were so many animals in the house and there were signs of suffering.
“The dogs were thin and with skin conditions, and there was limited food and water available.
“There were also a number of cats at the property which were in a poor condition and as a result had to be removed.
“There were a large number of animals involved in this case and it is so important to get the message across that people should not take on more animals than they can cope with as it may lead to suffering.”
As Maite was banned from keeping animals, she had to give up three dogs, three cats, five rabbits and one parrot still in her care.
Sentencing | eight-week suspended prison term; 20-day rehabilitation programme; 140 hours of unpaid work; £500 in court costs plus £80 victim surcharge. Banned from keeping an animal for 10 years (expires July 2026)
CONVICTED (2016) | John-Mark Caleb Burnside, born 12 January 1994, originally from Clitheroe, Lancashire, but as of March 2021 of Church Street, Padiham BB12 8JH – punched his pet whippet and throttled her.
Burnside, who has several convictions for violence towards humans, punched the dog and then throttled her in front of people enjoying a night out in the Rose and Crown pub in Clitheroe.
He then approached a group of males and swung a stool at them before punching one and grabbing another by the throat.
The court was told that all the time Burnside was “muttering” to himself and ignored efforts to calm him down.
Burnside pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to a dog, being drunk and disorderly in the Rose and Crown, and using threatening behaviour. He also pleaded guilty to being drunk and disorderly on a separate occasion.
Sentencing was adjourned for administrative reasons and no update is available.
Catherine Allan, prosecuting, said Burnside walked into the Rose and Crown at 10.15pm and the barman described him as looking “drunk and angry”.
“He sat at the bar, picked up the dog, lifted it to head height and then, without warning, threw it down onto the floor,” said Miss Allan. “He walked across the pub and with both hands began to squeeze the dogs neck before hitting it three or four times. The dog didn’t cry out but witnesses said it looked really scared.”
Miss Allan applied for an order disqualifying Burnside from keeping any animal and an exclusion order from public houses in the Clitheroe area.
She said the second drunk and disorderly, in Station Road, put Burnside in breach of a suspended prison sentence imposed for assaults on two people in a Clitheroe social club.
Geoffrey Ireland, defending, said he couldn’t say too much about the offences because his client had no recollection due the amount he had to drink combined with medication he took for mental health issues.
“He accepts he behaved very badly towards the dog which his parents have since given to someone else,” said Mr Ireland.
CONVICTED (2016) | Terrance Blanch, born c. 1942, of Bourne Crescent, Northampton NN5 7JD – injured a cat he caught in a wire trap set up in his garden.
Cruel Terrance Blanch was fined after catching his neighbour’s cat in a wire snare in his garden.
Blanch pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal.
The court heard that the long-haired cat, known as Lilith, went missing on two occasions in November 2014 and December 2015.
Her owner, Michelle Batchelor, who lives a few doors away from Blanch’s address, said on both occasions she heard her cat crying from behind the fence of his garden.
Ms Batchelor, who has four other cats, said she looked over the fence and saw Lilith had been trapped in a cage.
Each time Ms Batchelor was forced to knock on the Blanch’s door and he then agreed to release the cat.
Ms Janita Patel, prosecuting, said Blanch was given two warnings from the RSPCA about the use of traps or snares in his garden.
In February 2016, Lilith again went missing and Ms Batchelor heard her crying behind Blanch’s garden fence.
When she looked over, Ms Batchelor saw her cat had become wrapped up in a wire snare.
After phoning the RSPCA and police, Ms Batchelor was informed she could climb the fence and go into the garden to retrieve her cat.
Ms Batchelor said: “Lilith was hissing and crying and I thought she was injured and her back legs had gone. I tried to pull her out but she would not move. I then noticed that around her waist was a wire snare. The snare was tight round her waist and did not move freely.”
Ms Batchelor eventually managed to remove Lilith from the snare and she was taken to a vets.
Lilith was given painkillers and antibiotics and checked for internal bleeding. Ms Batchelor said her pet had now recovered from her physical injuries but was much more fearful about going outside now.
Ms Batchelor said: “I feel absolutely horrified that one of my cats has been caught in this way, not only a cage but also a snare.”
In his interview with the RSPCA, Blanch said he set up the snares and traps to stop rats and rabbits from getting into the aviary, which was in his garden.
