CONVICTED (2023) | Hayden Walter Fortune, born c. 1975, of Pyethornes Farm, Wigglesworth, Skipton BD23 4SB – for the shocking neglect of pigs and cattle on his farm.
An investigation by North Yorkshire Trading Standards officers revealed appalling neglect and suffering on Hayden Fortune’s farm
A visit to Pyethornes Farm by the trading standards animal health team in April 2022 uncovered “dystopian” levels of neglect and suffering with cattle and pigs kept in appalling conditions. No feed, water or dry bedding was available to animals and numerous carcasses were left in various states of decay around the pens, which still housed live animals.
Conditions were so poor that it was not possible to identify the exact number of carcasses on site but it was estimated to exceed 300.
Officers had to climb over mounds of dead pigs to reach pens where surviving animals were standing in knee-deep manure.
Fortune was convicted of numerous offences under the Animal Welfare Act, including:
Causing unnecessary suffering to pigs by exposing them to the carcases of others, maintaining them in flooded pens with lurid water, providing no dry area and a lack of feed and drinking water.
Having a level of manure in the bovine area that made animal movement difficult, exposing cattle to the carcases of others, providing no dry area, and providing a lack of feed and drinking water.
Housing animals in a dangerous environment with hazardous material, including sharp wood and metal.
Sentencing | 12-week prison sentence suspended for 18 months; £3,000 compensation and £1,000 towards costs. Disqualified from keeping livestock for life.
CONVICTED (2023) | Keir Peter Carr, born 25 September 1994, of 13 Northfield Road, Denny, Falkirk FK6 6LA – failed to seek veterinary treatment for his emaciated dog until he was too unwell to be saved.
Father-of-three Keir Carr, who also indulges in bloodsports, allowed his loyal dog to starve to death
Carr, owner of Cushty Carpets based at the Lecropt Business Hub, Crownest Loan, Stenhousemuir, Falkirk, FK5 3BUS pleaded guilty to causing four-year-old springer spaniel Trigger unnecessary suffering, failing to seek veterinary advice and failing to provide appropriate care and treatment between January 29 and February 19, 2021.
Amy Sneddon, procurator fiscal depute, said: “The Scottish SPCA received a phone call from a vet who worked at Champion Vets in Grangemouth about concern for a dog [who was] in an extremely emaciated condition which resulted in it having to be destroyed.”
Trigger pictured with Keir Carr
The Scottish SPCA attended at the vets to examine Trigger’s body and found he only weighed 12.9kg when he should have been around 20kg.
The dog was rated one out of nine – with one being the worst figure on the body condition scale.
“Further investigations were carried out,” said the procurator fiscal depute. “And the accused was found to be the owner of the dog. Police then became involved.”
The court heard Carr claimed Trigger had “difficulty with keeping food down” but accepted he should have sought assistance much earlier than he did for the dog.
Sentencing | fined £340. Banned from owning any animals for five years (expires April 2028).
CONVICTED (2023) | pet hoarder Tania Walker, born 14 May 1964, of Meadow View Close, Oakwood, Derby DE21 2UL – kept 16 rabbits and guinea pigs in a dirty, rat-infested garage.
Driving instructor Tania Walker, who the court heard found it hard to say no, to others took on more animals than she could properly care for and kept them in poor conditions. Image source: Facebook, Tania Walker
Walker, a self-employed driving instructor, pleaded guilty to cruelty charges in relation to eight rabbits and eight guinea pigs kept inside the cluttered, unsanitary garage.
The animals were roaming freely inside the building which was littered with old, soiled hay and thick, hard faeces stuck to the floor.
Rat droppings were visible on many surfaces and the rodents could also be heard moving about in the roof space overhead when RSPCA officers investigated a welfare concern on May 25, 2022.
A vet estimated that some of Tania Walker’s animals had been suffering for at least two months
All of the guinea pigs were unneutered males with many of them suffering bite wounds to their faces, ears and hindquarters.
No clean areas had been provided for the animals. Instead, fresh bedding had been put on top of older soiled material which was becoming deeper and more compacted. Most of the floor and nesting areas were covered in rabbit and guinea pig faeces.
There was a smelly, damp and soiled hay bale in the corner of the garage while, outside, bags of dirty bedding were piled high. .
