CONVICTED (2024) | serial animal abuser Pamela Mary Brown, born 7 November 1954, of 16 Browney Lane, Browney, Durham DH7 8HT – for the neglect of two horses.
Pamela Brown, a traveller and repeat offender*, has been given an 11-week curfew for causing unnecessary suffering to horses Rosealee and Topsy between January and May 2023..
She pleaded guilty to ineffective equine dentistry care, inadequate investigation, or addressing of the horses’ underweight and poor bodily conditions.
She was ordered to comply with curfew from 9pm to 7am daily at her caravan.
The order lasts until May 21, 2024, includes electronic monitoring, and allows three metres of movement for toilet visits.
She is also disqualified from dealing with horses for ten years and must pay a £114 victim services surcharge and £300 in costs, at £20 per month starting April 3.
*In February 2015 Pamela Brown was given an 18-month supervision order and five-year ban on keeping horses for neglecting one equine so severely he had to be immediately destroyed.
The unnamed horse, who was kept in a field with 12 others in Langley Moor, Durham, was underweight with an overgrown and deformed hoof. Other horses in the herd had skin diseases and lice.
Serial horse abuser Pamela Brown with daughter Louise Nicholson, aka Louise Doherty, co-defendant in the 2015 RSPCA prosecution and co-owner with husband Patrick Doherty of Doherty Stud Yard.
Speaking about the horse that was euthanised, Kevin Campbell for the RSPCA said the animal had “poor body condition .. poor feet, poor living environment and effectively it is difficult to see anything worse that could have been done to to the horse”.
Brown’s co-accused, daughter Louise Nicholson aka Louise Doherty or NickyLouise Dior Doherty, born October 1988, and also of 16 Browney Lane, was cleared of five charges of failing to ensure an animal’s welfare, relating to a pony called Tiny and another unnamed horse.
In mitigation for Pamela Brown, solicitor David Ward described her as “a very robust lady who is the matriarch …”
He added that his client “has some difficulty in reading and writing as they all seem to do, but it is unlikely that this lady will be involved in any further offending“.
In addition to the supervision order and five-year ban, Brown was ordered to pay £1,000 costs and a £60 victim surcharge.
CONVICTED (2024) | James Baker, born April 1969, Sarah Jayne Baker (aka Sarah Jayne Baker-Ryan), born December 1990, both of 4 William West Road, Par PL24 2GA and Darren Laker, born c. 1977, also from Par – starved and neglected horses, ponies, a donkey and a goat at their equine therapy centre.
Sarah Jayne Baker and husband James Baker faced multiple counts of cruelty in relation to animals in their care
In what was described as one of the worst cases of animal neglect in Cornwall’s history, married couple James and Sarah Baker and their stable hand Darren Laker admitted cruelty charges in relation to multiple animals.
Concerns were raised by a member of the public when some animals were seen malnourished and in a poor state
The Bakers ran a community interest company called Family Nest Equine Therapy, now dissolved, which ran pony parties, riding lessons and therapy for veterans. The equine centre was latterly based near Driving Lane, Par.
Darren Laker
Francesca Whebell, prosecuting, on behalf of the RSPCA, said that the Bakers were first warned to improve the living conditions for the animals in their care while they ran the charity in Holsworthy, Devon, back in 2020. When the couple sold up the land following an alleged neighbourly dispute, they moved to Par in a rush with dozens of horses, donkeys, and other animals.
Ms Whebell told the court that RSPCA inspectors visited them again at the site in Par in 2022 and continued to express strong concerns about failings in animal welfare. She said some of the animals had no shade, no shelter, mouldy hay or no food and often little to no access to water.
She said that some of the animals had untreated wounds and were lame and had to be taken to a vet for immediate treatment.
One horse was found dead in a field. Horses and other animals were emaciated, thin, and visibly malnourished.
Ms Whebell told the court that when RSPCA inspectors turned up the Bakers never took responsibility for the neglect they inflicted on the animals. The Bakers told shocked inspectors that “when you have livestock you sometimes have dead stock”.
She said: “There has been a complete disregard for animal welfare. Some of the animals had been suffering for months.”
Ramsay Quaife, defending Laker, said his client apologised for his involvement.
Sarah Baker aka Sarah Jayne Baker-Ryan or just Sarah Ryan
Sarah Baker, who was unrepresented, told the court that many of the animals had been “dumped on them”. She said when they had to uproot and move to Par, many of the owners no longer wanted them.
She said: “We tried our hardest to get these animals back to health. But we were not given a chance. It was too much hard work for us. I wish I had contacted the RSPCA much sooner.”
