CONVICTED (2023) | serial animal abuser Allan Gillies, born 7 October 1981, of Scalloway Park, Fraserburgh AB43 9FB – subjected two dogs to a campaign of “wanton cruelty”.
Gillies, who was previously convicted of animal cruelty in 2017*, was captured on CCTV abusing a French bulldog named Reg and a Rottweiler/Staffy cross called Rex, causing both animals to suffer “extreme fear, pain and mental suffering”.
Allan Gillies terrorised Rex (pictured) and a French bulldog named Reg
Fiscal depute Jane Spark told the court that an SSPCA inspector viewed the CCTV footage on February 21, 2022.
“The accused was seen approaching the white French Bulldog, Reg, while screaming at him and picked it up by the lead in an unacceptable manner,” Ms Spark said.
“He then swung the dog around in the air with force and caused it to strike off the exterior wall of the flat.
“It was noted that the accused was extremely angry at this time and he was seen picking up a table leg from a coffee table in his garden and throwing it, sticking the dog on the back.”
During a separate incident, Gillies was again seen on CCTV screaming at Rex.
He grabbed the dog by the face before lifting him off the ground by his ears.
Gillies then dropped Rex and picked up a piece of rubber, which he struck him with before dragging the dog along the ground and back into his flat.
He pleaded guilty to two charges of causing animals unnecessary suffering.
Sentencing Gillies, Sheriff William Summers told him: “You took part in acts of wanton cruelty towards these animals who were in your care.
“It is clear you accept no responsibility for your actions and it is clear that you have learned nothing from that.
“Given the degree of cruelty, the fact that it involved two animals and your analogous previous conviction I have no alternative but to impose a custodial sentence.”
On learning that he would be going to prison, Gillies exclaimed: “I didn’t think I’d get sent to jail for this!”
Sentencing | six months in prison. Deprivation order for Rex and Reg. 10-year ban on owning dogs.
Gillies’ previous animal cruelty conviction related to a Rottweiler named Hunter and a crossbreed called Copper.
Copper and Hunter were also routinely abused by Allan Gillies
In court he admitted causing unnecessary suffering to Copper by seizing him by the collar, restricting his breathing.
He also confessed to lifting the dog and throwing him to the ground, and kicking him on the body at a property on Inverurie Road, Bucksburn.
The court also heard about Gillies’ harsh training techniques in regard to Hunter, which included kicking the dog in the genitals if he ran away.
Sentencing was deferred until November 10, 2017 to allow the court to receive more information from the Scottish SPCA on whether Gillies should be allowed to keep Hunter, but the outcome isn’t known.
CONVICTED (2023) | farrier and serial animal abuser Scott David Manson, born 7 February 1989, of 7 White Cross Cottages, Bridstow, Ross-on-Wye HR9 4JU – struck a horse nine times with a hammer during a “barbaric, unprovoked and prolonged attack”.
Abusive farrier Scott Manson has previous for killing a dog after throwing her from a car
Company director Scott Manson, who provides farrier services to Cheltenham Racecourse, entered a guilty plea to one count of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal when he appeared before magistrates in Cheltenham in a case brought by the RSPCA.
The court heard from the prosecutor that Manson had caused unnecessary suffering to a male grey Arab horse in Churchdown, Gloucestershire, on April 1, 2022.
The court heard that Manson lost his temper while shoeing the horse and used his hammer to repeatedly strike him. Manson hit the horse, who was tied up, nine times during the “prolonged attack” that lasted six and a half minutes.
An RSPCA spokesman said Manson initially claimed the horse had broken his hammer in a picture message sent to the owner, but wondering why the usually “docile” horse would have reacted in such a way, the owner decided to view the yard CCTV.
“The footage showed Manson adopting an aggressive stance, and striking out with his hammer in his hand at the horse’s front legs,” said the spokesman.
“Upon checking the horse, the owner could see his right front leg was bigger than usual and there were various marks on both front legs and around the shin area. The hair had also been taken off and the shin exposed.”
RSPCA prosecutor Lindi Meyer set out the specialist equine vet’s conclusions for the court.
She said: “[Manson] repeatedly beat the horse around the forelimbs where there is very little in the way of soft tissue covering and as such the blows were almost directly to the bone. This would have been incredibly painful for the horse and the farrier is very fortunate not to have caused fractures of any of the limbs.”