Around 25 kilograms of carrots – which are high in sugar and should only be fed to rabbits and guinea pigs in small amounts – had been tipped onto the floor in a huge pile on top of the faeces, along with around 10 kg of rabbit nuggets.
Rat droppings were seen on surfaces inside the garage, including a table and on the lids of two barrels, although it was hard to determine whether there were any on the floor due to the large amount of other faeces and rabbit pellets.
Sadly one guinea pig had died after being bitten by a rat. A dead rabbit was also found at the scene.
RSPCA Inspector Rachel Leafe, who had attended the scene, told the court “I saw a deceased rabbit by the side of the garage which was wrapped loosely in a bag.
“The rabbit looked to have died recently. One of its eyes was missing completely from the socket. There was a large gaping hole in the side of the neck and another on the stomach. I was concerned the rabbit had been attacked by another rabbit or rats.
“I could see several guinea pigs that had issues from just observing them on the floor. Two looked to have sore eyes which were partially shut.
Two others appeared lame and I also noted several with fur loss and what looked like bites or skin irritation. Several of the rabbits and guinea pigs had tears in their ears.”
The court heard how the inspector attended the premises again the following day accompanied by a vet who decided it was too unsafe for the animals to stay there and all were likely to suffer if their circumstances did not change.
Upon veterinary examination, the guinea pigs were found to be suffering from bite wounds, open lesions, fur loss, lameness and torn ears and the rabbits also had bite wounds, infected and damaged ears, sores and excessively long nails.
In her evidence, the vet told the court: “It is my opinion that the owner had not taken enough precautions to keep these animals safe from predation. In this instance, from rats and housing multiple unneutered same-sex animals together.
“Due to healed wounds and ripped ears on the vast majority of them, care and management towards these animals have been poor and in my opinion some of these animals would have likely been suffering for in excess of two months.”
In mitigation the court heard that Walker had looked after and taken in animals for decades – including a dog from abroad who she still had. While it was conceded that the care Walker had provided for the 16 rabbits and guinea pigs had been poor, she sometimes found it hard to say no to taking in homeless animals.
The surviving animals went to RSPCA animal centres in Derby and Burton to be rehomed.
Sentencing | 18-month community order; £5,000 costs and £95 victim surcharge. Banned from keeping all animals except dogs for 10 years (expires April 2033).
CONVICTED (2023) | backyard pet breeder Navdeep Singh aka Rozer Sandhu or Navdeep Singh Sandhu, born August 1984, of 37 Culver Road, Stockport SK3 8PG – kept malnourished dogs and cats in appalling conditions.
Self-proclaimed ‘TikTok star’ Navdeep Singh kept dogs in ‘faeces-strewn yard’ and cats in a baking hot aviary without water. Image source: Rozer Sandhu, Facebook
Singh, a self-proclaimed TikTok star who came to the UK from India, pleaded guilty to seven offences under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 in relation to several French bulldogs and Bengal cats kept in grim conditions at his home.
Four French bulldogs were found in a faeces-strewn yard with a further four malnourished puppies discovered in a garage.
The RSPCA had previously issued Singh with warnings to clear up the yard and cattery and take one of the puppies to the vet, but he failed to take action.
RSPCA inspector Beth Fazakerley subsequently attended Singh’s home with two police officers and found adult bulldogs Luna, Rocky, Daisy and Blue in the filthy yard. Four puppies, described as underweight with bones prominent through their skin, were found hunched up among ripped up cardboard and faeces in the garage of the property.
Five Bengal cats were being kept in an aviary, where they were fully exposed to the elements as temperatures soared as high as 36C.
Inspector Fazakerley also witnessed five cats housed in four separate rooms in a back garden aviary during a searing heatwave. Singh had also failed to provide the animals with clean water.
Inspector Fazakerley : “The first thing I noticed as I walked through the main door of the aviary was the extreme heat – within seconds I was sweating profusely and just walking around was uncomfortable.
“I took the temperature on my temperature gun and in the cleanest area for the cats it reached 36C. It was cooler in the rear, but there was virtually nowhere for the cats to lie down that was comfortable and clean from faeces and urine. Throughout the enclosure there was straw, piles of rubbish, empty bin bags, old food wrappers and a heat lamp switched on in a crate.”
Another RSPCA inspector Heather Morris told the court that Singh had said he was “making large amounts of money” from his TikTok videos.
She added: “He said he was quite busy and was planning on selling the house as his relationship had broken down with his girlfriend. He admitted that he wasn’t doing enough for the animals.”
