CONVICTED (2016) | Aniela Jurecka, born 26 September 1987, of Prospect Place, Collier Street, Tonbridge TN12 9BP; Charlotte Johnson, born c. 1987, of Tollgate Way, Sandling, Maidstone ME14 3DF, and vet David Edward Smith, born February 1950, of Lower Farm, The Street, Finglesham CT14 0NA – drugged sick and potentially dangerous horses and sold them to unsuspecting buyers.
The horses, priced from £1,950 to £5,700, were drugged at South East Horses, based at Great Thorn Farm in Marden and at hired land at Duckhurst Farm in Staplehurst, to cover up lameness and other problems.
Jurecka and Johnson advertised horses for sale in equestrian publications, but text messages revealed the pair were drugging horses to mask poor behaviour or lameness. The women would advise buyers to save money by using the veterinary services of David Smith, who would give the horses a clean bill of health.
Prices for the horses ranged from £1,950 to £5,700 and they were sold from Duckhurst Farm in Staplehurst and Great Thorn Farm in Marden, both in Kent, with certificates for good health provided by Smith.
Police launched an investigation after the first report was received by officers in October 2010. The horse, called Belle, developed behavioural problems and was lame, and was a thoroughbred, not an Irish sports horse as advertised.
They were arrested after a large-scale operation, which involved Kent Police, Trading Standards and the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS).
On 31 May 2013, police executed a warrant at Lakeview Veterinary Centre in Capel Le Ferne, where Smith was practising. They seized information from computers, which uncovered poor record-keeping by Smith, in particular surrounding the supply of Modecate — a long-acting sedative.
Several text messages sent to Smith by the dealers were also uncovered by the detectives where Jurecka asked Smith for Modecate and sedative Sedalin.
Due to the number of victims coming forward, the investigation was a complex and large enquiry. The trio were charged with fraud in January 2015.
After a 14-week trial at Maidstone Crown Court, Jurecka, Johnson and Smith were convicted of conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation.
In scathing comments after the verdicts, Judge Martin Joy said the trio had been convicted on overwhelming evidence of committing the offence over a long period, defrauding a large number of customers.
Several customers were thrown and at least one was in hospital for two months with life-threatening injuries.
Others had broken ribs and one was left unconscious in a ditch.
Many horses had to be destroyed or retired.
Smith had previously been struck off from the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons for serious misconduct in certifying animals he had not examined. He was later reinstated by his college but went on to commit frauds in the latest case.
Speaking after the verdicts, Detective Constable Tracey Brightman said: “These horses were obtained cheaply by the Johnson and Jurecka because they had physical problems or aggressive tendencies.
“We believe their issues were masked with drugs supplied by Smith when a potential buyer came to try out the horse. “The dealers made huge profits on unfit, ill and injured horses working with a veterinary surgeon to ensure their lies were covered with credibility.
‘What they were doing was not only fraud but also putting their customers in danger. In one instance a woman was left unable to walk for a year after being thrown from her horse.
“It later transpired the animal had serious back problems which made it unsuitable for the activities that Smith had passed it for.
“The criminal aspect of the case may overlook the fact that passing an injured horse as fit to ride and jump is nothing short of cruel and shows a complete disregard to the veterinary oath.
“Unfortunately in some cases the horses were so ill they had to be euthanized causing yet more distress to the new owners.”
Sentencing: each was sentenced to two-and-half-years behind bars.
The Sun
Update | March 2018
It was reported that David Smith had been removed from the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) Registrar after he was convicted of conspiracy to commit fraud in court and for a number of clinical failings. Smith appealed the decision and the outcome of that appeal is not currently known.