CONVICTED (2017) | Norman Lever, born 21 August 1985, of Bredwick Houses, Kentisbury, Barnstaple EX31 4NN – photographed himself performing a sex act with his mother’s dog; kept a tranche of photos on his computer depicting bestiality and child abuse.
Sexual deviant Norman Lever was also ordered to sign on the sex offenders’ register for 10 years and made subject of a sexual harm prevention order for the same time.
Lever admitted possession of extreme pornography and three counts of making indecent images of children.
Police raided his house on 15 January, 2015 and 274 child images were found on three computers, along with seven extreme images of bestiality.
They were able to prove the picture of him abusing his mother’s dog was taken at his home by comparing the pattern on a carpet in the background.
Judge Geoffrey Mercer, QC, said: “I have to sentence you for the possession of photographs which to any right thinking person are quite repulsive. This is a serious offence.
“It is deserving of a prison sentence, but having read the probation report, I have no doubt whatsoever that the public interest is better served by you going on a sex offenders’ programme.”
The court heard that the dog was held in kennels for 20 days before being returned to Lever’s mother.
Mr Richard Crabb, defending, said Lever’s mother had given the police and animal welfare authorities assurances she would not leave the animal alone with her son again.
Sentencing | 12-month prison sentence, suspended for two years. Ordered to attend a sex offenders course.
#MostEvil | dangerous sexual deviant Julian Mark Ridgway, born c. 1962, of 131 South Lane, Netherton, Wakefield WF4 4HZ – caught having sex with a horse on a farm
The court heard that violent Julian Ridgway has a “deep-seated sexual interest in horses and ponies” that he struggles to control
A jury convicted Julian Ridgway of intercourse with an animal and trespass with intent to commit a sexual offence after a trial at Leeds Crown Court in December 2016. In February 2017 he was given a ten-year extended prison term, of which six years will be spent on licence. In other words, he is set to return to the community no later than February 2021.
He was jailed after a court heard he poses a risk of being violent towards people who might catch him having sex with a horse.
At his sentencing hearing, the court heard police have concerns over the risk Ridgeway poses to members of the public.
Probation and psychiatric reports also stated that Ridgway poses a significant risk of harm to animals and those who may challenge him while having sex with a horse.
Ridgway was arrested in May 2016 after a couple hid in a barn in Netherton and kept watch when they became concerned about the way their 13-year-old mare, called Honey, had been behaving.
Honey’s owner Louise Lumley watched with her husband as Ridgway led the horse into a pen before challenging him.
Ridgway ran off from the farm but was later questioned by police and denied being the man involved.
He was then arrested after DNA evidence was recovered from the animal.
At his trial in 1991, jurors heard Ridgway twice chocked a teenager unconscious to silence her after she had found him in a “compromising situation” with her mare Ripple.
The victim had gone to a field off Denby Dale Road, Wakefield, to look for her pony and found Ridgeway half naked.
He had no trousers or underpants on and appeared to be washing the backside of her pony from a bucket.
In 2011, police searched Ridgway’s home and found a tape recording, entitled ‘We Thought It Would Be Good’, which featured an unknown man having sex with a horse.
Sentencing Ridgway, Recorder Paul Greaney, QC, said: “I am quite satisfied that you have a deep-seated sexual interest in horses and ponies that you struggle to control, and which you were unable to control in 1990 and 2016.
“There is a very high risk that you will seek to have sex with a horse or pony again in the future.
“You are likely to engage in serious violence against any person who finds you.”
Recorder Greaney said he believed Ridgway would have attacked Mrs Lumley during the incident in May 2016 if she had been alone.
Describing his offending, he said: “In my view this case is among the most serious cases of sexual intercourse with an animal.
“You have no intention of confronting or dealing with in any way, your deviant interest in horses. You have absolutely no insight.”
Ridgeway must serve a custodial period period of four years, followed by an extended licence period of six years.
He was told he must go on the sex offenders register for life.