She told the court that Family Nest had done a lot of good over the years, providing horse therapy to both veterans, her husband being a veteran too, as well as children with special needs. The CIC had been featured on ITV South West.
Mrs Baker added: “I welcome the ban. I’m sad that it has taken this long to get to this point. We’re tired. We don’t want anything to do with horses anymore. We don’t want to go near or ride a horse ever again. The last few years have been hell for us.”
When Judge Simon Carr noted that she had not shown an ounce of remorse Sarah Baker said she was “more sorry than I could ever be. That’s why I’m so exhausted. I took every course I could to help the animals and the future of the yard. I welcome the ban. I don’t want to think of having animals in my care again. I don’t ever want to be responsible for an animal ever again.”
The Bakers, who run SJ’s Coffee House in Eastcliffe Road, Par, told the court they had no way of paying for the £77,000 the prosecution was asking for the care of the animals, as well as legal fees, as they have no money.
Sentencing the trio, Judge Carr said it was one of the worst cases of animal neglect he had seen.
“They would have been in agony, not only from wounds but also malnutrition,” he said.
“There is no excuse for what you both did.”
Sentencing |
The Bakers were jailed for nine months for each count, suspended for two years. Disqualified from owning any animal for life.
Laker was given a 12-week prison sentence, suspended for two years. Disqualified from owning an equine for 10 years.
CONVICTED (2024) | horse breeder Jane Elizabeth Moore, born 3 December, of Jemoon Stud, Deira, The Common, Market Weighton YO43 4LE – kept 36 neglected horses in squalor with ten of them having to be put down.
The RSPCA and World Horse Welfare found 36 horses living in squalor at Jane Moore’s East Yorkshire stud farm.
One of the horses was in such poor condition he had to be put down immediately, three more were euthanised two days later and six other horses were euthanised in the following months.
When inspectors visited Moore’s yard in early 2023, they found a number of animals in distress, including a stallion called Puzzle Pic n Mix, who had dental issues and a diseased penis.
A male Cleveland Bay called Earlswood Traveller had lameness and a lice infestation, and another stallion called Spadge was also lame, had a sinus cyst and ‘obvious ill health’.
A bay mare, Henby, had ulcerated cheeks, and five other horses called Hedi, Whizz, Robbie and Nellie were in poor condition and also lame. Bay mare Cassie was a victim of ‘poor husbandry’, piebald mare Pollyanna was infested with mites, and Basil, JDJ5 and Sammy also had inadequate dental care. Bay gelding Archie and a chestnut mare had not been given pain relief of proper hoof care, and a piebald mare called Lucky had an infected sheath that had not been treated.
RSPCA Inspector Natalie Hill told the court: “All the horses were living in extremely dirty stables with little food or water. They all had overgrown hooves and they were in poor body condition.
“Within one stable block there was a very strong smell of urine and the horses’ rugs were found to be very dirty and extremely heavy. It appeared to me that all the horse stables had not been cleaned in some time and on some horses their feet were very long and overgrown.”
The horses did not have adequate nutrition, a suitable environment, farrier attention, veterinary and dental treatment, and preventative treatment for lice and mites.
A vet’s expert report to the court said Moore had failed to ensure a suitable environment for her equines, failed to provide adequate veterinary care and failed to ensure they were kept in a healthy body condition.
Of the 36 horses, 22 were underweight and most were suffering from dental issues and overgrown hooves, while three had lice and mite infections.
Moore pleaded guilty to 10 offences of causing unnecessary suffering to 17 horses and one charge of failing to meet the needs of 36 equines.
The court heard defence mitigation that Moore was “no longer up to the task of looking after such a large number of horses”.
It was claimed she had been isolated and lonely after a marriage break-up and the loss of her parents and her pride had prevented her from asking for help.
The court heard that at the time of the charity’s visit, she was in hospital and relying on friends to care for the horses. She also had had a lack of finances which prevented her dealing with some of the health problems.
The chairman of the magistrates told Moore: “This was a case where these animals were so obviously struggling that intervention was obvious and necessary. The fact that it was not forthcoming was down in large part to your own pride and your refusal to ask for help.”
Inspector Hill said after the hearing: “These horses were found in dreadful conditions with multiple health problems. They were being kept confined to their stables for long periods and it appeared they were rarely exercised.
“One sadly had to be put to sleep on the day we first visited, although that course of action had been recommended by a vet several months before. There were several other horses in very poor health too, including one whose teeth had grown through his cheek and was in a lot of pain and discomfort.
