CONVICTED (2016) | Thomas Tony Price, born 3 June 1964, Irish traveller and Welsh gypsy cob dealer of Rover Way Gypsy Site, Cardiff CF24 2RX – repeatedly left his horses to graze on public land; ignored a previous ban imposed for similar cruelty offences.
Self-styled ‘Gypsy Horse King’ Price continually ignored a ban on him leaving his horses on land near roads, roundabouts and in other people’s fields..
In July 2013, Price – a former director of Glamorgan Horse Traders Ltd (dissolved in 2014) and then estimated to own 2,500 horses across the country – was banned from any involvement in owning horses for five years and given an eight-month prison sentence. This came after he was found guilty of a total of 57 animal welfare charges and causing unnecessary suffering to 18 horses.
Cob ponies were removed from five different locations across the Vale of Glamorgan and Bridgend, where they were found emaciated and poorly kept. While some were re-homed, the RSPCA was forced to euthanise others.
Price was arrested again in August 2016 after an investigation found he had repeatedly breached the banning order imposed in 2013 and had continued to deal with horses on at least 11 separate occasions.
After his arrest, 70 horses were seized.
Price pleaded guilty to breaching the Animal Disqualification Order (ADO).
The court also issued an injunction to protect a family in a neighbouring farm who had fallen victim to Price’s actions.
South Wales Police also successfully applied for a Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO).
Sentence: eight weeks in prison suspended for two years; Criminal Behaviour Order; banned from being within 50 metres of a horse, unless it is on his own land (expired 2018).
Additional Information
Two of Price’s sons are Thomas Hope Price (born 25 July 1986) and Tony John Price (born 23 May 1994) – also involved in Glamorgan Horse Traders Ltd and convicted of horse cruelty in 2013 alongside their father.
In December 2014 Thomas Hope Price was jailed after stealing his own horses after they’d been seized for fly grazing.
Thomas Tony Price’s long-term partner is Luanne Bishop. In April 2021 she was convicted alongside him on new cruelty charges involving multiple horses and sheep. Full details here.
Their latest location as of April 2021 is Bonvilston, Vale of Glamorgan.