CONVICTED (2024) | Mitchell Stuart Wright, born September 1990, of 20 Cartwright Road, Sutton Coldfield B75 5LF – kept birds of prey in appalling conditions.
Wright had 23 protected species of birds inside aviaries in Whitehill Road, Ellistown, Coalville, when officers arrived in September 2023.
Police said he was keeping the birds in poor conditions and did not have the right paperwork.
Leicestershire Police said Wright failed to hold the correct paperwork for the birds with the Animal and Plant Health Agency.
He pleaded guilty to three offences under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, of failing to prevent the causing of unnecessary suffering of an animal, failing to ensure animal welfare and possessing unregistered birds.
Leicestershire and Rutland Rural Policing Team said: “We are really pleased with this result at court and are grateful to all those who helped us with caring for the birds, advising us and giving their expert opinions and statements. We couldn’t have done it without you.”
His birds are now being cared for by local falconers.
Sentencing | 12-month community order, which includes 15 days of rehabilitation requirement and 200 hours of unpaid work; fined £85 towards Crown Prosecution costs and a £114 victim surcharge. Banned from keeping any animals for five years (expires April 2029).
CONVICTED (2024) | Richard Robin Orton, born 27 September 1985, of Westland Road, Compton, Wolverhampton WV3 9NY – trapped wild birds and kept them in squalid conditions in his garden.
Prolific wildlife persecutor Orton used Larsen traps in his back garden to ‘trap and kill magpies’.
RSPCA inspectors visited Orton’s home after being contacted by members of the public with concerns about the welfare of birds kept in traps in his garden and found two magpies in shocking conditions.
One was housed within a wire cage with access to only half of the cage. There was only a small amount of ‘very dirty water’ present and no food the bird could access.
There was a ‘significant amount of faeces’ within the cage and it was ‘extremely foul smelling’.
In the section of the cage the bird could not access, there was what looked like a piece of rabbit skin present. The bird was in ‘poor physical condition with the breast bone prominent and muscle loss’.
The second magpie, which a vet concluded was ‘even thinner than the first’ with no fat covering and a loss of muscle, was housed within a wood and chicken wire cage with access to only half of the cage.
There was some dirty water present, which was green in colour, and there was no food present in the area of the cage the bird could access. Again, there was a ‘significant amount of faeces within the cage and it was extremely foul smelling’.
A vet’s report said: “Both birds would have suffered unnecessarily for a minimum of two weeks but in reality likely longer. They did not have their welfare needs met due to the failure to provide an appropriate environment.
“From the amount of faeces observed within the traps, it is my opinion that no cleaning or removal of droppings had occurred within the previous four weeks, but likely a considerably longer period of time. It must be stressful and distressing to-be-living-in-the-same area as you pass faeces with no-way to remove yourself from these conditions.”
RSPCA Inspector Ben Jones, who investigated Romany gypsy Orton, said: “Every year the RSPCA receives many calls from the public concerned about the use of Larsen traps to capture wild birds.
“Larsen traps can be made of wood or metal and contain two or three compartments to allow the use of a live decoy bird, like a magpie, to attract other magpies in defence of their territory.
“Although such traps are legal, strict controls relate to their use. If these are breached – and it is easy to do so – the trap setter loses the legal protection of a general licence for trapping and killing magpies and could face being prosecuted.”
He continued: “People who trap magpies could leave themselves open to prosecution should they infringe any one of a number of strict conditions relating to the use of Larsen traps. Trap setters have to provide the decoy bird with food, water, shelter and a perch and inspect the trap every 24 hours.
“Sadly there is great potential for suffering of wild birds in being contained in cramped, unsuitable spaces, as we’ve seen here with the two birds found in Orton’s possession.”
Following his conviction under the Animal Welfare Act, Orton, who is originally from Tipton and has links to Rowley Regis, can no longer use Natural England’s general licences.
The magpies were both released back into the wild.
Sentencing | ordered to pay £312. Banned from keeping birds and ferrets for five years (expires April 2029).
CONVICTED (2024) | Alexander Hamilton, born c. 1959, of 112 Windsor Drive, Penicuik EH26 8EP – trapped and starved magpies to death in his garden.