All of the animals were seized and taken to Greater Manchester Animal Hospital. Singh later signed over the puppies and and two litters of two kittens who were born after the cats were removed from the property.
A vet’s expert report stated that all four of the puppies were very thin, scoring one out of nine on a body condition score when an ideal weight would be four or five.
The vet added: “It is clear the cats’ accommodation was excessively hot and would have had a negative impact on these animals, particularly as they had no access to water.
“While the temperatures measured in the puppies’ accommodation were within the acceptable range, French bulldogs are extremely susceptible to heat stroke due to their brachycephalic conformation and this can have a significant, negative welfare impact and even be fatal if left untreated.
“A number of the adults were seen panting and the original call to the police related to the dogs being distressed due to the heat. Brachycephalic dogs must be kept at cooler temperatures than other dog breeds. They should actively be kept out of the sun, have access to fresh clean water and ventilation, such as a fan.”
Sentencing | fined £8,199.98 and ordered to pay the RSPCA’s prosecution costs of £1,086.98. Banned from owning animals for six years (expires April 2029).
CONVICTED (2023) | Lukasz Michal Dawidkiewicz, born c. 1981, of St Swithun’s Road, Bournemouth BH1 – set his ex-wife’s home on fire, killing four of her pets.
Lukasz Dawidkiewicz killed two cats and two guinea pigs in a revenge arson attack against his ex-wife
Dawidkiewicz set fire to the first-floor flat in Alder Road, Poole, Dorset leaving “a scene of absolute devastation”.
Two cats and two guinea pigs died in the fire – while a third cat was able to escape.
Polish national Dawidkiewicz initially denied responsibility, claiming the pets must have knocked over a candle.
However, the court heard how he had sent his victim text messages threatening to set fire to the flat, using misogynistic language and telling her she would “return to find blackened walls and nothing to come back to”.
Dawidkiewicz was linked to the crime after his ex-wife showed the messages to police.
The fire tore through the flat in the early hours of May 1, 2022.
Investigators determined it was started deliberately, most likely by pressing a naked flame against a combustible sofa.
Dawidkiewicz pleaded guilty to reckless arson and causing unnecessary suffering to the animals.
In mitigation, his lawyer told the court his client suffered from mental health issues. He added that he hadn’t intended to kill the four pets, describing them as “collateral damage”.
Sentencing, Judge Robert Pawson said the offences were committed “against a backdrop of domestic abuse”.
“You became subsumed in resentment and were unable to rationalise the end of your marriage,” he said.
“There was a simmering anger which was exacerbated by your taking cannabis and alcohol.”
Sentencing | six years and six months in prison,. 12-year restraining order.
CONVICTED (2023) | Chelsea Martin aka Chelsea Griffin, born 5 November 1995, of Caldwell Street, West Bromwich B71 2DW* – for cruelty to two flea-infested dogs found starving at her home.
On August 4, 2021, RSPCA inspectors went to Martin’s home in Caldwell Street, West Bromwich where they discovered one-year old crossbreed terrier Thor and husky Nakai, aged 14. Both dogs appeared underweight and their needs for a comfortable resting space were not being met.
The dogs were seized by police and taken for examination at Birmingham Animal Hospital.
Martin’s dogs Thor and Nakai were both underweight and riddled with fleas
Nakai scored 2/9 on a body condition score and his coat was matted in flea dirt.
Thor was also underweight and scored 1/9 and the court heard he had fleas, overgrown claws and leg sores.
While in the animal hospital, Thor was sick and a sock was found in the material – the vet said hunger may be a reason for a dog eating foreign material.
The court was told the vet had concluded both dogs had suffered as a result of malnutrition and the expectation was that a reasonable person would have sought veterinary advice and treatment for dogs who were so underweight.
Martin admitted several offences under the Animal Welfare Act 2006, including failing to control a flea infestation and a failure to provide a suitable environment with “adequate, clean, comfortable bedding”.
Mitigation on Griffin’s behalf was that she was a single mum-of-two who could not cope with the dogs.
Nakai and Thor remain in the RSPCA’s care and are now said to be “healthy” and will be “rehomed soon”.
Sentencing | 200 hours of community service; costs of £500 plus £114 victim surcharge. A 10-year ban on owning animals.
*It has been reported that Chelsea Martin has moved into her mother Shell Martin’s address in Brindley Road, West Bromwich B71 2NA.
