CONVICTED (2024) | Raymond James Pearce, born c. 1981 , of Brierville Road, Stockton on Tees TS19 0JR – left a pony in great pain with a rope lodged two inches into his neck.
Pearce was found guilty in his absence of animal cruelty offences in relation to a piebald cob named Marshall, who was found covered in dry blood with a tether embedded two inches deep in his flesh.
RSPCA prosecutor Andrew Bousfield said the pony was being tethered with a narrow rope which had worn into his neck causing an infected wound.
Mr Bousfield said veterinary evidence showed the injury had been infected for at least four days and was two inches deep.
Field officer Seema Ritson, from World Horse Welfare, attended a green space in Norton, County Durham, after becoming aware of the pony.
Giving evidence, she told the court Marshall was being kept on poor grazing land and smelt of “rotting flesh”.
She said: “As he walked past me I got a really bad smell. It was a smell of rotting flesh I knew straight away there was something wrong.
“I could see a very thin rope around his neck. I could see straight away there was dried blood and yellow puss. All the mane was matted. The smell was like a dead animal.”
Ms Ritson said she could not see any food or water for Marshall and confirmed there was insufficient grass for the pony to graze on.
She reported the animal to the RSPCA and later that day Marshall’s owner, Raymond Pearce, arrived at the scene.
Ms Ritson said Pearce tried to pull the rope out of the pony’s neck. “I immediately asked him to stop because the rope was embedded into the pony’s neck,” she said.
“Even when I went to touch his neck he moved away so he knew it was sore. I asked him not to touch it because without pain relief that would have been extremely painful.
“He wouldn’t stop.”
She told the court she saw him try and pull the rope out of the pony’s neck at least three or four times.
RSPCA inspector Steph Baines also confirmed she witnessed Pearce do this at the scene and said she could smell the pony’s injury before she got to the animal.
She said: “I smelt the pony before I got to him.
“When the owner first arrived he was quite agitated. He said he was happy for us to get treatment for the horse.”
The court heard Inspector Baines interviewed Pearce and he told her he’d come back from a two-week course in Manchester and left the pony in the care of his former brother-in-law. However, giving evidence in court his ex brother-in-law said this was untrue and branded the allegation a “p*** take”.
He said the last time he looked after Marshall was around three years ago and denied he was asked to care for the horse. Pearce’s sister also gave evidence and said it was untrue that he attended a course in Manchester.
The defendant himself did not show up for the trial and his barrister withdrew from the case.
The hearing went ahead in his absence and he was found guilty of four counts of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal.
He failed to ensure adequate or reasonable daily care or supervision leading to an untreated infected wound of the neck.
He used an unsafe and inappropriate tethering leading to an embedded rope neck wound.
He failed to provide prompt or adequate professional veterinary care and attention.
Finally, he failed to take steps to ensure the needs of the pony were met.
The court heard Marshall is currently in the care of the RSPCA and has made a full recovery.
Sentencing | 12-week prison sentence suspended for 12 months; £780 costs and a £154 victim surcharge. Banned from owning all animals except birds for 10 years.