Hamilton, a former gamekeeper, pleaded guilty to confining /ibirds in illegal cages in his garden.
A trial at Edinburgh Sheriff Court heard how Hamilton deprived the animals of food, water and adequate shelter, which caused them deep distress.
His disturbing operation was uncovered by SSPCA animal welfare officers on July 29, 2022, after the alarm was raised by a neighbour who witnessed two of the birds being trapped at his property.
The magpies were discovered locked up in several small metal cages, as another bird was found lying dead on paving slabs outside.
Animal welfare officers reported how three of the traps were found in the bottom corner of Hamilton’s garden, hidden from the rest of the area by a large fencing panel. They discovered the first trap to be an illegal Larsen Mate trap containing one magpie, which was crammed into the tiny space and in poor condition.
In the second cage, another magpie was found in poor bodily condition. It had managed to squeeze through the mesh on the floor and enter a space underneath the adjacent shed.
The court heard how SSPCA officers could hear the bird scraping and pecking at the wooden floor, in a clear state of distress. After intervention, the magpies were released from the cages and into the wild.
Commenting on his sentence, SSPCA Chief Inspector Mark Rafferty, Special Investigation Unit, said: “We are pleased with the five-year ban at the sentencing result. All animals should be protected from suffering and this includes magpies.
“Our team treats these cases seriously and it is good to see that the courts share this view. We will continue to investigate this type of offending, to ensure people like Hamilton are caught and stopped from further cruelty acts.
“I would like to thank the Procurator Fiscal Karon Rollo and the Wildlife and Environmental Crime Unit.”
Sentencing | 100 hours of community service. Five-year ban on owning and keeping animals (expires March 2029).
CONVICTED (2023) | sadistic Daniel Taylor, born c. 1992, of 99 Shrewsbury Road, Manton, Worksop S89 2TX – tortured, killed and mutilated more than 100 deer, foxes, badgers and pigeons.
A police search of the home Daniel Taylor shares with company director wife Georgina Ruth Taylor, née Georgina Brigham, revealed over 100 graphic phone videos and images which showed him attacking, decapitating and encouraging his dogs to fight and kill wildlife.
Prosecutor Lucy Woodcock told the court: “In some videos he is seen dissecting the animals and ripping internal organs out”.
Officers also found 15 deer heads and 14 fox tails, as well as snares and weapons.
Police found a shocking hoard of deer skulls, fox tails and weapons at Daniel Taylor’s family home
A blood-stained quad bike and lamping equipment were also recovered.
Police arrested Taylor, confiscated his phone and removed his dogs from the house as part of the investigation.
Officers were able to map the images and videos on his phone to specific locations.
PC Mark Holland, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “From this we were able to prove when and where most of the animals were killed and link this evidence in with several reports of poaching.
“We also received intelligence which helped establish Taylor was in areas at the relevant times.”
PC Ben Harrison said: “At the back of Taylor’s premises we found what was essentially a slaughterhouse for animals.
“Taylor clearly took pleasure out of his dogs torturing these animals.
“They were clearly being trained to get hold of these animals and rip them to shreds.
“The videos were gruesome and the sounds of the animals squealing in pain were horrible.
“In one particular video, while Taylor was filming one of these acts, he dropped his phone and it flipped over. He bent over to pick it up and it captured a full face shot of him. There was no question over who was doing the filming or who was the owner of these videos.”
The court heard Taylor had played a leading role in “sadistic behaviour” which was “prolonged and repeated” between August 2021 and February 2023.
Sentencing Taylor, Judge Mark Watson told him: “These offences cannot in any way be described as sport. This was a barbaric hobby of yours.
“This was planned activity by you and you clearly revelled in the suffering of these animals.
“You encouraged your dogs to attack these animals with ferocity and they suffered immeasurably.
“These were prolonged and repeated incidents of serious cruelty and examples of sadistic behaviour.”
Sentencing | jailed for two years and eight months. Banned from owning, keeping or participating in keeping dogs for at least seven years
CONVICTED (2024) | Harry Locker, born 7 January 2000, of Nethergate Street in Hopton, near Diss IP22 2QZ – placed a live chicken into a cage containing ferrets and filmed as the bird was attacked and slowly killed.
