CONVICTED (2019) | farmer Graham A Mabin aka James Mabin, born c. 1983, of Market Close, Buckfastleigh TQ11 0QA – for cruelty to sheep and breaches of farming regulations
Mabin pleaded guilty to two charges under the Animal Welfare Act, two charges under the Veterinary Medicines Regulations and one charge under the Animal By-Products Regulations.
These offences were in relation to his treatment of sheep under his care including a charge of unnecessary suffering in relation to a sheep where the spine of the animal was visible through an infected wound.
In December 2018 officers from Devon, Somerset & Torbay Trading Standards Service (DSTTSS) and the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) visited land farmed by Mabin and found an emaciated sheep laying in the corner of a pen with a large festering wound.
The sheep could not stand up without help and the wound was so large and deep that the spine of the animal could be seen.
In the same area officers found three lambs that were lethargic and emaciated. One lamb had an infected ear wound filled with pus and another had an infected foot with an easily detachable hoof.
None of the animals had access to clean drinking water.
On a further visit in January 2019 officers found that inadequate records were kept on the farm in relation to medicines used and the movements of animals. These records are important for the integrity of the food chain and were not present.
Magistrates said that Mabin had passed the custody threshold due to the number of animals involved, the level of suffering caused and his repeated failure to follow advice issued by Trading Standards. Despite this, the prison sentence was suspended.
Sentencing: four months’ imprisonment suspended for 18 months; £1,185 in costs and fees; rehabilitation activities. Banned from keeping animals for 10 years.
Updates
In October 2020 footage was widely shared on Facebook which showed Graham Mabin’s wife, Stacey Mabin, and their 13-year-old son attacking multiple dogs in their garden with sticks and a shovel.
Stacey subsequently gave an interview to the local paper in which she claimed that she and her son were trying to stop the dogs from fighting and attacking one dog in particular – an elderly labrador.
She told the paper that she had TEN dogs (this despite her husband being banned from keeping any animal until 2029) but denied all accusations of abuse or neglect.
The matter was reported to police and the RSPCA but it appears that the pair escaped prosecution.
The Video looks like Complete Doggy Hell. They haven’t got a clue, you so need the right set up to keep multiple Animals. If you cannot keep them don’t have them/