“The horse was hit nine times viciously in a six-and-a-half-minute video attack which left it with soft tissue swellings and cuts to the limbs. The attack was unprovoked, unacceptable and completely unnecessary and has caused this horse to suffer from both physical and psychological harm.”
Ms Meyer added that “the abuse falls far below” what is expected of a human dealing with horses, “let alone a professional farrier who has been entrusted by the owners to take care of the horse”.
“At no point was the farrier trying to teach the horse to stand still, pick its feet up or any other action. The actions were simply to beat the horse out of anger, a short temper, or frustration,” she said.
“Whatever the reason, the actions were so barbaric and cruel that the farrier broke the head off a hammer on to the sensitive areas of the front limbs of the horse.”
The court also heard that following the incident, the horse was reluctant for his owners to touch or brush his legs and when a new farrier came out the gelding was given sedatives from the vet to keep him calm on two occasions. He was also reluctant to go in his stable and was wary of people for a time, but is now “back to normal”.
In mitigation it was said Manson is remorseful, and that he was stressed and was visiting his dying mother in Scotland twice a week at the time.
Sentencing (20 March 2023) | 12-week suspended prison sentence. 150 hours of unpaid work and 20 rehabilitation activity days. £400 costs and £128 victim surcharge. 10-year ban on owning animals or having any contact with them with no right of appeal.
In April 2021 Manson was suspended from the professional register of the Farriers Registration Council. His suspension came after a criminal conviction in June 2019 for causing fear of violence to an ex-partner, contrary to the Protection from Harassment Act 1997. He was given a six-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, told to undergo 30 days of rehabilitation activity and was also made subject to a restraining order.
*The committee was also told of a warning issued to Manson by the FRC investigating committee over an incident in 2017, which resulted in the death of a dog and was connected to the incidents that led to his conviction.
During police interview Manson described picking up a dog and throwing her out of a car. The dog suffered a fracture of the pelvis and subsequently died;
Manson described the incident as an unfortunate accident.
Manson was suspended from the register on 22 December 2020 for six months.
Bloodsports enthusiast Manson also breeds and trains English springer spaniels for hunting/shooting under the name Falconforge Gundogs Springers.
Update | August 2023
Following an unsuccessful appeal, Scott Manson has been disqualified from keeping or working with all animals for ten years.
Kevin Withey, for the prosecution, told the appeal hearing that Manson accepted he should be banned from having anything to do with horses but was appealing against the ban covering “all animals” because he has seven dogs and seven chickens at his home.
Withey said that Manson had lost his temper while shoeing Buddy and had used his hammer repeatedly to strike the horse. He explained that Manson had been a farrier for 12 years, having taken over the family business, and had built up a large clientele. He had worked as a contractor at Cheltenham racecourse.
“Manson was returning to stables in Churchdown in Gloucester to shoe two horses, having been there a number of times previously, but at lunchtime he contacted the owner by sending a text picture message, claiming one of the horses had broken his hammer,” Withey told the court.
“The owner apologised to Manson and offered to pay for a replacement hammer. However, when the owner returned later it was noticed that Buddy was behaving out of character. The horse was said to be “foot shy” and not his usual self.
“The owner began to wonder why this usually docile horse would have reacted in such a way and decided to view the stable yard’s CCTV.
Manson was seen adopting an aggressive stance, striking out at the horse with his hammer, hitting its front legs at least nine times.
“The owner then carried out an examination of Buddy and saw that his right front leg had swollen along with various marks on both front legs and around the shin area. The hair had also been taken off and the shin exposed.
“The owner immediately called for a vet, who delivered medical treatment. The owner then reported the incident to the RSPCA.”
Withey said that it was not the first time Manson had lost his temper with an animal. A dog, which was a family pet, had been thrown out of a car. The dog sustained a fractured pelvis and ultimately had to be put down.
The court was also told that Manson had been convicted of harassing his former partner in 2019 and was sentenced to a 24-week prison term, suspended for 24 months.
In light of that conviction, Manson was suspended from the professional register of farriers for six months.
Dr Suzanne Green, an expert in equine matters, said the attack would have been very painful for the horse as there was very little soft tissue covering the areas which had been hit by Manson, and the blows would have hit the bone. The court heard the horse has since made a full recovery.
The court was shown five video clips of the “unprovoked and barbaric” attack and was told that Manson made full admissions when he was interviewed by the RSPCA but had tried to suggest that the horse had been misbehaving.