In January 2022 the RSPCA revisited Martin’s property and reportedly found two more starving dogs: bull breeds Skye and Caesar, as well as dead rabbits, domestic rats, and reptiles.
They were alerted by a neighbour who visited Martin’s property out of concern for her pets. The neighbour filmed this video and sent it to the RSPCA. Sadly it appears that it took some time before inspectors attended to rescue the surviving animals.
Martin’s home was in a state of disarray with piles of rubbish and household items in every room
When they finally attended they apparently found Skye locked in a crate and in a shockingly poor state. Severely malnourished, she was said to be skeletal and had lost much of her fur.
While vets worked hard to save her life, Skye lost the battle two weeks later and died from multiple organ failure..
Chelsea Martin with Skye
This saddest of outcomes was made even more tragic by the fact that Skye had spent much of her short life in police kennels after being seized on suspicion of being a banned breed three times.
We are unsure whether Martin is to face further prosecution in relation to her latest alleged offences.
When details of Martin’s apparent abandonment of Skye and the other animals emerged on social media, Martin’s house was targeted by vigilantes. Windows were smashed and the words ‘dog killer’ sprayed across the property’s front door
This starving cat has apparently been left behind after Chelsea Martin fled her home in Caldwell Street, West Bromwich
There are reports that when Martin vacated the Caldwell Street property, she left behind two “underfed” cats who are currently being cared for by concerned neighbours.
Additional witness reports suggest that she has been seen with a new puppy since her conviction for cruelty to Thor and Nakai.
CONVICTED (2023) | Natalie Morris, born c. 1983, of Bush Row, Haverfordwest SA61 1RJ – allowed her horse to become malnourished and failed to protect him from adverse weather.
Morris was disqualified from keeping animals for five years in relation to a 12-year-old bay gelding horse called Ben, who was found in a field in an emaciated condition with severe rain scald on his back.
The court heard that a vet examined Ben and found that he had a body score of just 1/5. The vet added that he “had significant rain scald along his back and pitting edema in both hindlimbs.”
RSPCA inspector Keith Hogben said in a witness statement that when he spoke initially with Morris, she denied she was Ben’s owner but conceded she had been looking after him.
On 19 February 2022 Inspector Hogben met Morris at the field in Clay Lane, Haverfordwest. After Ben’s rug was removed the inspector could clearly see his ribs, hips and spine protruding through his winter coat.
Morris told him that she had taken delivery of Ben in the second week of December 2021 and was only supposed to have the horse for a month. Ben was removed from the site and taken into RSPCA care for treatment.
Inspector Hogben added in his statement that he had spoken with a woman who said she used to own Ben and said she had transferred ownership of him to Natalie Morris in July 2021.
Morris pleaded not guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to Ben but was convicted in her absence.
Ben is back to full health and has been rehomed.
Sentencing | 12 month community order; £1,200 costs and a £65 victim surcharge. Disqualified from keeping all animals for five years (expires April 2028).
In March 2021 Natalie Morris was interviewed by the BBC after the sad death of her four-month-old foal Chicco.
Morris claimed Chicco had died from stomach blockage after being given food such as potato peelings, pasta and sandwiches wrapped in tinfoil and clingfilm by walkers.
Chicco’s mother, Lady, died a short time later, possibly due to stress from losing her foal.
While the public feeding of horses is an important issue (you can learn more about the awareness campaign in the Facebook group Public campaign to #StopFeedingOurHorses Morris has now proved herself incapable of safeguarding the welfare of the animals in her care and we have to wonder if there was more to that tragedy as well.
CONVICTED (2023) | Ronnie Calver, born c. 1988, of Berkeley Road, Clacton-on-Sea CO15 – failed to address his dog’s serious health issues.
Calver was found guilty of causing unnecessary suffering to a cross-dog breed called Marley, by failing to investigate and address the cause of her lameness and the hard mass affecting her pelvic area.
He was found not guilty of failing to provide adequate nutrition for the animal’s needs.
The court heard that Marley was taken to a vet by the RSPCA in June 2021, after she had been removed from Calver’s home by another person.
Animal Rescue Officer Rebecca Yarrow said: “She was lying down outside, not willing to stand. Her face appeared to be sunken with no muscle tone. She also had a large, hard mass on the left side of her pelvis and looked to be very underweight.”