Locker pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal, by causing a ferret to attack a white coloured chicken.
The RSPCA was alerted to the incident by a member of the public that the bird had been deliberately put in the cage with the ferrets.
The defendant was arrested and three videos were found on his phone showing his ferrets attacking and killing the chicken.
A vet who examined the videos said the suffering was caused directly by the person who placed the bird in with the ferrets and that based on the videos it appeared the bird took three minutes to die – during which time it was repeatedly attacked and bitten.
Speaking after the case RSPCA Inspector Caroline Richardson said: “The footage is very difficult to watch. Animals are sentient creatures who feel emotions and this poor bird was made to suffer for almost three minutes while it was attacked.
“I am pleased the defendant has been held to account for his actions. I hope this case sends out a clear message that deliberate cruelty of this kind is not ever acceptable.”
The ferrets were signed over to the RSPCA.
In mitigation the defendant said that he had mental health issues and that this was a foolish thing to have done.
Sentencing | 18 month community order with 200 hours of unpaid work and 15 rehabilitation activity requirement days; A total of £1,964 in costs and victim surcharge. Banned from keeping all animals, except for dogs, for five years (expires January 2029).
CONVICTED (2024) | Carol Ann Gravenor, born 2 May 1956, of Coed Main, Caerphilly CF83 1RS – allowed wild birds to suffer at her so-called sanctuary.
Bird rescuer Carol Gravenor kept multiple injured birds in filthy conditions
Gravenor, owner of Caerphilly Bird Rescue, pleaded guilty to six animal welfare offences after 26 wild birds were found in an unsuitable environment with their needs not being met. Many were in a suffering state.
The birds included pigeons, blackbirds, crows, jackdaws, a peregrine falcon and a common buzzard.
These birds were found with numerous ailments and injuries which had not been treated adequately, including fractured wings, damaged eyes and legs, and bumble foot condition.
The environment and bird cages were found to be unhygienic and hazardous and an RSPCA inspector found predator and prey species being kept in close proximity to one another.
A peregrine falcon with a missing eye was found in a filthy cage too small to spread its wings, the RSPCA said.
It had to be put down along with 20 others.
In a written statement heard by Newport Magistrates’ Court, RSPCA inspector Keith Hogben described unhygienic and hazardous conditions found during an inspection of the centre in April 2023.
The wild birds found included pigeons, blackbirds, crows, jackdaws, a peregrine falcon and a common buzzard.
Some were living in a kitchen inside the property, he said, while others were loose in the garden and some were caged in sheds, and 20 were found dead.
“There were many empty soiled bird cages piled on top of each other in the garden,” he said.
“In the back garden were several pigeons walking around that looked to have dropped wings along with some domestic ducks, a domestic goose and a chicken that was obviously lame.
“We were invited into the house and on the kitchen table were two fledgling blackbirds and a nestling pigeon.”
A cardboard box on a kitchen unit also held Jackdaw with an injured eye.
Mr Hogben said he found “a peregrine falcon bird with its left eye missing” in a shed.
“The environment was poor with no water and a filthy cage which was too small for the falcon to spread its wings in all directions.
“Within two feet [0.6m] of this cage containing the peregrine falcon was another cage containing eight pigeons.
“This cage was in full sight of the cage containing the peregrine falcon, and again had no water and the cage was in a filthy condition with hardly any perches.”
RSPCA inspectors found 20 dead birds at the centre
All the birds were sent for assessment by a wildlife veterinarian at the RSPCA West Hatch Wildlife Centre, where just five pigeons were deemed fit to be given the chance of rehabilitation.
Gravenor admitted failing to take steps to ensure the needs of the 26 birds were met as required – as well as five offences relating to causing unnecessary suffering to 17 birds (full wording below).
In mitigation, her solicitor said her intention was only ever to help birds and animals, and that she had tried her best, but they accepted the contents of expert veterinary reports as she was not an expert herself.
He confirmed his client had been “overwhelmed” and “swamped” by the situation.