Cynthia McFarlane, defending, said: “Manson is completely remorseful. The attack on Buddy, while unacceptable and completely unnecessary, has not had any lasting effect. Up to this point in his career Manson had been the ultimate professional.”
McFarlane said her client had now lost his career and was employed as a ground worker.
Judge Ian Lawrie KC, sitting with the magistrates Margie Doble and Siobhan Young, told Manson that he needed to address his temper in future.
In addition to the ten-year ban on keeping and working with any animals, Manson was sentenced to a 12-week suspended prison term. He was also ordered to do 150 hours of unpaid work and to pay £528 in costs and surcharges.
CONVICTED (2023) | serial animal abuser Stuart Eunson, born 12 February 1982, of Lucock Street, South Shields NE34 0NQ – neglected a dog found underweight, covered in faeces, with crusty eyes, leg and rib injuries and a severe skin condition.
Eunson was given a 10-year ban on keeping animals in 2020 in relation to another neglected Staffy. This followed a three-year ban imposed in 2018, which he had also breached.
In July 2022 the RSPCA received a tip-off that Eunson was keeping a dog at his home.
RSPCA inspector Rowena Proctor said: “When I visited Eunson’s home … [he] appeared at the door holding a white Staffordshire bull terrier which he handed over to me. The poor dog’s eyes were crusted closed, he smelled terrible and despite having a white coat, his legs were dark brown with what looked like faeces.
“Eunson confirmed that he understood that he was banned from keeping animals and while he allowed me to take the Staffie – called Rebel – to the vet, he refused to acknowledge the dog was his or to sign him over.”
The examining vet reported that Rebel had arrived in a very anxious and agitated state. He was underweight, had eye and ear infections as well as itchy, inflamed skin and a sore ribcage.
His skin and cat were soiled with faeces, he had overgrown nails and he was lame from a previous injury to his left forelimb.
The vet concluded that the lameness following the injury to the left forelimb; the itchiness; the eyelid changes and the head shaking and ear rubbing along with the unsettled behaviour would have been a cause of distress to the animal and should have alerted the owner to Rebel’s poor health. It was the vet’s opinion that by failing to protect his dog from pain, suffering, injury and disease – which would have included seeking vet care for the dog – Eunson allowed Rebel to unnecessarily suffer.
Inspector Proctor said: “Not only did Eunson disobey court-imposed bans on keeping animals, but during this most recent incident, while it was still illegal for him to have a dog, he was keeping and clearly neglecting Rebel”.
Sentencing | 18-month community order, 15 rehabilitation activity requirement days and 19 ‘Thinking Skills’ sessions. Lifetime ban on owning animals.
CONVICTED (2023) | horse rapist and paedophile Phillip Henry, born c. 1987, of Auckland Crescent, Dover CT16 2JR
Phillip Henry, a known pervert with previous convictions for possession of child porn and sexual assault of two underage girls, pleaded guilty to bestiality in relation to a cob pony named Betty.
The construction worker was heard “giggling” while he forced himself upon the animal, with his trousers around his ankles, in a field at a private stable in Dover on April 16, 2021.
He was caught red-handed by a stable-hand and fled the scene, but was arrested when his DNA was found in a sample taken from the horse.
Henry initially denied bestiality, claiming that the horse had been contaminated with sperm inadvertently after he ejaculated in the field.
But he later pleaded guilty to intentionally having sex with a living animal, namely a horse, which carries a maximum sentence of two years.
Opening the case, prosecutor Don Ramble explained: “On April 16, 2021, at about 4.30pm in the afternoon, [the stable-hand] was working at Longhill Livery in Dover.
“She noticed that one of the horses was missing, and when she looked around the field, it was then that she saw the defendant, [who was] not known to her.
“He was standing behind the horse that was missing from the others, and so [the stable-hand] went over to investigate, and not long after she saw clearly what was happening.
“The defendant was wearing yellow high-visibility trousers, and these were down by his ankles. He was thrusting back and forth from behind the horse. She did not run away – she instead screamed at the defendant.
“She described in her statement the defendant’s reaction to being caught having sex with a horse.
“He casually pulled up his trousers, still exposing himself, and then [she] bravely gave chase and ran towards the defendant.
“He then began running away. She pursued him by a nearby field but he was too fast and he managed to escape.
“She then notified the owner of the horse … who had the wherewithal to immediately call his vet to attend – specifically so swabs could be taken.”
