Armagh, County Armagh: Martha Toal and Michael Ferris

February 28, 2017 misanthropic Leave a comment

CONVICTED (2017) | Martha Toal, born July 1966, of School House Close, Glenanne, Armagh BT60 2GA, and partner Michael Ferris, born c. 1956, of Shillinghill Road, Armagh BT60 2EE – for a litany of cruelty to horses

Toal was convicted of 12 charges. Ferris, whose farm on Shillinghill Road, Mowhan in Armagh was where the investigation centred, was convicted of nine charges.

Horse abuser Martha Toal from Armagh, Northern Ireland — Horse abuser Martha Toal had her prison sentence reduced from five months to two on appeal but her lifetime ban on keeping any animal was upheld

In October 2016, Toal and Ferris were both jailed for five months for what a judge described as one of the worst cruelty cases he had ever come across.

Before the couple were led away to begin their sentences, the presiding judge warned them the ban included every animal “down to a goldfish”.

In addition, the judge also ordered the pair to hand over a total of £46,000 to the authorities, after she heard they had refused to allow two statutory bodies to sell the seized animals despite them being told that if they agreed, costs of the animals being fed, housed and cared for would be dropped.

This case arose from an animal welfare complaint received by Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council.

Victims of horse abuser Martha Toal from Armagh, Northern Ireland — Suffering horses at Michael Ferris’s farm at 7 Shillinghall Road, Armagh

On investigation of the complaint animal welfare officers found horses and ponies and one donkey at premises and on land at Shillinghill Road.

Eight equines were taken into possession by the Council as they were certified by a veterinary surgeon as suffering due to starvation and neglect.

Of these eight, three did not survive.

Two dead ponies were also found on the premises.

Toal and Ferris were found guilty of failing to dispose of equine carcasses, causing unnecessary suffering, failing to provide a wholesome diet, and failing to comply with welfare improvement notices.

They also pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to seven horses and a foal.

Sentencing: two months in jail (reduced from five on appeal); total of £46,000 in costs. Lifetime ban on keeping any animal.

Lurgan Mail

Birds, Violent and Sadistic Pet Abusers

Stoke-on-Trent: Ian Williams

February 27, 2017 misanthropic Leave a comment

CONVICTED (2017) Ian H Williams, born 1959, of 15 Geneva Drive, Stoke-on-Trent ST1 6UW – beat and stamped on a pet dove, which later died

Williams, who went on to be convicted of drink driving, was found guilty of causing unnecessary suffering to the dove by subjecting it to violence.

The court heard that Williams attacked the bird in the garden of his parents’ house in Rosewood Avenue, Stoke. The dove was the pet of a neighbour.

RSPCA inspector Charlotte Melvin, who investigated, said: “Williams had made it known that he did not like the doves and, very sadly, a dove suffered unnecessarily because of this. It was very obvious that the poor bird had been attacked in the most horrific way.

“A post-mortem examination of the dove showed injuries consistent with being beaten with a stick and then stamped on. It is very sad that such a beautiful bird suffered a horrible, painful death. Put simply, this was a completely mindless attack and there is absolutely no excuse for it.

“It is important to remember that the welfare of all animals is protected by the law – birds the same as dogs, cats and horses – and none deserve to be treated with cruelty.”

Sentencing:
12-month community order; £985 in costs. Banned from keeping animals for three years (expired 2020) .

Signal2
ITV News

Animal Abandonment, guinea pigs, Small Furries

Kingskerswell, Devon: Sarah Pintus

February 26, 2017 misanthropic 1 Comment

CONVICTED (2017) | Sarah Pintus (aka Sarah Gough), born c. 1986, of Lonsee Gardens, Kingskerswell, Newton Abbot TQ12 5FE – left two guinea pigs without food or water

Animal abuser Sarah Pintus from Devon, UK

Pintus pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to two guinea pigs after leaving them to starve. Only one of them survived.

Sentencing: ordered to pay a total of £250. fined £120. Two-year ban on owning animals (expired 2019).

DevonLive

Dogs, Violent and Sadistic Pet Abusers, Worst of the Worst

Gnosall, Staffordshire: Peter Waters

February 25, 2017 misanthropic 1 Comment

#MostEvil | Peter David James Waters, born 16/11/1975, previously of Monks Walk, Gnosall, Stafford ST20 0DF, and more recently (2018) Hunters Road, Birmingham B19 1DU – stabbed his pet dog multiple times and dumped his body in a bin.