Following sentencing inspector Hogben said: “Keeping and rehabilitating wild birds is a huge commitment requiring specialist knowledge, husbandry, equipment and accommodation.
“While most rescues and sanctuary owners start out with the best intentions, sadly, vulnerable animals entering these establishments can sometimes end up in even worse situations than they were in already, with sanctuary owners ending up in situations not realising the severity of the problems with their establishments until it is too late.
“In this case we appreciate the well-meaning intentions to help rescue and rehabilitate wild birds in need. However, it is always imperative to seek prompt veterinary care, including seeking advice on whether birds can be successfully rehabilitated, whilst also housing any birds in an appropriate and clean environment – and clearly the consequences of failing to do that here were serious for the birds involved.”
Sentencing | 14-week custodial, suspended for 12 month; ordered to pay £300 plus £154 victim surcharge. Lifetime ban on keeping animals.
CONVICTED (2024) | serial animal hoarder Diana Curtis, born c. 1958, of Peters Marland, Torrington EX38 8QD – neglected dozens of animals in her care.
Curtis, a notorious animal hoarder well-known to the RSPCA and courts, was given a suspended custodial sentence and laughable five-year ban after horses, dogs, chickens, ducks and a goat were found in squalor at her home.
RSPCA inspectors were joined by police, vets, staff from the Dog’s Trust and officers from Torridge District Council, at the address in July 2022. They found a number of animals, some left without food, water or the vet care they needed.
A stallion, named Mid Morning Monkey, was found with an eye ulcer; checks with vets showed he’d been left with no treatment. Two other horses, named Symphonies Secret and Summer’s Place Jessica, were both found to have untreated dental disease.
Summer’s Place Jessica also had deformed legs and swollen knees. She had an uneven gait and was regularly seen tripping – particularly on her right fore leg. A vet later diagnosed chronic arthritis which had been left untreated.
The stables, which also housed a female goat alongside horses, were dirty with faeces and soiled straw. There was no clean bedding and no hay, food or water available.
Poultry, which was found standing in pens thick with faeces and soiled bedding with dirty water and no food, were also found to have untreated scaly leg. Inside the address, rescuers found more unsuitable living conditions for animals.
RSPCA deputy chief inspector Suzy Hannaby said: “The property was filthy and appeared to have been used as a dog kennel rather than for human habitation, the floors were bare and the only furniture present was for storage.
“There were no chairs or human beds. There was a strong smell of ammonia in the downstairs of the property. There were dog faeces and soiled straw and shavings on the floor, pieces of wooden board, dirty dog beds and two empty crates. There was no food or water available.”
Following an RSPCA prosecution Curtis was convicted of eight offences, some after trial.
Sentencing | 16-week custodial, suspended for 12 months; £10,000 towards costs plus £154 victim surcharge. FIVE-year ban (expires December 2028).
In October 2010 Curtis was given an ASBO due to excessive noise from 100 dogs kept at her property. She pleaded guilty to a noise abatement offence. She was also fined £2,000.
Police officers and animal welfare officers were forced to remove all but six of the dogs from Curtis after she failed to adhere to a court order to do so.
Following Curtis’s conviction, Devon & Cornwall Police Inspector Andy Lilburn said there was “no suggestion of cruelty here whatsoever”, adding that the dogs were “healthy, well-cared for, fed and watered”.
Curtis said she intended appealing the decision but said that “most of the dogs will have been destroyed by the time I raise the money”.
Following the appeal hearing in November 2010, she was ultimately given permission to keep 14 animals.
In December 2011 a further 34 dogs as well as 14 horses were seized from Curtis. After pleading guilty to breaching her ASBO, she was told she could only have a maximum of six dogs.
The RSPCA said at the time they were considering if any animal welfare offences had been committed and whether to prosecute.
In June 2013 Curtis was given a community sentence of 240 hours of unpaid work and ordered to pay £27,000 in court costs after keeping 33 horses and 34 dogs in appalling conditions.
Officials from the RSPCA found the premises to be covered in faeces and littered with hazards.
The court heard there was no outside grazing available and virtually no food and animals had to eat part of a stinging nettle bush.