Forensic results recovered from the horse’s vagina contained the defendant’s DNA, Mr Ramble explained.
Police attended Henry’s address where they also recovered 13.3 grams of cannabis.
He was arrested for possession of cannabis and intercourse with a horse.
The court heard no harm came to Betty, while the method Henry used to restrain the cob – a breed which can weigh as much as 50 stone – remains unknown.
Mitigating, John O’Connor, said Henry receives “full support” from his mother and step-father, who attended his sentencing hearing.
“They find it very difficult to understand what happened two years ago,” he said.
Henry believes he violated the horse after becoming stressed at work, while suffering bereavement following the loss of two family members.
Mr O’Connor argued Henry has a “real prospect of rehabilitation,” while he’s fit for unpaid work at weekends.
And he said the defendant would benefit from a programme designed to help rehabilitate sex offenders, while his partner also wishes for him to attend.
Mr O’Connor stressed if Henry was jailed immediately his partner would struggle with mortgage payments, potentially risking her home.
Urging the judge to suspend a spell in custody, he said the nature of Henry’s job means “there is no reason for him to be near liveries, stables or horses at all.”
Judge Douglas Marks Moore was unconvinced, however, and sent Henry to jail while branding his actions “beyond contemplation – reprehensible, appalling, disgusting”.
He added: “In my judgement there is sometimes an offence of such a nature that courts must mark society’s disapproval and abhorrence. And in my view this is such a case.”
After Judge Moore passed sentence, Henry could be heard saying: “Oh, that’s not good – I love you mum.”
Sentencing | jailed for eight months. Prohibited from being at any stable or place where equine animals are housed permanently, or to have any contact with horses unsupervised.
CONVICTED | Victoria Louise Hart, born August 1987, and Gary Hart, born July 1958, both of Six Ashes, Bridgnorth WV15 6EP, Mark Walklate, born 16 July 1972, of Bromley Lane, Kingswinford DY6, and Steven Morgan, born c. 1970, of Foxdale Drive, Brierley Hill DY5 – neglected dozens of horses and kept them in poor conditions.
L-R Gary Hart, Mark Walklate, Vicky Hart
The RSPCA attended Six Ashes horse farm in Bridgnorth, Shropshire, on January 27, 2021 after receiving a call from police about concerns for horses kept there.
Officers from the charity attended alongside local horse veterinarians, and found three horses to be in a state of suffering: an Appaloosa mare, a skewbald filly and a Palomino.
The Appaloosa mare found at Six Ashes horse farm, Bridgnorth. Sadly, she did not survive. Photo: RSPCA
Both the Palomino and Appaloosa mare were lame with the latter struggling to walk even after being given pain medication. Vets considered euthanising the mare immediately on welfare grounds but decided instead to remove her for further assessment. Unfortunately there was no improvement in her condition and she was euthanised the following day.
In a written statement provided to the court, RSPCA inspector Thea Kerrison said the Appaloosa mare was found in one of the stables.
She said: “I was in the barn when the Appaloosa mare from stable two was led out. I hadn’t realised when she was in the stable how bad she was; she could hardly walk and she seemed to stumble across the barn floor as she was led out.”
The Skewbald filly found at Six Ashes horse farm, Bridgnorth. Photo: RSPCA
The inspector also noted the conditions the horses were kept in.
“The ground on both fields was very boggy and on entering to assess the ponies it was extremely difficult to not get our wellies stuck in the mud, even when staying to the fence line,” she said.
“As with the first stable, stables two to four had wet slushy floors and no dry bedding. On the opposite side were the remaining four stables.
The Appaloosa mare was lame in more than one leg and could barely walk
“Stable five had a group of five yearlings. The stable was of average size and so was very crowded with the five horses and hardly any room for them to move around.
“The floor was covered in faeces and urine and I could not see any evidence of bedding. Stable six contained four yearlings, again with a covering of faeces and urine on the floor. Some of the horses had rugs but it was clear all four were of lean body condition.”
An independent expert vet said in his report that it was his opinion that “all three horses were suffering”.
The report said: “The suffering of all three horses could have been easily avoided by provision of veterinary assessment and treatment to them.
“It is my expert opinion that the reasonable needs of the horses were not met and that the standards of animal husbandry at the location fell woefully below the most basic of standards.