CONVICTED (2017) | Michael Garner, born 1966, of 13 Brookfurlong, Peterborough PE3 7LG – punched and sexually stimulated a dog on Facebook Live
Vile pervert and dog abuser Michael Garner of Ravensthorpe, Peterborough
Michael Garner appeared alongside brother Thomas Garner, born 09/02/1969 and of the same address, to face animal welfare charges after a video of the dog, an American bulldog named Roscoe, being abused was posted on Facebook.
Michael Garner
Michael Garner pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal by punching the dog around the head. His brother pleaded not guilty and was set to face trial in June 2017. The outcome of the trial isn’t known.
Giles Beaumont prosecuting told the court that Michael Garner was seen on Facebook Live hitting the dog – owned by Thomas Garner – on or around the head at least 16 times after the dog had hold of his arm sleeve.
He said that Michael Garner “appears to sexually stimulate Roscoe with a glass object.”
Mr Beaumont added: “The dog has been goaded into this game.”
Roscoe suffered bruising to his lip as a result of the beating, and the court heard that a vet examining the American Bulldog believed he had been normalised to the treatment he suffered.
The court was shown the Facebook Live video where the punches can be seen. Pornography was also showing on a screen in the background.
The RSPCA had been alerted to the video by members of the public.
One person wrote on Facebook at the time:
Absolutely gutted and mortified to what I have just witnessed. 3 men done a live feed on a page called roast my selfie, watching porn, whilst performing sexual acts towards a white boxer dog then Antagonising it to fight back, As the dog fights back, one of the men start punching the dog and beating the hell out of it. All of this was live. I have contacted the rspca, RAID, a few peterborough selling sites etc and the police and I have an appointment with an officer at 10am tomorrow morning as there has been screen shots took of all what has happened. Never have I been so shocked, nauseous, disturbed and helpless to what I feel right now. People share his picture!!!! He needs to go viral!
Rebecca Keogh defending said: “It’s certainly unpleasant and uncomfortable viewing.
“It’s clear he was caught up in the incident. It does not excuse that behaviour but he was very drunk.
“If he was not drunk he would not have done it.
“It was lucky he was not seriously hurt goading a dog that size.”
Sentencing Michael Garner, District Judge Ken Sheraton said: “To be frank I see no sense in that behaviour, drunk or not.
“I see less sense why you would put this on Facebook to show to the world. I’m surprised you’ve reached the age you have and not come to your senses.”
Michael Garner has previous convictions in the last three years of producing cannabis and domestic abuse.
Sentencing: Michael Garner was given a six week prison sentence suspended for 12 months and a four-month curfew. £200 costs. Disqualified from keeping an animal or having control of an animal (period not given).
As noted above, Thomas Garner pleaded not guilty to failing to prevent unnecessary cruelty to an animal and failing to ensure the welfare of an animal and was set to face trial in June 2017. Unfortunately the media failed to report the outcome.
CONVICTED (2016) | Justin Brazier, born 03/05/1971, of Beechcroft Avenue, Breightmet, Bolton – for possession of videos and images showing extreme child and animal pornography; videoed himself having sex with his own dog
Brazier pleaded guilty to possession of indecent images, possession of extreme pornography and penetration of a live animal.
On Tuesday 10 May 2016 officers from Greater Manchester Police executed a warrant at Brazier’s home and his computer and DVDs were seized.
Forensic examination revealed videos of extreme pornography and bestiality, including videos of Brazier having sex with his own dog.
Detective Inspector Charlotte Cadden of GMP’s Bolton Borough said: “Brazier committed vile acts of depravity and thankfully he is now behind bars.
“As soon as we became aware of his crimes, we removed the dog from his possession and will now be looking to re-home it.
“The images that were found on his computer were extremely distressing and I would like to pay tribute to the professionalism of the officers involved who worked on this case and needed to view the images as part of enquiries.
“The information which led to Brazier’s arrest and subsequent conviction came largely from community intelligence and I hope the sentence passed will send a clear message that we are prepared to take positive action whenever we receive information like this.”
CONVICTED (2016) | Janet Robinson, born 8 November 1966, of Prideaux-Brune Avenue, Gosport PO13 0UE- kept a sick hoard of child abuse and bestiality images and shared twisted fantasies with a paedophile rape gang
Police raided grandmother Robinson’s home after discovering chat logs on the now-jailed gang’s computers.
