CONVICTED (2013) | Frederick McHugh, born 1931 (now deceased), his daughter Angela Russell, born c. 1971, her son Robert Russell, born 26/04/1988, and daughters Kirsty Russell, born 18/07/1992, and Louise Russell, born 14/11/1990, all previously of Faringdon Road, Abingdon OX13 5HN and niece Abigail McHugh of Pendennis Road, Swindon SN5 8QD – ran a bogus animal rescue where dozens of animals were starved, neglected and kept in squalor

RSPCA inspectors rescued 29 dogs, 13 horses and a number of chickens, goats, cats, and ducks during a raid on Crunchy’s Animal Rescue in January 2012.

Officials described conditions at the centre, based in in Faringdon Road, Longworth, near Abingdon, as “some of the worst they had ever seen”.

Dogs, cats, rabbits, ponies and other animals lived in filthy kennels covered in their own urine and faeces, with inadequate bedding, food and water.

Some animals were found in areas containing rubbish, bundles of barbed wire, metal frames from burned mattresses and rusting cars.

A number of the animals had skin conditions which had not been treated.

A shih-tzu dog with an eye condition, a duck and a turkey were in such a bad condition that they had to be put down.

In April 2013 a total of eight people involved with the sanctuary — Angela Russell, her father Fred, her son Robert Russell, her daughters Kirsty and Louise, her brother Peter, niece Abigail McHugh and Angela’s carer, Daniel Bunyan went on trial at Bicester Magistrates Court.

All bar Peter Russell and Daniel Bunyan were convicted of 16 offences of cruelty including failing to provide adequate nutrition, adequate parasitic control and provision of veterinary care.

When welfare officers from the RSPCA, World Horse Welfare and the Blue Cross visited the sanctuary between December 2011 and January 2012, they discovered lice-covered horses left to forage in muddy fields littered with junk and sharp objects, and various rabbits, dogs and goats left in cramped conditions, covered in faeces and without food and water.

Some of the animals had been entrusted to the rescue centre temporarily by their owners.

Sandra Luker trusted Crunchy’s with four golden retrievers, two cats and a rabbit in November 2011 – but only one dog and her cat were ever returned.

There were also allegations of animal exploitation for financial gain with the judge noting “a commercial element to the operation”. The charity received generous donations from the public but, in the judge’s view, that money had not gone towards looking after the animals. In addition the charity was found to have sold puppies, kittens and rabbits on the internet with Louise Russell having an instrumental role here.

Jonathan Coode, prosecuting for the RSPCA, had told the court: ‘It is our case that for years none of the defendants did anything to improve the conditions and when the RSPCA finally stepped in, some of the worst conditions that most of the witnesses have ever experienced were discovered.

‘One of the most shocking aspects of this case is a dog cowering in a cage. In front of it is effectively a termite mound, almost taller than it, of piled-up faeces.’

He said an area where four puppies were found living among rubbish in a caravan had ‘the most appalling stench’ of faeces and urine.

A horse found lying dead under an old pick-up truck roof had died of Yew tree poisoning and also had bits of tarpaulin and other rubbish in its stomach.

The RSPCA suspected the Russells had tried to hide it and were planning to secretly bury it.

The rescue centre was set up in 2006 and had four trustees. Concerns were first raised about the charity in 2008 and the RSPCA had issued several warnings about the standards of care of the animals

Sentencing Angela Russell, district Judge Tim Pattinson said he believed her to be the “prime mover” in the neglect.

He said: “There is no way an animal lover could allow such profound neglect of this type.”

“Crunchy’s was an animal disaster, a sea of mud and faeces containing shocking and dangerous hazards.

“In short, it was a rescue centre from which animals needed to be rescued.”

Judge Pattinson added: “The photos and videos shown during this case will be remembered by everyone who saw them for a very long time. In particular, the horses crippled by overgrown hooves and the horses trying to eat from a wheelie bin.

“All of you inflicted this suffering in the name of this charity – a rescue centre, a sanctuary – but nothing could be further from the truth than that of what was going on at Crunchy’s.”

RSPCA deputy chief inspector Kirsty Withnall investigated the case.

“What we found at Faringdon Road were filthy, disgusting conditions where animals were being kept amongst all sorts of hazardous items without food and water,” she said. “We have a duty to protect animals from this sort of neglect and we hope that the sentence will help to do this.

“Many of these animals had been entrusted to the care of the defendants by loving owners. Instead of the care promised, the animals were left in dirty, broken down buildings without vet treatment where it was needed or access to basic care.”

Sentencing |

• Angela and Fred Russell were both sentenced to 26 weeks in prison and a life ban on keeping animals, with Mr Russell’s sentence suspended for 18 months in light of his age. He was also ordered to pay £1,000 costs.
• Robert Russell was sentenced to immediate imprisonment for 18 weeks and was banned from owning, keeping, dealing, transporting or participating in keeping of animals for 10 years (expires July 2023).
• Kirsty Russell received a curfew order and £1,000 fine,
• Louise Russell received a 12-week suspended prison sentence, a curfew order and a £1,000 fine. Both sisters have been banned from keeping animals for 10 years.
• Abigail McHugh was sentenced to 150 hours of community service and ordered to pay £1000 in costs.

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Update November 2020

Frederick Russell is deceased. Robert Russell now lives in Fore Street, Bugle, St Austell, Cornwall PL26 8PB with a partner and their twins. Angela Russell’s whereabouts are unknown.