“The fundamental problem is that the horses were severely overstocked in comparison to the facilities and space available at the property and this was compounded by a lack of effort to ensure that necessary daily tasks such as feeding, mucking out and checking on the welfare of the horses for signs of injury or ill health were carried out to an appropriate level.”
Sentencing |
Steven Morgan, Gary Hart, and Victoria Hart were all sentenced on November 28, 2022.
Morgan and Victoria Hart were convicted of six offences – four of causing the unnecessary suffering of the skewbald filly, the Appaloosa mare and the Palomino, and two relating to the conditions of 36 horses kept at Six Ashes.
Gary Hart was found guilty of six offences, the first four of causing unnecessary suffering to the filly, the mare and the Palomino, and two related to the conditions of three horses in total.
Gary Hart and Steven Morgan were jailed for 26 weeks each, serving half on licence, and banned from keeping animals for life, with no recourse to appeal for 10 years.
Gary Hart was ordered to pay prosecution costs of £22,684 and Morgan must pay £1,000 towards costs, with both men also to pay a £128 victim surcharge.
Victoria Hart also received a 26-week custodial sentence which was suspended for one year, and was banned from keeping all animals for life. She was also ordered to pay £1,000 costs and a victim surcharge of £128.
Mark Walklate pleaded guilty to four offences under the Animal Welfare Act in that he caused unnecessary suffering to the filly and the mare and he did not take steps to ensure their needs were met.
Mark Walklate from Kingswinford, Dudley, West Midlands
He admitted a litany of failings including keeping the horses in muddy, filthy conditions with “negligible” room to graze, not providing veterinary care when needed and failing to protect them from pain, suffering, injury or disease.
In March 2023 he was sentenced to 14 weeks in prison suspended for 18 months. He was ordered to pay a surcharge of £128 and costs of £850, plus carry out 100 hours of unpaid work. He is banned from keeping animals for life.
Gary Hart and Victoria Hart had their lifetime bans from keeping animals modified to only cover horses, donkeys and ponies after winning a court appeal.
An appeal hearing at Worcestershire Crown Court was told that the lifetime ban which prohibited the Harts and co-defendant Steven Morgan from keeping any animals whatsoever was “excessive”.
Danae Larham, representing the Harts, said: “In relation to the breadth of the ban for both defendants… the blanket ban on all animals is somewhat excessive and unnecessary. This case dealt with one particular type of animal, namely equines.”
She added: “It is right in the course of the inspection [in 2021] that it was noted several dogs were present. They were inspected by RSPCA. They thoroughly investigated the property. There was more than one representative there and vets were in attendance. Should there have been any issue or concern with those animals there is no doubt the RSPCA would have taken action.”
Representing Morgan, Laura Rowe told the court her client’s appeal was was for similar reasons.
She said: “The order should only apply to equines. Mr Morgan worked with animals for a number of years before the prosecution was brought.
“It is clear these dogs were looked at. Both dogs they saw were in kennels, they had bed, water and straw on the floor and area reasonably clean.”
However Miss Sara Pratt, for the prosecution, told the court that there were 30 dogs on the premises when the RSPCA visited in January 2021 and that the animals, who are now in the possession of Victoria Hart’s niece, had been bred as a “commercial venture”.
She said: “In terms of the dogs, that was also a commercial venture in the same way horses were used as a commercial money-making venture.
“I invite the court to take an inference in how the horses were kept. The defendants indicated they were experienced horsemen and horsewomen and knew how to look after horses. That resulted in a wholesale disregard to animals that were in effect a commodity for making money.”
She added: “It is not simply in this case it is a desire to keep one or two, to keep family pets, but in this case it was accepted there was dog breeding. It appears to have been a commercial enterprise as the horses were – similar amount of horses.”
She also reminded the court that both Gary and Victoria Hart had been convicted in 2018 in relation to the neglect of a horse.
Meanwhile, Morgan had been banned from keeping dogs for ten years in 2015 following a prosecution for neglect, for which he was jailed for four months.
Judge Seanin Gilmore told the court that the purpose of the ban was not “not a punitive order” but one to protect animals, but , she conceded in the original trial, no evidence was presented to suggest animals other than horses were mistreated.
She said: “It is safe to say the levels of neglect and poor management was simply staggering. In my view, the defendants were jointly responsible for numerous and highly serious failings. The horses were not given even the most basic of care but left to fester in muddy fields or crowded stables. The defendants acknowledge this and that a disqualification of horses was inevitable.