In court, a judge heard Robinson had a sick hoard of images, including a movie of bestiality with a girl aged between 12 and 13.
Robinson, who the court heard had been ‘shunned’ by the community since admitting her crimes last month, talked to men on Skype and Yahoo.
There was no suggestion she abused any children.
Janet Robinson pictured during her court appearance.
The court heard she made full admissions to police when arrested and told them she had performed a sex act with a dog before.
Judge Ian Pearson said: This was a sick fantasy of yours, you got your sexual gratification from the male with who you were discussing rather than the images.’
Hannah Duncan, for Robinson, said she had never been in trouble and had nausea from remorse. She added Robinson had lost her job, was told not to come back to a fitness group she attends and that a Facebook page had been set up highlighting her crimes.
Robinson pleaded guilty to 14 charges of possession of indecent images and one charge of possession of extreme pornography.
She had been charged with intercourse with a dog but pleaded not guilty and this was accepted by the court due to lack of evidence.
Sentence: 16-month suspended term for the child image offences and a four-month concurrent term for the bestiality – suspended for two years. 50 days of rehabilitation activities; £350 costs. Robinson was put on the sex offenders’ register for 10 years. Banned from contact with children under 16 and from having a dog for 10 years (expires June 2026).
CONVICTED (2016) | George W Litt, born c. 1954, of 1A Birley Court, Whitehaven CA28 7NF – attempted to have sex with a dog
Litt pleaded not guilty to all three charges he faced: having sex with the dog, attempting to do so; and causing unnecessary suffering to an animal.
He was convicted of the attempt offence but cleared of the other charges.
The trial heard that Litt accepted that he intended to have sex with the Boston terrier in a St Bees caravan – claiming to be drunk and sexually frustrated – but claimed to have changed his mind prior to the act.
It was at the point, he claimed, that his partner at the time – the dog’s owner – and a friend returned to the caravan.
The court heard that Litt had been drinking in the St Bees caravan with his partner on the afternoon of August 18, 2015.
Around 7.30pm, the pair were joined by a friend, and the partner and the friend left the caravan briefly to collect some chairs from elsewhere on the site.
When they returned, they made the shocking discovery which caused the partner to run from the caravan screaming and the friend to vomit.
Sentencing: 100-day prison term, suspended for 12 months; 35-day rehabilitation course; £580 costs and charges. Banned from owning an animal, and banned from having unsupervised contact with an animal, for 12 months. He must also sign the Sex Offenders’ Register.
CONVICTED (2015) | former vet Oliver Fraser Lown, born c. 1985, of Main Road, Kesgrave – jailed for having sex with a dog and a horse and having “grossly offensive, disgusting or obscene” images of animals
The court heard Suffolk Police were called to Lown’s home – a converted garage at his parents’ house – following an assault allegation by his now ex-girlfriend.
Officers took no further action over the claim, but they did confiscate computer equipment and found seven videos featuring bestiality.
Lown had a previous conviction for possessing similar images featuring animals for which he was sentenced to a 12-month conditional discharge by Northallerton magistrates in North Yorkshire in 2012.
He was struck off the UK professional register in 2014 by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) following a disciplinary hearing into his previous offences.
Sentencing Lown, Celia Dawson, JP, said pre-sentence reports showed he had a “lack of remorse” and had tried to justify his offences.
He used to be a drummer in punk rock band The 4130s but was kicked out after his conviction for animal rape.
Update February 2021
On Tuesday 9 February 2021 the Irish Times reported that Lown, now living in Letterkenny, Ireland, faces extradition back to the UK where he faces multiple charges of sexual activity with animals and of having extreme pornographic material.
The report states that 1,219 extreme pornographic images were recovered from the hard drive of Lown’s laptop after his arrest on April 4th, 2019 as well as 3,512 extreme pornographic videos.
Lown is charged with sexual offences involving animals, making indecent photographs of children and possessing extreme pornographic images. He is also accused of attempting to pervert the course of justice and possession of heroin.
We collate data on animal cruelty convictions in the UK