“In all 10 of the 36 horses have had to be put to sleep and the others have got long-term health issues from being neglected for such a long time, such as ligament and joint problems, that only a small number will be able to be rehomed.”
Sentencing | 20-week prison sentence, suspended for two years; £13,099.27 in court costs and £154 statutory surcharge. Disqualified from keeping equines indefinitely.
Jemoon Stud’s Facebook page, last updated in June 2023, advertises that the farm ‘breeds quality show/competition horses including pure/part bred Cleveland Bays. Currently standing five stallions, producing for the future.”
Moore was listed as one of around 30 registered breeders of pure Cleveland Bays by the Cleveland Bay Society in 2022 – one of whom was the late Queen Elizabeth.
CONVICTED (2023) | Jack Woods aka Jax Woods, born 5 July 2001, of 10 Cosens Way, Felpham, Bognor Regis PO22 8FG but with links to Boston, Lincolnshire – physically abused three horses and psychologically abused another in brutal attacks.
Shocking footage showed Woods whipping, and slapping different horses. He is also shown threatening a horse with a whip on several occasions. The incidents took place at Mabrook Equestrian Centre in Boston, Lincolnshire, which Woods ran with girlfriend Charlotte Martin.
Speaking about the case, an expert vet said: “The horses in these clips are no less than absolutely terrified.
“The horses desperately try to escape from him and display severe fear, escapism and avoidance behaviours – equines are flight or fight animals as they are prey species these horses in these videos are displaying complete flight behaviour.
“Unreasonable force and his actions are nothing short of barbaric and cruel and are used due to the lack of his own ability to both handle and ride horses.”
“He causes them intense fear and distress by both his actions and his body language.
“He is observed on the video to repeatedly beat the different horses around the head and neck predominantly but also the body.
“There is very little in the way of soft tissue covering on the head as such the blows were almost directly to the bone which is painful.”
Woods pleaded guilty to attacking the horses in Boston, Lincolnshire, admitting counts of causing unnecessary suffering to the three horses and inflicting psychological abuse on the fourth horse.
He also admitted failing to avoid the use of inappropriately harsh, potentially painful and frightening training, handling, control or disciplinary measure of all four horses.
RSPCA lead investigator Andy Bostock said: “These videos are disturbing and heart breaking to watch and you can see that the horses are in fear.
“The defendant’s behaviour is unacceptable, extremely aggressive, extremely unnecessary and has led to the horses within the video being caused fear, distress and pain and suffering.”
Sentencing | 26-week suspended prison sentence; rehabilitation activities; 200 hours of unpaid work; £2,100 in costs. Disqualified from owning horses for 18 months (expires early 2025).
CONVICTED (2023) | racehorse trainer Gary Sanderson, born 9 July 1963, of Lilling Hall Farm, Moor Lane, Sheriff Hutton, York YO60 6RL – for cruelty and neglect relating to several mares and a gelding.
York Magistrates’ Court heard that Sanderson, who trades under the name Lilling Hall Racing or Lilling Hall Farm, looked after horses “that made money” for him but not those that did not.
During his lengthy trial, witnesses described how the RSPCA found horses in his care with lice and worm infestations, poor dental care, overgrown hooves, poor bodily condition and living without proper feed.
They also found that he had failed to get veterinary treatment for a wounded horse and one in poor physical condition, didn’t protect horses from pain and suffering and that one horse had been able to get into dilapidated farm buildings where she could be harmed.
Defence barrister Christopher Moran said the trainer and breeder “lives and breathes” horses and had done so all his life.
But his training licence was suspended when he was charged with the offences and he will not get it back, said the defence barrister.
Sanderson denied nine charges of cruelty or neglect of horses, all relating to mares he was using for breeding, and a gelding, but was convicted after a lengthy trial.
He intends to appeal the convictions.
District judge Adrian Lower told him: “You were well able to look after the horses in the yard because they made money for you. They were racehorses.”
He added: “You were not looking after the mares and gelding. There was no money in them. They were simply to be bred from so you could buy race horses.”
The judge said he suspected the British horse licensing authority would decide as a result of the convictions that Sanderson was “not a fit and proper person” to hold a training licence.
He ordered Sanderson to hand over the horses that he had been cruel towards or had neglected.
He decided against disqualifying him from looking after horses after Mr Moran said the RSPCA had inspected Sanderson’s stables twice since he was charged and had found nothing to concern them about the horses there.
The judge initially ordered Sanderson to pay the RSPCA’s prosecution costs of £94,482, but Mr Moran said he didn’t have the power to do so when a defendant didn’t have any money.