Prosecutor Iain O’Donnell said: ‘Thirty-four dogs were removed from the premises. Photographs show the disgusting conditions in which they were living.’
Curtis was only banned from keeping horses and for a mere 12 months.
CONVICTED (2023) | Abraham Andemariam, born c. 1992, of Asbridge Street, Toxteth, Liverpool L8 0UG – callously drove through a gaggle of geese and left the injured birds dying in the road.
Abraham Andemariam callously ran over a gaggle of geese.
Eritrean national Abraham Andemariam was captured on smart doorbell footage killing seven geese on Omega Boulevard in Great Sankey, Warrington, in July 2023.
Witnesses were distressed by the suffering of the birds, a court heard.
Tom Quirk, prosecuting, said the incident happened at about 07:00 BST on 15 July.
The Greylag Geese are a familiar sight in the Great Sankey area of Warrington
Andemariam “drove through a flock of geese killing seven of them” then carried on to work, he told the court.
Mr Quirk said “there was clear disregard for the animals in the road”.
A witness saw “the birds suffering on the floor causing her some distress”, he said.
“The birds were dying and also had dramatic injuries with skin torn away from their limbs.
“There were passengers inside the vehicle and residents were caused distress by what they witnessed and this was after aggressive driving.”
The horrifyingly cruel incident was captured on a Ring doorbell camera
Mr Quirk said when police went to Andemariam’s work they saw feathers on the front of his bonnet and identified him as the driver.
He was subsequently sacked from his job with Amazon.
Andemariam was found guilty in his absence in September 2023 of seven charges of intentionally killing a wild bird, a Greylag Goose, and also driving without due care and without an MOT certificate.
Rebecca Templeman, defending, said Andemariam had admitted the offences in interview and was convicted in his absence after the death of his 16-year-old brother.
The defendant had travelled to the scene and emailed the court asking for an adjournment but he did not receive the postal reply and missed the hearing, she said.
On his return he saw in a newspaper he was wanted and surrendered himself to police.
Miss Templeman said Andemariam “was appalled when shown the CCTV footage and visibly upset at what he did that day”.
Andemariam pleaded guilty and was given a suspended 12-week jail term.
Sentencing | 12-week custodial, suspended for one year. 50 hours of unpaid work and 10 days of rehabilitation activities; £154 victim surcharge and court costs of £120. A collection order was made for deductions from benefits. Banned from driving for six months.
CONVICTED (2023) | cock-fighter Douglas Rufus Price, born 22 May 1984, of Valley Farm, Low Lane, Clayton, Bradford BD14 6QA – kept 22 underweight hens and cockerels in makeshift pens without food and water and suffering from fighting injuries.
Bradford farmer Douglas Price aka Dougieboy Price was convicted of animal neglect and cockfighting offences
West Yorkshire Police and the RSPCA attended the working farm in February 2022 and found the birds in makeshift pens, many without food and water. Some were suffering from feather-loss and injuries consistent with fighting.
Seized mobile phone footage later revealed that Price was keeping and training the birds to fight.
The RSPCA found a number of underweight hens and cockerels kept in pens without food and water and suffering from fighting injuries.
RSPCA inspector Demi Hodby, who investigated for the animal charity, said: “All of the birds at the site appeared to be underweight with feather loss on their chest and the majority of them were bald in this area.
“On closer observation, a number of the cockerels had injuries and all appeared to have had their combs cut.
“There was a limited amount of food and water provided in each pen and some had no provisions at all.
“Inside one of the wooden pens there was a hen which was unable to bear weight on one of her legs.
“Inside the metal pen there was a cockerel which was limping and had a swollen leg and inside a shed there was another hen which was also limping.
“Due to the number of animal welfare concerns, I contacted a vet immediately who confirmed to me that a number of these birds would have been suffering.”
The vet found that a total of 14 hens and cockerels were in a state of neglect and some had been caused unnecessary suffering.
One dead cockerel was located at the scene, and sadly three birds were subsequently put to sleep on the advice of the vet to end their suffering.