Marley was taken to a vet and given pain relief, where she was made comfortable. A further examination found that the large mass was a bone tumour, which had been eating into Marley’s lower pelvis and spine.
It was decided that her pain was too much, with a vet noting that under the circumstances, the kindest thing to do was to put her to sleep.
A vet who examined Marley said: “I believe without doubt that this dog was suffering due to the degree of pain she was in.
“This suffering could have been reduced by pain relief medication in the weeks preceding her being presented to us.
“I believe this dog would likely have been suffering for a period of at least four to six weeks due to the size of the mass and the amount of destruction of the bone seen on the radiograph.
“The needs of this animal were clearly not being met as it would have been very clear even to a novice owner that this dog was in pain and was unable to walk as a normal dog should be able to.”
Sentencing | 18-month community order, with 15-day rehabilitation activity requirement, 150 hours unpaid work; £1,000 in costs. Banned from keeping dogs for five years (expires April 2028).
CONVICTED (2023) | Lewis Hill, born c. 2000, of Collett Place, Latton, Swindon SN6 6EH – threw a firework towards police officers, injuring four of them and a police dog.
Football thug Lewis Hill injured a police dog and four officers after launching an exploding firework at them.
Hill threw the firework towards a group of police officers ahead of Swindon Town’s clash with Bristol Rovers on 22 January 2022.
The firework exploded at the feet of the four officers, causing minor injuries, while PD Ross suffered burns to his nose. Ross has since returned to work as a police dog.
Ross suffered burns to his nose but has now returned to his duties as a police dog with Wiltshire Police
In court, Hill admitted one count of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal and four counts of assaulting an emergency worker.
Hill was tracked down through CCTV and witness statements, Wiltshire Police said.
Chief Constable of Wiltshire Police, Catherine Roper, said: “To throw a firework towards any group of people is an incredibly reckless and dangerous act.
“Assaults against police officers and police animals will never be tolerated.
“If you assault an officer or any other emergency services worker then be prepared to be dealt with to the fullest extent of the law.”
Dog unit manager Ian Partington said: “It is pleasing to see that Mr Hill has been jailed for his actions and that offences against officers and police dogs are taken seriously.
“Thankfully PD Ross has been able to continue his career and is performing well as a police dog.”
Sentencing | four months’ imprisonment. Three-year football banning order.
CONVICTED (2023) | Ross Clifford, born February 1979, of Quicksilver Way, Andover SP11 6TT – kept injured birds and hedgehogs in unsuitable conditions.
Paedophile Ross Clifford kept injured birds and hedgehogs in squalid containers without food and water.
Convicted serial paedophile Ross Clifford operated a makeshift wildlife rescue centre from his home but was investigated by the RSPCA after they were alerted to dead and dying animals on the premises.
A vet examined the animals in Clifford’s care and found pigeons without their needs being met, including one severely injured pigeon that had been kept in a wicker basket with heavily solid newspaper on the base. There was no food or water or anywhere to perch.
Another pigeon was housed in a wardrobe in the bedroom, also without food or water.
A juvenile wood pigeon was found in a collapsible crate, with another collapsible crate used as a lid. A towel lined the base of the crate, and this was very heavily soiled with multiple faecal deposits, some fresh and others older and drying. No food or water was found in the crate.
Hedgehogs were also found in unsuitable conditions, including one found in a plastic cat carrier alongside a small quantity of dried food but no water.
The hedgehog was very lethargic and dehydrated with sunken eyes and pale mucous membranes as a result.
Two juvenile hedgehogs were found together in a collapsible crate which had wet shredded newspaper and tissue alongside food which appeared to be mouldy. They were both very lethargic and were lying motionless.
Another hedgehog, who had to be put to sleep because of the severity of his condition, was found in a plastic hamster cage without food and water with wet bedding which smelled of stale urine with an unsurvivable injury and dehydration.
In mitigation, the court heard that Clifford’s intentions in setting up a wildlife rescue at his home were good. He acknowledged that his premises were not set up to deal with wildlife rescue and that he fell short of the standards required by good practice.
Speaking about the case RSPCA Inspector Miranda Albinson said: “Injured captive wildlife is completely reliant on those providing care to ensure their needs are met. Sadly, in this instance, that responsibility was not fulfilled.”
Sentencing | 12-week custodial sentence to run concurrently to an existing sentence for unrelated offences.