Both Sanderson and his wife, Lynne Sanderson, gave evidence that he doesn’t own any property and that he lives off his wife’s income from hairdressing and caravan businesses.
They said though Sanderson continues to breed horses, that business is not turning a profit because of the time delay between conception and the growth of a foal to a stage where it can be sold.
The judge said the RSPCA could sue Sanderson for the money through the civil courts.
Mr Moran said the lengthy court case had already been a punishment to Sanderson because it had affected his marriage and his mental health. The first court appearance was in 2019 and subsequent hearings were delayed by the courts’ closing during the pandemic and listing problems when they reopened.
Sentencing | deprivation order on the horses he abused. Ordered to pay the RSPCA’s costs (but claims financial hardship). Not banned from keeping horses or any other animal.
CONVICTED | Victoria Louise Hart, born August 1987, and Gary Hart, born July 1958, both of Six Ashes, Bridgnorth WV15 6EP, Mark Walklate, born 16 July 1972, of Bromley Lane, Kingswinford DY6, and Steven Morgan, born c. 1970, of Foxdale Drive, Brierley Hill DY5 – neglected dozens of horses and kept them in poor conditions.
L-R Gary Hart, Mark Walklate, Vicky Hart
The RSPCA attended Six Ashes horse farm in Bridgnorth, Shropshire, on January 27, 2021 after receiving a call from police about concerns for horses kept there.
Officers from the charity attended alongside local horse veterinarians, and found three horses to be in a state of suffering: an Appaloosa mare, a skewbald filly and a Palomino.
The Appaloosa mare found at Six Ashes horse farm, Bridgnorth. Sadly, she did not survive. Photo: RSPCA
Both the Palomino and Appaloosa mare were lame with the latter struggling to walk even after being given pain medication. Vets considered euthanising the mare immediately on welfare grounds but decided instead to remove her for further assessment. Unfortunately there was no improvement in her condition and she was euthanised the following day.
In a written statement provided to the court, RSPCA inspector Thea Kerrison said the Appaloosa mare was found in one of the stables.
She said: “I was in the barn when the Appaloosa mare from stable two was led out. I hadn’t realised when she was in the stable how bad she was; she could hardly walk and she seemed to stumble across the barn floor as she was led out.”
The Skewbald filly found at Six Ashes horse farm, Bridgnorth. Photo: RSPCA
The inspector also noted the conditions the horses were kept in.
“The ground on both fields was very boggy and on entering to assess the ponies it was extremely difficult to not get our wellies stuck in the mud, even when staying to the fence line,” she said.
“As with the first stable, stables two to four had wet slushy floors and no dry bedding. On the opposite side were the remaining four stables.
The Appaloosa mare was lame in more than one leg and could barely walk
“Stable five had a group of five yearlings. The stable was of average size and so was very crowded with the five horses and hardly any room for them to move around.
“The floor was covered in faeces and urine and I could not see any evidence of bedding. Stable six contained four yearlings, again with a covering of faeces and urine on the floor. Some of the horses had rugs but it was clear all four were of lean body condition.”
An independent expert vet said in his report that it was his opinion that “all three horses were suffering”.
The report said: “The suffering of all three horses could have been easily avoided by provision of veterinary assessment and treatment to them.
“It is my expert opinion that the reasonable needs of the horses were not met and that the standards of animal husbandry at the location fell woefully below the most basic of standards.
“The fundamental problem is that the horses were severely overstocked in comparison to the facilities and space available at the property and this was compounded by a lack of effort to ensure that necessary daily tasks such as feeding, mucking out and checking on the welfare of the horses for signs of injury or ill health were carried out to an appropriate level.”
Sentencing |
Steven Morgan, Gary Hart, and Victoria Hart were all sentenced on November 28, 2022.
Morgan and Victoria Hart were convicted of six offences – four of causing the unnecessary suffering of the skewbald filly, the Appaloosa mare and the Palomino, and two relating to the conditions of 36 horses kept at Six Ashes.
Gary Hart was found guilty of six offences, the first four of causing unnecessary suffering to the filly, the mare and the Palomino, and two related to the conditions of three horses in total.
Gary Hart and Steven Morgan were jailed for 26 weeks each, serving half on licence, and banned from keeping animals for life, with no recourse to appeal for 10 years.
Gary Hart was ordered to pay prosecution costs of £22,684 and Morgan must pay £1,000 towards costs, with both men also to pay a £128 victim surcharge.
Victoria Hart also received a 26-week custodial sentence which was suspended for one year, and was banned from keeping all animals for life. She was also ordered to pay £1,000 costs and a victim surcharge of £128.