Blanch claimed he was not aiming to catch cats but admitted he was not aware of the legislation for setting snares or that it was his responsibility to check them daily.
The court heard that when he was asked what he would do to deter cats from entering his garden he said “You don’t want to know.”
Sentence: two-year community order; fine, costs and chares totalling £560.
CONVICTED (2016) | Aniela Jurecka, born 26 September 1987, of Prospect Place, Collier Street, Tonbridge TN12 9BP; Charlotte Johnson, born c. 1987, of Tollgate Way, Sandling, Maidstone ME14 3DF, and vet David Edward Smith, born February 1950, of Lower Farm, The Street, Finglesham CT14 0NA – drugged sick and potentially dangerous horses and sold them to unsuspecting buyers.
Vet David Smith was a key player in a horse drugging scam alongside Aniela Jurecka (middle) and Charlotte Johnson (right).
The horses, priced from £1,950 to £5,700, were drugged at South East Horses, based at Great Thorn Farm in Marden and at hired land at Duckhurst Farm in Staplehurst, to cover up lameness and other problems.
Jurecka and Johnson advertised horses for sale in equestrian publications, but text messages revealed the pair were drugging horses to mask poor behaviour or lameness. The women would advise buyers to save money by using the veterinary services of David Smith, who would give the horses a clean bill of health.
Prices for the horses ranged from £1,950 to £5,700 and they were sold from Duckhurst Farm in Staplehurst and Great Thorn Farm in Marden, both in Kent, with certificates for good health provided by Smith.
Jurecka and Johnson were convicted of drugging potentially dangerous horses and selling them on.
Police launched an investigation after the first report was received by officers in October 2010. The horse, called Belle, developed behavioural problems and was lame, and was a thoroughbred, not an Irish sports horse as advertised.
They were arrested after a large-scale operation, which involved Kent Police, Trading Standards and the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS).
Jurecka and Johnson pictured outside court.
On 31 May 2013, police executed a warrant at Lakeview Veterinary Centre in Capel Le Ferne, where Smith was practising. They seized information from computers, which uncovered poor record-keeping by Smith, in particular surrounding the supply of Modecate — a long-acting sedative.
Several text messages sent to Smith by the dealers were also uncovered by the detectives where Jurecka asked Smith for Modecate and sedative Sedalin.
Due to the number of victims coming forward, the investigation was a complex and large enquiry. The trio were charged with fraud in January 2015.
Corrupt vet pictured during his court appearance.
After a 14-week trial at Maidstone Crown Court, Jurecka, Johnson and Smith were convicted of conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation.
In scathing comments after the verdicts, Judge Martin Joy said the trio had been convicted on overwhelming evidence of committing the offence over a long period, defrauding a large number of customers. Several customers were thrown and at least one was in hospital for two months with life-threatening injuries.
Others had broken ribs and one was left unconscious in a ditch.
Many horses had to be destroyed or retired.
Smith had previously been struck off from the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons for serious misconduct in certifying animals he had not examined. He was later reinstated by his college but went on to commit frauds in the latest case.
Speaking after the verdicts, Detective Constable Tracey Brightman said: “These horses were obtained cheaply by the Johnson and Jurecka because they had physical problems or aggressive tendencies.
“We believe their issues were masked with drugs supplied by Smith when a potential buyer came to try out the horse. “The dealers made huge profits on unfit, ill and injured horses working with a veterinary surgeon to ensure their lies were covered with credibility.
‘What they were doing was not only fraud but also putting their customers in danger. In one instance a woman was left unable to walk for a year after being thrown from her horse.
“It later transpired the animal had serious back problems which made it unsuitable for the activities that Smith had passed it for.
“The criminal aspect of the case may overlook the fact that passing an injured horse as fit to ride and jump is nothing short of cruel and shows a complete disregard to the veterinary oath.
“Unfortunately in some cases the horses were so ill they had to be euthanized causing yet more distress to the new owners.”
Sentencing: each was sentenced to two-and-half-years behind bars.
It was reported that David Smith had been removed from the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) Registrar after he was convicted of conspiracy to commit fraud in court and for a number of clinical failings. Smith appealed the decision and the outcome of that appeal is not currently known.