“It would a permissible for this court to draw inference that the neglect of horses may mean they may treat any animal in the same way,” she said.
But the judge added: “However, I have seen a witness statement from an RSPCA inspection of the premises in relation to dogs. There were found to be about 30 dogs in premises in various locations. And I understand the defendants engaged in a commercial breeding enterprise.
“While the inspector paints a rather chaotic scene, for the most part the dogs’ basic needs were appearing to be met.”
She added: “These two individuals are clearly more capable of looking after dogs more than horses.”
She decreed that in the case of the Harts, the order disqualifying them from keeping any animals should be reworded to “horses, donkeys and ponies” only.
However, the judge said as Morgan had previously been disqualified from keeping dogs, the order banning him from owning any animals for life would remain in place.
CONVICTED (2023) | Gary Ross, born c. 1988, of Balvenie Street, Dufftown, Keith AB55 – neglected his bearded dragon so badly that a vet had to put him down.
Ross, a convicted drug dealer previously of Elgin, has been handed a year-long animal ban after bearded dragon Coco was discovered in a terrible state.
His eyes were stuck shut, he was extremely thin and dehydrated, had suffered muscle loss and was struggling to eat.
A vet, who thought Coco was already dead when he was brought in, put the dates of his neglect between December 22, 2021 and January 22, 2022.
Coco was put to sleep after enduring appalling neglect for at least a month
Fiscal depute Victoria Silver told the court Ross’s mum contacted the SSPCA after she went to check on the pet at the Balvenie Street address. “She advised them that the bearded dragon needed veterinary care as it couldn’t open its eyes and wouldn’t eat unless food was placed directly into its mouth.”
The charity’s chief inspector Alison Simpson contacted a veterinary surgeon about Coco and was told to try placing him in warm water to help bring his body temperature up.
“It was identified he was in extremely poor condition and extremely thin,” Ms Silver added.
“Initially, on being presented with it, the surgeon thought it was dead. It was later euthanised on welfare grounds.”
Ross pictured during his 2019 trial for drug dealing
Ross admitted causing a protected animal unnecessary suffering and behaving in a threatening or abusive manner towards SSPCA staff.
Defence agent Iain Maltman said both background reports and a psychiatric report had been carried out on his client and highlighted a mental disorder and issues caused by head trauma.
“It appears he is living a quieter life than previously and keeps himself to himself,” the solicitor said.
“It’s a sad end to his involvement with the animal. He does look after another animal at home which his mum bought him last summer.”
Sheriff Gordon Fleetwood told the solicitor: “Your client puts all the blame on the fact he was in custody for a couple of days but it’s quite clear from Crown and the SSPCA he was responsible for the animal when it came into this state.
“From the terms of the report, it would appear his new animal is not being cared for particularly well either.”
Speaking after the sentencing, SSPCA chief inspector Alison Simpson said: “We’re pleased that Gary Ross received a ban but we’re disappointed that it wasn’t for a longer period of time given the neglect Coco suffered.
“We hope that Ross seriously considers his ability to care for any animal in future.”
Sentencing | 90 hours of unpaid work. Banned from keeping animals for one year (expires March 2024).
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 (2023) | Izzac Ashley Campbell, aka Izzac Weeks, born 30 August 1993, of 8 Highfields, Codnor, Ripley DE5 9SB – for systematic cruelty to two puppies found with stab wounds, cigarette burns and scalding injuries.
Izzac Campbell subjected his two dogs to a campaign of sadistic cruelty
Career crook Izzac Campbell, who as of August 2018 had racked up 33 convictions for 73 offences and has possible links to organised crime, was found guilty of causing unnecessary suffering to six-month-old bull terriers Sian and Frankie.
Campbell stabbed the puppies, scalded them with hot liquid and stubbed cigarettes out on them
The court heard how the RSPCA were called to Campbell’s family home in the village of Codnor to investigate a report of concern for the welfare of the two dogs, but the pets were not at the address.
The dogs were then traced to a property in Woodstock Avenue, Bobbers Mill, Nottingham NG7 5QP and taken into the RSPCA’s care. Both had suffered a catalogue of horrific injuries.
Veterinary examination found that Sian had extensive burns down her side and a large wound down the back of her skull and neck. .
A vet who examined the dogs said: ‘On Frankie I found on the wrist a circular skin lesion next to a small healed skin lesion.