Mark Walklate pleaded guilty to four offences under the Animal Welfare Act in that he caused unnecessary suffering to the filly and the mare and he did not take steps to ensure their needs were met.
Mark Walklate from Kingswinford, Dudley, West Midlands
He admitted a litany of failings including keeping the horses in muddy, filthy conditions with “negligible” room to graze, not providing veterinary care when needed and failing to protect them from pain, suffering, injury or disease.
In March 2023 he was sentenced to 14 weeks in prison suspended for 18 months. He was ordered to pay a surcharge of £128 and costs of £850, plus carry out 100 hours of unpaid work. He is banned from keeping animals for life.
Gary Hart and Victoria Hart had their lifetime bans from keeping animals modified to only cover horses, donkeys and ponies after winning a court appeal.
An appeal hearing at Worcestershire Crown Court was told that the lifetime ban which prohibited the Harts and co-defendant Steven Morgan from keeping any animals whatsoever was “excessive”.
Danae Larham, representing the Harts, said: “In relation to the breadth of the ban for both defendants… the blanket ban on all animals is somewhat excessive and unnecessary. This case dealt with one particular type of animal, namely equines.”
She added: “It is right in the course of the inspection [in 2021] that it was noted several dogs were present. They were inspected by RSPCA. They thoroughly investigated the property. There was more than one representative there and vets were in attendance. Should there have been any issue or concern with those animals there is no doubt the RSPCA would have taken action.”
Representing Morgan, Laura Rowe told the court her client’s appeal was was for similar reasons.
She said: “The order should only apply to equines. Mr Morgan worked with animals for a number of years before the prosecution was brought.
“It is clear these dogs were looked at. Both dogs they saw were in kennels, they had bed, water and straw on the floor and area reasonably clean.”
However Miss Sara Pratt, for the prosecution, told the court that there were 30 dogs on the premises when the RSPCA visited in January 2021 and that the animals, who are now in the possession of Victoria Hart’s niece, had been bred as a “commercial venture”.
She said: “In terms of the dogs, that was also a commercial venture in the same way horses were used as a commercial money-making venture.
“I invite the court to take an inference in how the horses were kept. The defendants indicated they were experienced horsemen and horsewomen and knew how to look after horses. That resulted in a wholesale disregard to animals that were in effect a commodity for making money.”
She added: “It is not simply in this case it is a desire to keep one or two, to keep family pets, but in this case it was accepted there was dog breeding. It appears to have been a commercial enterprise as the horses were – similar amount of horses.”
She also reminded the court that both Gary and Victoria Hart had been convicted in 2018 in relation to the neglect of a horse.
Meanwhile, Morgan had been banned from keeping dogs for ten years in 2015 following a prosecution for neglect, for which he was jailed for four months.
Judge Seanin Gilmore told the court that the purpose of the ban was not “not a punitive order” but one to protect animals, but , she conceded in the original trial, no evidence was presented to suggest animals other than horses were mistreated.
She said: “It is safe to say the levels of neglect and poor management was simply staggering. In my view, the defendants were jointly responsible for numerous and highly serious failings. The horses were not given even the most basic of care but left to fester in muddy fields or crowded stables. The defendants acknowledge this and that a disqualification of horses was inevitable.
“It would a permissible for this court to draw inference that the neglect of horses may mean they may treat any animal in the same way,” she said.
But the judge added: “However, I have seen a witness statement from an RSPCA inspection of the premises in relation to dogs. There were found to be about 30 dogs in premises in various locations. And I understand the defendants engaged in a commercial breeding enterprise.
“While the inspector paints a rather chaotic scene, for the most part the dogs’ basic needs were appearing to be met.”
She added: “These two individuals are clearly more capable of looking after dogs more than horses.”
She decreed that in the case of the Harts, the order disqualifying them from keeping any animals should be reworded to “horses, donkeys and ponies” only.
However, the judge said as Morgan had previously been disqualified from keeping dogs, the order banning him from owning any animals for life would remain in place.
CONVICTED (2022) | grand prix dressage rider and horse breeder/trader Sam Duckworth, born July 1980, director of Five Star Stud Ltd, 589 Newmarket Road, Ditton Fields, Cambridge CB5 8PA – convicted of multiple counts of cruelty in relation to five young horses.
Grand prix dressage rider Sam Duckworth was jailed and banned from keeping all animals for life after showing a “cavalier” attitude to animal welfare.
Duckworth was convicted of causing unnecessary suffering to the three fillies and two colts by failing to investigate and address the cause of their poor body condition and weight loss, and for failing to take steps to meet their needs. He was also found guilty of failing to provide an adequate parasite control plan, required farriery and a suitable diet, and failing to seek veterinary attention in respect of the animals’ poor condition.