Dog killer Peter Waters from Gnosall, Stafford, UK

Waters pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to Kyzer, whom he had only had for four months.

The court heard how Waters plunged a kitchen knife into Kyzer with such force two of the dog’s ribs were broken and his lungs collapsed. The knife had snapped.

Kyzer was stabbed to death by Peter Waters from Gnosall, Stafford, UK — Kyzer

Kyzer had two stab wounds to the chest and suffered extensive bleeding. A vet said he would have experienced severe pain, a feeling of suffocation, panic, fear and distress, indicating an act of cruelty and suffering.

The RSPCA, which brought the prosecution, discovered dried blood around the flat.

The court heard Waters claimed he had taken Kyzer on from a previous owner, who had abused him. He told police Kyzer was “a brilliant dog”.

The morning of the attack, a neighbour said Waters banged on his door, shouting. He appeared unsteady on his feet and his speech was slurred. He said he heard Waters return to his flat and begin shouting at his dog, yelling: “Where’s your fucking lead?”

Waters banged on the neighbour’s door again several times until he answered at around 4pm. He said Waters told him: “I’ve killed my dog. I’ve stabbed him twice in the heart and cut his throat.”

When police were called, they said Waters appeared to be drunk. Officers said he was abusive and believed he presented a threat. After a struggle, in which Waters tried to kick and bite an officer, they overpowered him and he was arrested.

The dog was discovered wrapped in blood stained bedding inside a bin in Greenside, Yarnfield near Eccleshall. The broken knife was protruding from his body.

The court heard when Waters arrived at the police station he remained aggressive and restraints and a spit hood were used.

The RSPCA described Waters’ cruelty towards Kyzer as ‘stomach-churning’, saying the dog would have been ‘terrified’.

Sentencing:
Waters was jailed for 23 weeks and disqualified from keeping animals for 20 years (expires February 2037).

Express & Star

Animal Abandonment, Cats

Elgin, Moray: Caasi McCrindle

February 24, 2017 misanthropic 1 Comment

CONVICTED (2017) | Caasi I McCrindle, born c. 1991, of Masonic Close, Elgin IV30 1EJ – left a cat inside an empty property with no access to food or water

Animal abuser: Caasi McCrindle from Elgin, Scotland. Picture: Facebook

The abandoned cat, Albus, was found by the Scottish SPCA after the animal charity was alerted by a member of the public who had heard the cat’s distressed meowing.

Senior inspector Alison Simpson said the cat had begun destroying furniture in a search for food and had to be fed through a letterbox.

When officers got inside, they discovered the flat was strewn with faeces, urine and household debris.

Animal abuser Caasi McCrindle from Elgin, Scotland abandoned her cat

Albus was “absolutely ravenous” when rescued and continued to be obsessed with food after finding a new home.

McCrindle admitted abandoning the animal between April 16 and 18, 2016.

Fiscal Kevin Corrins said that when the Scottish SPCA and council officers went into her flat, there was a mountain of unopened mail dating back to April 7.

Mr Corrins added: “When the cat was with the vet it consumed a substantial amount of food – as much as it was allowed at the time.

“In the 10 days the cat was with the SSPCA it put on about 1kg in weight.”

McCrindle eventually contacted her landlord, Moray Council, on April 25 to get keys for the new locks at her home.

Defence solicitor Brent Lockie said his client had been suffering from mental health difficulties at the time due to her parents’ divorce.

He said: “She simply was not well at the time but is a lot better now. She wouldn’t have acted in this manner if it were not for the underlying issues.

“She took over the cat from someone who could not cope with it and got herself in this position.”

Scottish SPCA inspector Alison Simpson said: “We hope this sends out a significant message that it is totally unacceptable to leave animals unattended without consequences.

“This cat was lucky that a concerned member of the public alerted us to the situation.”

Sentencing: £320 fine. Banned from owning animals for two years (expired 2019).

Evening Express
STV News

Cats, Paedophiles / Sex Offenders, Violent and Sadistic Pet Abusers, Worst of the Worst

Hartlepool, County Durham: Paul Woolston

February 24, 2017 misanthropic Leave a comment

CONVICTED (2017) | Paul Francis Woolston, born 09/12/1974, as at 2019 of Cornwall Street, Hartlepool TS25 5RY – threw a cat across a road and dumped him, still alive, into a wheelie bin

Cat killer Paul Woolston from Hartlepool

Paul Woolston pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to a one-year-old cat named Chester in the incident on July 8, 2016.