‘On the right toe was also an healed lesion of similar appearance, as these had healed with unhaired scar tissue they were older healed wounds of unknown cause but had the appearance of puncture wound or cigarette burn.
‘On the right side of face was a fresh circular wound close to the eye which was about 10 mms in diameter and was about 3-7 days old.
‘The wound on the face was deeper and more extensive such as a puncture wound by a sharp object.
‘The young female walking with a stiff, unsteady and laboured gait on her hindlegs. She was struggling to weight-bear.
‘There were skin scabs over her nose and throat, fresh flat skin lesions over her ribs and involving the armpit with painful crusts and reddened and ulcerated lesions in a distinctive ‘dribble’ pattern.’
Sian also had a limp hind leg and was not able to sit still.
The vet added: ‘The pattern and flat appearance of the skin lesions is consistent with liquid burns caused by hot liquid poured over her back from a height.
‘She exhibited pain reaction and skin hypersensitivity over her entire torso.’
Frankie had suffered a puncture wound to his face, which was consistent with being stabbed.
RSPCA inspector Helen Mead, who interviewed Campbell, said in her witness statement: “I had very little in the way of explanation from Campbell about the dogs and what happened to Sian’s leg.
“He claimed her leg was getting better so it was not a problem. He also said that Sian had knocked a pan of boiling water over herself and that was why she had those wounds.
“Throughout the interview, Campbell refused to look at me, or even in my direction, choosing to sit with his grey/silver coat hood up and his side to me throughout.”
District Judge Johnathan Taff condemned Campbell’s actions as “sustained and systemic cruelty”.
He added: “The defendant caused unnecessary suffering – quite deliberately and then it was unforgivable not to seek immediate veterinary treatment for the injuries he caused.”
Despite extensive rehabilitation the traumatised dogs remained aggressive and unsuitable for rehoming. Tragically they were both put sleep for safety reasons
While in RSPCA care, both dogs sadly showed aggressive tendencies and attacked people involved in their treatment. After 18 months of unsuccessful behaviour therapy, with their aggression still evident and rehoming not an option, the decision was made to put them both to sleep for safety reasons.
RSPCA Inspector Rachel Leafe said: “Both Frankie and Sian had some awful untreated physical injuries which it appears to have affected them in their nature towards people.
“We worked really hard to try to rehabilitate these dogs but there was nothing else we could do – the whole thing has been a very sad and upsetting incident for all involved.”
Sentencing | Jailed for 16 weeks. £200 costs plus £122 victim surcharge. Indefinite ban on owning animals.
In August 2016 Campbell, then of Howick Drive, Bulwell, Nottingham appeared in court to face domestic violence charges in relation to a former partner. It was alleged that he hit the woman on the head with the flat side of a machete. He then allegedly forced his way into the woman’s house and ordered a man inside to strip and run down the street naked. He is then said to have smashed up the woman’s house. Campbell entered not guilty pleas to assault, occasioning actual bodily harm, causing £1,300 of damage to a TV, possession of a bladed article and witness intimidation. The case was sent to be heard at Nottingham Crown Court. Unfortunately the outcome was not reported online.
Source: Nottingham Post (retrieved from archive)
In August 2018 Campbell, aged 24 and now of Gilbert Avenue, St Ann’s, Nottingham, was jailed for nine months after being caught ransacking a convenience store he and accomplice Daniel Isaacs had burgled.
Police arrived on the scene to find the pair filling a large-style builder’s sack with cigarettes.
In court Campbell cited drug debts as the motivation for committing the burglary.
By this stage Campbell, who was described as a part-time mechanic, had 33 convictions for 73 offences on his record, ranging from house burglary to handling stolen goods.
In July 2021 Campbell appeared in court again charged with possession of a firearm. The charge followed the discovery of a makeshift gun factory in Marples Avenue, Mansfield Woodhouse, Nottinghamshire.
CONVICTED (2023) | Corallena Loveridge, born c. 1990, of Fowler Height Close, Blackburn BB2 4RJ – stole a family’s pet dog during a home invasion.
Drug-addicted career criminal Corallena Loveridge, whose previous convictions include shoplifting, drink-driving and outraging public decency – stole a French bulldog and sold her on for drugs money.
Loveridge, a traveller, appeared at Preston Crown Court via video link from HMP Styal, where she had been on remand for the previous four months over a bail act offence.