The charges applied from December 2020 to January 2021, when the horses were seized by the RSPCA from a site in the village of Wichenford, Worcestershire.
Prosecutor Sara Pratt said that of the five horses, one was owned by Duckworth while the others were entrusted to his care. Sadly, one of the seized horses died in RSPCA care, having become unwell.
Ms Pratt said: “The prosecutions says Mr Duckworth ignored warnings and professional advice given to him.
“He was dismissive of the RSPCA and the advice he was given by RSPCA vets and his own. We find he failed properly to follow advice on feed and worming.”
Ms Pratt said Duckworth also ignored warnings about the horses’ welfare from the provider of the premises where the horses were kept, Melvin Sanders, and part-time employee Lauren Ball.
District judge Ian Strongman said that Mr Sanders was “put upon” by Duckworth to care for the horses.
“[Mr Sanders] did so because he felt for the animals and didn’t want to see them without,” Mr Strongman said.
He added that Ms Ball was highly experienced but only employed for an hour each day, “but she did an awful lot of extra work because she was concerned for the horses’ welfare, and ignored instructions from Mr Duckworth about feeding them,”
Mr Strongman said. “She felt they needed more feed, and but for her, the animals could have been in a worse condition.”
The court heard the horses’ body condition scores were one at 0.5 on the 0-5 scale, three at one and one at 1.5.
Ms Pratt said that Duckworth “displayed what might be called a cavalier attitude to these horses in his care and failed to follow advice given by professionals. ”
She added that his behaviour appeared to be “bordering on arrogance, of knowing better than anyone, so we feel this likely to extend to other animals in his care. He’s simply unable to see his own failings or follow advice.
She concluded: “According to him, he had the financial means to look after the horses but simply chose not to.”
Duckworth’s lawyer, Stuart Jessop, argued that the case was serious but not as serious as many that come before court and that his client was “a man of good character” .
He said his client’s neglect of the horses was not prolonged and there was evidence of “ample hay, bedding and feed”.
He conceded that Duckworth “didn’t attend much” but said this was during Covid, which limited his ability to be on the premises.
Jessop said Duckworth’s only income was less than £1,000 per month from his parents, but Mr Strongman rejected this. He said: “I understand … he had about 100 horses and breeding 60-80 foals a year, which he presumably sells. I find him an unreliable witness and I don’t think anything he could say would change my mind.”
There was dispute over the ownership of the horses but Mr Strongman said that as he had not seen sufficient evidence to suggest otherwise, he ruled that all belonged to Duckworth so a deprivation order was made on them.
Jailing Duckworth, Mr Strongman said: “It’s one of those cases where appropriate punishment can only be achieved with an immediate custodial sentence.”
Speaking about the case, RSPCA inspector and equine officer Suzi Smith said: “As an experienced horsewoman, it is very difficult for me to see any horses in such poor condition, especially for these youngsters who have been given such a poor start in life, when they should have been receiving professional care.
“It is always frustrating when a horse owner does not follow veterinary advice. It’s unacceptable for anyone to cause an animal to suffer, and particularly someone who is responsible for animals in a professional capacity.”
Sentencing | immediate 18-week prison sentence; ordered to pay £68,860 in costs, including the care of the horses since the seizure. Banned from keeping all animals for life and cannot apply to reverse this for five years.
CONVICTED (2021) | Barry George Searle, born c. 1943, of Riverslea, Clearbrook, Yelverton PL20 6JB – badly neglected his two ponies – one of which needed an eye removed.
Tinkerbell lost an eye after she was neglected by her owner (Image: RSPCA)
Pensioner Barry Searle was given a suspended prison sentence for failing to tackle infection, trim hooves and treat fleas and lice on his two ponies
Former riding stables/livery yard owner Searle failed to have horses Tinkerbell and Fudge treated by a vet over several months despite their obvious suffering.
Tinkerbell had an infected eye and four overgrown hooves which left her lame.
Fudge also needed hoof-trimming and both animals were infested with lice and fleas.
Searle admitted one count of causing unnecessary suffering and one of failing to meet the needs of the two mares.
The RSPCA said after the case that its inspector Claire Ryder worked with animal welfare charity Mare and Foal Sanctuary in May 2021. She was joined by police when she attended the field where Seale kept his horses.
Insp Ryder said: “Tinkerbell came up to us and I noticed there were flies around her eyes. You could not see the left eye and the hole appeared infected. She also had overgrown hooves and was lame.