CONVICTED (2016) | Gillian Glastonbury, born 13 April 1954, and partner Ian Macdonald-Sutherland, born c. 1949, of Highfield House, Station Road, Langworth, Lincoln LN3 5BB – for cruelty to three ponies.
Ponies neglected by Gillian Glastonbury and her partner Ian Macdonald-Sutherland.
The pair pleaded guilty to two counts of causing unnecessary suffering to three ponies and were each fined £520, ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services of £52 and costs of £250.
CONVICTED (2016) | Fiona Cuthill, born c. 1985, formerly of Plean, Stirling, and as at 2019 of Cawder Road, Bridge of Allan FK9 4JJ – starved dog Snoop, leaving him just days from death from dehydration
Cuthill pleaded guilty to failing to provide sufficient adequate nutrition for Snoop, who weighed under 6kg in November 2015 when animal welfare officers from the Scottish SPCA found him.
The court heard Cuthill had suffered “financial constraints”, but SSPCA Inspector Louise Seddon said it was inconceivable she did not realise Snoop was in trouble and only needed feeding – not expensive veterinary care.
Insp Seddon, who was the first officer to attend Cuthill’s then address at Kirkbride Terrace in Plean, added: “We received a report to our animal helpline that there was a dog at the property which was very thin and shaking and looked like it was dying.
“When I arrived I found Snoop in extremely thin condition and all his bones, especially his ribs and pelvic bones, were very prominent.
“He was in a semi-collapsed state and was only able to stand with difficulty when lifted. It was clear Snoop needed immediate veterinary attention and as he was barely able to walk I had to carry him to my van.
“The vet’s findings were that Snoop was severely emaciated and seriously dehydrated. He was immediately put on intravenous fluids and the vet was not sure whether he would survive.
“It was the vet’s view that, due to the level of dehydration, without water Snoop would likely have died within a few days, and with water death would have occurred within two weeks due to starvation.”
Despite his prolonged suffering and chronic undernourishment, fighter Snoop went on to make a full recovery from his ordeal after round-the-clock care and was rehomed.
Sentencing: ordered to pay £500 to the Scottish SPCA. Banned from keeping animals for 10 years (expires June 2026).
NAMED AND SHAMED (2016) | backyard breeders Joan Allison, son Stephen Allison and partner Donald Freek, all of Etal Lane, Newcastle upon Tyne NE5 4AS but with links to Ashington, Northumberland.
These people were never prosecuted, but the sources are reliable animal rescue organisations who were directly involved in an operation to remove dogs and puppies from backyard breeders with scant regard for animal welfare.
The following are extracts from a Facebook post (since removed) by Sam Madasabee of dog rescue Last Chance Hotel who, in May 2016, travelled to Newcastle from Cornwall to rescue two Russian Black Terriers (RBTs) kept in appalling conditions alongside 16 German Shepherds.
“These dogs alongside 16 GSDs lived in the sheds you see below, on grazing land with little or no human contact… Lizzy Brown and GSD ELITE (of which Lizzy is a trustee and hands on fosterer) took most of the shepherds and we took the RBTs .
“The RSPCA had been on site and did nothing. But the EHO [Environmental Health Officer] and DWs [dog warden] (whom Lizzy was in contact with) removed them instantly because of the appalling state they were living in, and the state the dogs were in themselves.
“The owner had a choice….Court or sign them over. It was decided that signing them over was in the dogs best interest as they could have faced months in kennels whilst awaiting a court hearing. So we clocked up over 2000 miles travelling up and down the country with the help of some fab volunteers like Ange Stocks and friends, to bring all dogs into rescue.
“The RBTs were in a mess. We had to clip all their fur off it was full of shit and eggs… nearly 5kg of it. Both dogs were at least 15kg underweight and one boy had to have his severely infected dew claws removed. Both boys were on AB’S for a long while and cost this charity over £1,500 easy to get into an acceptable condition where we could start finding foster homes for them.
“The photos you see are of June Allisonand her son. These are the vile owners. These people thought it was acceptable to keep dogs in this mess… up to their knees in shit, fed every other day and the bitches constantly in pup. This woman texted and moaned that she had no holiday money as she now had no puppies to sell.
“These people are in Northumberland…. and no doubt are still breeding… so please keep a watchful eye on them ….. and let people know if you see anything.”