The court heard that Woolston had grabbed Chester by the scruff of the neck, took him outside then threw him through the air.

He told RSPCA inspectors he had reacted after the panicked animal attacked his partner’s cat and clawed his hand after he tried to coax him out of his cage.

Neighbours recorded Woolston on a mobile phone, picking up the “twitching” animal off the road before dumping him in the bin.

John Ellwood, prosecuting for the RSPCA, said Chester may not have been dead when he was thrown into the bin.

He was collected by refuse collectors the following day and his body was never recovered, which meant a post-mortem examination could not be carried out.

Cat killer Paul Francis Woolston from Hartlepool

“This defendant, for whatever reason, threw a cat, did not check if it was dead, did not check what was wrong with it, just put it in a wheelie bin to die a pretty miserable death,” he told Teesside Magistrates’ Court .

In a statement, Chester’s owner said: “He was lovely, he was always looking for attention and there was no aggression in him at all.

“He never growled or scratched or bit anyone whilst in my care.

“My partner had various health problems and the cat’s fur aggravated them.”

Convicted thief Victoria Woolston is married to cat killer Paul Woolston and lied to cover up her husband's vile actions — Woolston’s wife Victoria, who went on to be convicted of stealing tens of thousands of pounds from a vulnerable pensioner, lied to Chester’s previous owner that the cat was vicious and had to be rehomed. In reality her twisted husband had brutally killed him.

She was contacted by Woolston’s partner, Victoria Woolston, who had offered to give Chester a home.

“I described the care he needed and said it had to be a forever home,” said the owner.

“I took Chester on the Wednesday and she told me on the Thursday he was vicious. She told me she had rehomed Chester in Seaham.”

She contacted the RSPCA after hearing about the animal’s ordeal.

Sentencing: 12-month community order with 250 hours of unpaid work; total of £170 costs and charges. Banned from keeping animals for five years (expired February 2022).

Teesside Live

Update October 2020

TeessideLive reports that Woolston was back before the courts after being caught sending sexual messages to what he thought was a 13-year-old girl.

Woolston was caught out by a vigilante group called Child Online Safety Team (COST) which hunts paedophiles operating on the internet by posing as children.

Woolston made contact with the ‘girl’ in April 2020. Messages were sent with suggestions of penetrative sexual activity, the court heard.

A video was shared online by COST and the man who confronts Woolston states, ‘You’re going to need a solicitor now’.

When asked why he committed the offence, Woolston states he was “bored”, and says it wouldn’t have happened “if I had a woman”.

Woolston pleaded guilty to attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child.

The court heard the breakdown of his marriage was traumatic and, at the time of his offence, he was living with his mother and felt lonely and isolated.

Woolston was given a 30-month community order and ordered to carry out 20 rehabilitation activity requirement days and 120 hours of unpaid work.

He was also made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for five years.

Dogs, Lifers, Violent and Sadistic Pet Abusers

Oldbury, West Midlands: Richard Cheshire

February 22, 2017 misanthropic Leave a comment

CONVICTED (2017) | Richard James Cheshire (since deceased), born 1982, of Beeches Road, West Bromwich B70 6HH – captured on CCTV kicking and stamping on his dog during a drunken rampage

Cheshire, who claimed in court to be an animal lover, was seen throwing bull terrier-cross Pablo across the floor, kicking him, stamping on his head and spitting on him.

The unemployed drunk was also seen chasing the dog into a lift where the animal ‘cowered and whimpered’ as his owner continued the beating and gave a thumbs up to the camera.

Part of the 30-minute recording of the assault in the communal area of Cheshire’s block of flats in Oldbury, West Midlands, was shown to magistrates who spared him a jail sentence.

As he left court in Birmingham he shouted to magistrates: ‘I want you to know, I love animals.’

Sukhdip Randhawa, defending, said Cheshire, who admitted causing unnecessary suffering to a dog, took Pablo in as a stray just a week before September’s attack.

He said his client was on ‘a bit of a bender’ during the incident and could not remember any of it.

‘He is an animal lover and would like to own a pet again in the future,’ he added.

Sentencing:
12-month community order with 120 hours of unpaid work. Banned from keeping animals for life but can apply to have the ban lifted after just two years.