“It was also clear that Fudge and Tinkerbell’s feet were in need of attention.”
She shared pictures and video footage with a specialist equine vet and the horses were seized by police.
A vet then examined the ponies at a stable.
The vet discovered that Tinkerbell’s right eye, which was later surgically removed, was shrunken into the orbit, leaving her with swollen eyelids and a discharge.
The RSPCA said she was also lame with all four hooves overgrown, suggesting a lack of farrier attention for several months.
Fudge also needed hoof trimming and both horses were found to need treatment for lice and fleas.
Inspector Ryder, commenting after the sentencing, said: “While this was not caused by deliberate harm, this was prolonged neglect which resulted in suffering for Tinkerbell.
“Owners of animals have a duty to provide them with appropriate care and treatment. Mr Seale was aware of the concerns and had numerous offers of support to improve welfare but instead chose to ignore their plight.”
Both horses are now doing well in RSPCA foster care after recovering and receiving the treatment they needed.
Sentencing: nine-week prison sentence, suspended for 12 months, ordered to pay £600 prosecution costs and £128 victim surcharge.
#MostEvil | stables owner Kate Greenhalgh, born c. 1990, previously of Hurston Lane, Pulborough – left horses in her care to starve and suffer
Kate Greenhalgh, who is herself an equestrian, starved four horses and failed to address their health problems.
Kate Greenhalgh, an eventing rider who ran the KG Equestrian stables, failed to take action when four horses in her care became unwell and were “obviously” malnourished..
The public reported their concerns after seeing a horse collapsed in the field.
Inspector Becky Carter, RSPCA Inspector Kate Barnes, and World Horse Welfare’s Chief Field Officer Claire Gordon arrived to be told that the horse, known as Kai, had already been put to sleep and his body removed.
Shocking photos released by the RSPC show the extent of the horses’ suffering
Inspector Carter said: “When we arrived we checked over the horses at the site and found two of them, Adelaide and a young colt, to be in very poor body condition.
“A third horse, Val, was totally emaciated. Adelaide and Val were also suffering from really severe mud fever and rain scald – they had a lot of hair loss and sores on their coats and legs.
“The young colt was so lame he couldn’t bear weight on one leg and could barely walk. He had a very elevated heart rate indicating he was in significant pain.
“The vet discovered he had an abscess in his foot which he predicted had been in this condition for over a week, as the infection had traveled up the horse’s leg and had to be drained of a large amount of pus.
“They certified all three horses to be suffering and the police agreed for us to remove them.”
One horse with a severe skin condition was skeletal after being starved by Greenhalgh
Among Greenhalgh’s clients was Team GB Olympic rider Gemma Tattersall
Daniel Frier, prosecuting, described how Ms Tattersall had searched for professional livery stables to raise horses ready for competitions.
The Olympian said she had spent tens of thousands of pounds on her animals as part of a specialist breeding programme and had kept in contact with Greenhalgh after trusting her with three horses in October 2019.
She assumed that because Greenhalgh herself was a rider and equestrian, that she was able to deliver a professional service.
Ms Tattersall said: “I had told her she could contact me if anything was wrong. Although my horses were valuable, whatever the value a horse should be fed.
“As horse owners, we are all aware that they can pick up injuries, but these should be dealt with.
“When I saw the photos I was completely shocked. The horses’ condition looked so poor, I couldn’t believe they were still alive.
“I have simply never seen any horse in that state before.”
Kai’s owner Nikki Cochran described how the impact of her “unique ” horse dying had been shattering.
She said: “I was proud to have bought a foal with such special breeding. So standing in that field, watching my dream horse die was almost too difficult for words. I have been severely traumatised by what I witnessed.”
Ms Cochran said it has left her in anguish and struggling to trust people because of Greenhalgh, adding: “She turned our dream into our nightmare.”
Following the judgment Inspector Carter said: “This was such a sad case to investigate as the poor health of the horses could have been avoided with appropriate care, and by following vet advice.
“These horses were under the care of Greenhalgh, who is a competition rider, as part of a professional arrangement through her business KG Equestrian, where she would take on horses on livery for backing, competing and sales.
“It’s particularly sad for the horses’ owners as they were under the impression their animals were being looked after.
“Thankfully, Adelaide, Val and the young colt were returned to their owner and have made a good recovery.”
World Horse Welfare chief field officer Claire Gordon said: “I was pleased to support the RSPCA investigation and to see Ms Greenhalgh take responsibility in court by entering a guilty plea, acknowledging the failings in the care she provided these horses.
