CONVICTED (2012) | Raymond Glyn Weedall, born 3 September 1950, of 97 Crook Lane, Winsford CW7 3DN – found guilty of charges relating to cockfighting and animal cruelty.
Weedall, a farrier*, was sentenced on May 18, 2012 for offences including mutilating cockerels and possessing sharpened metal spurs to attach to birds during fights.
The prosecution followed a joint RSPCA and police raid on Weedall’s home at 9am on June 8, 2011, when police seized more than £15,000 and found dozens of cockerels in Weedall’s care that had had their wattles cut off – a practice common in bird fights. They also seized cockfighting DVDs and metal spurs.
Weedall claimed the seized cash was accrued legitimately, and that he was only interested in exhibiting cockerels, but he was found guilty of ten offences under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.
Those were that on June 8 2011 at a property in Crook Lane, Winsford, he kept seven cockerels for use in animal fights, kept sets of metal spurs for use in animal fights, carried out a banned procedure on seven cockerels by removing their wattles, and failed to properly care for three polecat ferrets.
He was also found guilty that, on June 8 2011 at a smallholding in Dalesford Lane, Northwich, he failed to properly care for 59 cockerels, failed to provide suitable perching for18 cockerels, removed the wattles of 37 cockerels, and kept 37 cockerels for use in animal fights.
Under the Wildlife and Countryside Act, he pleaded guilty to keeping a wild goldfinch. He was found not guilty of failing to meet the needs of a black lurcher-type dog.
The RSPCA spokesman added: “Cockfighting is a barbaric and outdated so-called sport. Birds can take up to an hour to die in a fight.
“We hope that anybody connected with cockfighting will see from this case that there are very serious repercussions.”
Sentencing | 20-week custodial sentence – suspended for two years; 150 hours of community service; six-month curfew; ordered to pay a total of £50,000. Banned from owning animals for life.
Source: Winsford Guardian (no longer available)
Update | February 2013
*Weedall was struck off by the disciplinary committee of the Farriers Registration Council after being found guilty of serious professional misconduct.
The finding was made on the grounds that Weedall had been convicted in May 2012 of various offences under the Wildlife and Countryside act 1981, the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and the Fire Arms Act 1968 following his prosecution by the British RSPCA.
On the direction of the committee, in the absence of an appeal, Weedall’s name was removed from the register of farriers on January 13, 2013.
This means Weedall can no longer legally carry out farriery or describe himself as a farrier, or any term which suggests he is one. For him to do so would be a criminal offence under the Act.