Metro
BirminghamLive

2019 update:

BirminghamLive reported that Richard James Cheshire had died after being knocked down by a car. The driver’s name was Karma.

Dogs

Paignton, Devon: Asmatt Ullah

February 21, 2017 misanthropic Leave a comment

CONVICTED (2017) | Asmatt ‘Azi’ Ullah, born 02/12/1964, of Hoyles Road, Paignton TQ3 3PJ – failed to provide veterinary treatment for his dog’s skin condition.

Ullah was banned for keeping dogs for three years after being found guilty of cruelty towards a dog in his care.

He pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering towards a Dalmatian cross dog, known as Ellie, between July 8 and September 8, 2016, after he failed to provide veterinary treatment for a skin condition, contrary to Section 4 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006.

Sentencing: ordered to pay £460. Three-year ban on keeping dogs (expired February 2020).

DevonLive

Dogs, Lifers, Violent and Sadistic Pet Abusers

Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex: Michael Royale

February 21, 2017 misanthropic Leave a comment

CONVICTED (2017) | Michael D Royale, born c. 1970, of Mornington House, Station Road, Westcliff-on-Sea SS0 8HF – inflicted blunt force trauma on a Staffordshire bull terrier dog

Royale was spared jail after he admitted causing unnecessary suffering to the unnamed dog.

He inflicted blunt force trauma to the Staffy in Westcliff on July 6, 2016. The condition or fate of the dog was not reported.

Sentencing: 12-week prison sentence suspended for 19 months. Total of £415 costs and charges. Banned for life from keeping animals as pets

Echo

farms / smallholdings, Food Production

Swindon, Wiltshire: Darren Turner

February 20, 2017 misanthropic Leave a comment

CONVICTED (2017) | publican Darren Turner, born 03/04/1975, of The Kings, 20 Wood Street, Swindon SN1 4AB – neglected four goats he kept in a ‘petting zoo’ at his pubs

*Swindon publican Darren Turner was not banned from keeping animals despite his failure to care for four goats who had to be euthanised to end their suffering*

Darren Turner, who owns four pubs, including 20 at the Kings, the Clifton in Old Town and the Fox and Hounds in Wroughton, admitted causing unnecessary suffering to four goats between the start of December 2015 and January 20 2016.

Turner kept the goats at his pubs as part of a menagerie.

Graham Gilbert, prosecuting for the RSPCA, said when a vet saw the goats in April 2015 she was immediately concerned for their hooves, though they were otherwise in good health.

Their feet were not entirely normal, he said, and she discussed the long term prognosis for them with Turner, saying the hooves needed to be regularly trimmed.

The following months she wrote him a letter outlining the long term options for the animals, including the possibility of them being put down if it got worse.

Mr Gilbert said the vet said she lost contact with Turner after July 2015 and in October she was at the Fox and Hounds, not to visit the goats, when she spotted them.

“It appeared the goats’ feet had deteriorated,” he said, and though she called Turner and left a voicemail, he did not get back to her.

In January 2016 an RSPCA officer saw the goats had an odd gait and because of the impact the hooves were having on the quality of their lives they were destroyed.

The legs were then removed and sent to an expert who said the hooves were severely overgrown to a worrying degree, and curling up on themselves.

In at least two he said there were pathological fractures and also had problems with their knees.

“He concluded the goats were clearly in pain and that would have been entirely apparent to anyone who saw them from their gait,” he said.

When he was interviewed by RSPCA officers in January 2016 Turner accepted he knew their hooves needed to be trimmed regularly.

“He said the last thing he wanted was for the goats to suffer in any way, or for them to be put down,” he said.

Alex Daymond, defending, said his client had got the animals, which had issues with their legs and feet when he got them, as part of a sort of petting zoo at his pubs.

He said he never intended to cause any harm to them but accepted for a short period of time he neglected to look after them properly.

Turner now employed two people full time to look after the animals, he said, and had also spent £40,000 to care for them.

And he said because of the nature of his work running four pubs he would struggle to find the time to complete any unpaid work.

Recorder Patrick Clarkson QC, sitting with two magistrates, said they would not ban him from keeping animals as recent inspections had not raised any welfare issues.

Sentencing: 80 hours of unpaid work. No ban on keeping animals.

Swindon Advertiser

UK Animal Cruelty Files

Monthly Archives: February 2017