“She is an experienced equine professional who failed to recognise that she had taken on more than she could manage and rejected offers of help from those concerned around her ultimately resulting in the horses in her care suffering unnecessarily.
“These horses had owners they could have been returned to, if she had acknowledged that she was not coping but instead she chose to allow them to suffer.”
Sentencing | 12-week suspended prison sentence; 120 hours of unpaid work; compensation of £3,650; £878 in costs and charges. No ban.
District judge Amanda Kelly’s decision not to impose any kind of ban or deprivation order on horse killer Kate Greenhalgh was naturally met with dismay and outrage by animal lovers.
She said Greenhalgh has a “long history of working and riding horses and there have been no concerns over her care of horses before or since”.
She said the equestrian had “many glowing references” from other customers who “spoke highly of her ability to care for horses”.
The offences of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal were out of recklessness not malice, the judge said.
District judge Amanda Kelly said that a woman who left horses starving should not be banned from keeping animals as it would be a breach of her human rights.
Greenhalgh has no previous convictions and has said she will not offer a winter livery service again and the judge said her remorse was genuine.
“I found that the experience of being the subject of these criminal proceedings and all the adverse publicity and social media interest that she has received will act as a deterrent to this happening again,” the judge said.
The judge said the purpose of a deprivation order is to protect animals, rather than to punish people and said: “I found that to disqualify Ms Greenhalgh from keeping horses would amount to a disproportionate interference with her Article 8 rights as horses are her livelihood and a major part of her private life.”
The judge said the risk of any further crimes by Greenhalgh was low.
Greenhalgh agreed not to offer winter livery for horses for ten years, which excludes her offering stable from November 1 to March 31 each year.
The RSPCA could take her to court if she breaches the rules, and any breaches will be reserved to be heard before district judge Amanda Kelly
CONVICTED (2020) | Victoria Catherine Brooksbank, born c. 1977, of Severn Drive, Garforth Leeds LS25 2BB and Richard Marnick, born 19/06/1995, of The Marsh, 70 Uppermoor, Pudsey LS28 7EX – allowed a horse to “deteriorate” and suffer
The court heard that Marnick had been loaned a thoroughbred gelding called Archie and he paid Brooksbank, who is an experienced trainer trading under the name VB Equestrian, £80 a week to look after him at her stables in Garforth.
Archie appeared to be healthy when he arrived at the stables and Marnick paid for the full livery package, that included hay and hard feed, but after 18 months the horse was found to have deteriorated and had lost a lot of weight.
In July 2019, Archie’s original owner saw a photograph of him on social media and arranged for him to be examined by a vet.
Archie was very thin and given a body condition score of one out of five, meaning he was emaciated. The RSPCA then decided to prosecute Marnick and Brooksbank.
The court heard there had been “inadequate nutrition” and the suffering may have gone on “for weeks, possibly months”.
Archie was very thin and was given a body condition score of one out of five, meaning it was poor.
2022 image of Richard Marnick
Marnick, who pleaded guilty to the offence at an earlier hearing, told the court he usually checked in on Archie once a week, but was preoccupied as he was working six days a week as a courier.
He said: “I pleaded guilty because I should have done something about it sooner. I should have removed Archie (from Brooksbank) a lot sooner than I did.”
He also said he had been speaking to a nutritionist and trying to figure how to help Archie, but the horse was taken away before he had the opportunity to help.
2022 image of Victoria Brooksbank
A probation worker, who interviewed Brooksbank, said: “She believed the horse belonged to Mr Marnick and continuously contacted him, saying he needed more exercise, hard feed and for a nutritionist to look at the horse.”
The probation worker also said that Brooksbank “wishes she had been more forceful” with Marnick and convinced him to contact a nutritionist sooner.
The court that Brooksbank, who denied the offence but was convicted at an earlier hearing, has taken good care of the other horses in her stable for years and this case was “an anomaly”.
Presiding justice Richard Powell said: “This was unintentional. “There was no desire to neglect the horse but I think I need to make a point now – there is only one victim in this whole affair and that’s the horse called Archie, who has been neglected.”
Addressing Marnick, he said: “You were the owner of the horse and you had taken your eye off the ball.
“You were busy with your job and you did not give enough attention to the horse.”
Mr Powell said Brooksbank had “no intention to harm the horse” but was an experienced professional who should have taken better care of the animal.
He added: “We find you more culpable, because you had day to day concern with the horse and watched it deteriorate.”
Marnick was fined a total of £532 and £300 of that money will be sent to the RSPCA.
Brooksbank was fined a total of £982 of which £750 will be sent to the RSPCA.