The persistent criminal brazenly entered a property on Moorland Avenue in Blackburn on May 9, 2021, and took the dog, called Georgia, before leaving, and selling her for drugs money.
The court heard how the owner of the home, Julie Lightbrown, had been present in the house at the time, along with her children, when Loveridge went into the property, walked upstairs where Ms Lightbrown was, had an altercation with the victim, then took the dog and left.
Emma Kehoe, prosecuting said: “She put the dog in a taxi and left the property.
“In December, she then called the victim and said the dog had had puppies and was somewhere in Leeds.
“She said she would try and get the dog back but that never happened.”
A victim personal statement was read to the court, which said: “Georgia was our family pet. She was two and a half years old and was in season.
“I bought her for my children and she cost £2,500. It’s not about the value, however, it appears she was taken to be sold.
“The stress this has caused my children is huge and we are still suffering now, concerned about her welfare.
“Corallena Loveridge entered my house and took her and advised me that she would get her back but it’s not happened.”
Judge Simon Medland said: “The dog was taken to be turned into money and then turned into drugs – who knows what has happened to her now.
“There’s a considerable seriousness to this and it crosses custody threshold but it took the CPS and police a year to charge her.
“You, Corallena Loveridge must understand this behaviour is serious and has had a big impact.
“They do not know what has become of their dog, they don’t know whether she’s happy and healthy, dead, in trouble, or being used for breeding.
“This is not an offence you would have committed if you had been sober. You were intoxicated and a drug addict at the time.”
The court heard Loveridge had 15 convictions for 28 offences.
Sentencing | 14 month prison sentence suspended for 18 months; 20 rehabilitation activity days and six months of drug rehabilitation.
CONVICTED (2023) | Sajid Hussain, born 5 February 1972, of Ripon Street, Blackburn BB1 1TW – battered a kitten with a mop handle, causing fatal injuries.
Cat killer, drug dealer and violent criminal: Sajad Hussain from Blackburn, Lancashire
Hussain, who also faced charges of dealing heroin and crack cocaine, pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to a cat.
The court heard the six-month-old cat, Mia, didn’t die until the following day but Husain prevented her owner – his then partner – from taking her to the vet and the pet was left to suffer through the night.
Carmel Wilde, prosecuting, said the couple had been in a relationship for four years but it had ended six months before the incident in November 2021. Hussain visited her house and was initially nice.
“That soon changed and she went to her bedroom and lie down and rest,” said Miss Wilde. “She hadn’t been out of the house for three weeks because she was suffering from depression.
“She said she loved the cat, which was called Mia, and it had helped to have it with her when she was depressed. She said the cat never left her side.”
Mia died a cruel and brutal death at the hands of evil Sajid Hussain
Miss Wilde said Hussain entered the bedroom and objected to Mia being on the bed. He initially moved her to the bottom of the bed but then said he had had enough, put a lead around the cats neck and dragged her out of the room. She came back and this time he grabbed hold of her and took her out.
His partner went to the bathroom and heard the cat screaming, some banging and the defendant calling the cat a ‘little bitch’.
“The screaming went on for about 20 seconds but the banging continued,” said Miss Wilde. “She was too scared to leave the bathroom. He told her he had hit the cat with a mop, there was blood all over the place and he thought he had killed it.”
The woman found the cat with blood coming from her mouth, ears and paws. She mopped the blood from its mouth to help her breath but she was gurgling as her head flopped from side to side.
“She wanted to take the cat to the vets but he wouldn’t let her and said he would get in trouble,” said Miss Wilde. “The next morning the cat was still breathing but there came a point where that stopped and it was clearly dead.”
The woman managed to contact a friend who came round and confronted Hussain. He said it was alright because the cat would be “fine in paradise.”
The RSPCA were called and Mia was taken to Greater Manchester animal hospital where it was found she had a fractured skull and severe brain haemorrhaging. Fractured claws showed she had been fighting against the attack before falling unconscious.
The court heard Hussain’s previous convictions included one for assault in 2011 and a manslaughter conviction relating to an honour killing in Denmark in 1997.
The court was also told that Hussain has a lengthy history of drug misuse and suffers from poor mental health,
Hussain pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to the cat and was sentenced to five months in jail for animal cruelty.
Sentencing | jailed for five months in respect of the animal cruelty charge in addition to 35 months for the drug crimes. Banned for life from keeping animals.