Ian Muttitt, chief inspector for the RSPCA’s special operations unit (SOU), said: “I have investigated cockfighting offences for a number of years and reviewed hours of footage relating to this crime and it was very clear to me that several sequences of the footage obtained from Price’s mobile phone depicted cockfight sparring sessions.
“It was clear to me that the person responsible for these birds has an unhealthy interest in cockfighting and was keeping and training these birds for the purpose of animal fighting.”
Seized mobile phone footage later revealed that Price, who has links to the travelling community, was keeping and training birds to fight
In mitigation, the court heard that Price is illiterate, with no formal education, and is also the sole carer for his children and grandchildren.
The surviving birds were taken into the RSPCA’s care and were subsequently rehomed.
Sentencing | nine-month custodial suspended for 18 months; 20 rehabilitation activity days; 100 hours of unpaid work; £128 victim surcharge and £400 in costs. Disqualified from keeping hens and cockerels for 12 months (expires September 2024).
CONVICTED (2023) | serial animal hoarder and abuser Lee Howard, aka Lee Howard-Smith, born 12 August 1966, previously of Middlesbrough but at the date of his latest conviction of Scott Road, Kettering NN16 9JY – kept animals in faeces-ridden home despite lifetime ban.
Howard was banned from keeping animals for life in 2006 after leaving 13 horses and ponies, 11 hens, four dogs and a rabbit to die of thirst and starvation in Trimdon, County Durham. The animals had been locked inside stables and left to die. Three dogs survived by eating the remains of the dead animals.
Just a few months later Howard was back in court after it was discovered he was keeping 11 dogs and 16 birds at a house in Delarden Road, Pallister Park, Middlesbrough.
The animals were kept in squalid conditions, with the dogs running around in piles of faeces and pools of urine. Six of them had problems with their paws and one had an ear infection.
Howard was given a further six-month jail term for breaching his ban.
Now Howard has received a suspended prison sentence after working as a paid pet-sitter. A licensed dog breeder that had used his services happened to see his name and photograph on an animal cruelty website and reported him to the RSPCA.
On January 6, 2023, police officers and an RSPCA inspector searched Howard’s home in Scott Road, Kettering, and found yet more animals living in filthy conditions without access to water.
Confined in the kitchen was a Boston terrier dog called Harriet, who Howard said he was looking after for a friend.
The floor of the kitchen was covered in faeces and there was no access to water and no proper bedding.
Bird cages were found in the lounge, with one containing an Amazon green parrot called Jud and the other housing two cockatiels called Paxo and Stuffing. Both cages were dirty with old food, faeces and no fresh water. Fish tanks with goldfish and tropical fish were also found.
Two female cats called Sooty and Blacky were discovered in a bedroom described as ‘almost floor to ceiling’ with belongings and old cages and tanks.
The floor was caked in faeces and both cats were infested with fleas.
Police also seized documents from as far back as 2012 with breeding and pedigree certificates, animal course certificates and even a judging education certificate from The Kennel Club found in a frame.
The dog, Harriet, was later taken back to her owner who was not aware of any animal welfare incidents relating to Howard. The court heard he had been looking after her since 2017.
The court heard that in his role as a pet-sitter for the breeder Howard had control of 15 dogs, four chickens and numerous finch-like birds and would be paid £35 a day. He looked after the animals on at least 15 occasions between August 2021 and August 2022 – including the odd overnight stay – and was even listed as a keyholder on the man’s council animal welfare licence.
In court, Howard pleaded guilty to failing to take reasonable steps to ensure animal needs were met and breaching a disqualification from keeping animals.
Mitigating, Sewli Kuddus said Howard suffers from physical and mental health issues and has problems with self-care.
She said he has no family and has only recently been given a carer.
She said: “He had no-one to say to him ‘what you are doing is wrong’.”
Speaking after the case, RSPCA inspector Susan Haywood said: “I hope that now that he has been sentenced by the court the defendant will learn from this experience and not get animals which he clearly is unable to look after properly.”
Sentencing | 18 weeks in prison, suspended for 18 months. 20 rehabilitation activity days; costs of £400 plus £154 victim surcharge. Howard was also handed another lifetime ban from keeping animals and cannot apply to have it lifted for 10 years.
