CONVICTED (2023) | April Foulds, born c. 1991, of Drummond Road, Skegness PE25 3EH – breached a 10-year ban on keeping animals.
Foulds was given the 10-year disqualification order in December 2021 after being convicted of failing to take reasonable steps to meet the basic needs of animals. No details of the original conviction have been published online.
On 24 August 2022 police officers, acting on a tip-off, discovered two cats at Foulds’ home.
Prosecutor Lottie Tyler told magistrates : “Officers were unable to gain entry. They saw two cats that didn’t look malnourished,”
The cats were seized by the RSPCA on September 14, 2022.
Foulds, who admitting breaching the disqualification, said in interview that they had been bought by her then partner whom she lived with at the time.
Mike Alexander, mitigating, said his client had had some personal issues and an alcohol problem.
“[The former boyfriend] was responsible for getting the cats, despite her having the ban.
“He insisted they would be good for her mental health.
“He didn’t look after the cats and let her look after them. The cats were looked after but it was a situation effectively forced upon her.”
He added: “In the circumstances that she explained to me I don’t think she has a great culpability.”
Sentencing | 18-month conditional discharge; ordered to pay £121 in costs and victim surcharge. Original 10-year ban expires December 2031.
CONVICTED (2022) | Benjamin Neill, born 13 October 1984, of no fixed abode, and partner Leah Marie Brown (info tbc) – left horses and ponies for dead in a muddy field.
RSPCA Inspector Claire Ryder launched an investigation after the charity received a call to its national call centre in March 2021 from a member of the public who had seen a horse collapsed in a muddy field in Landkey near Barnstaple.
A vet who attended described how she found the horse, a chestnut gelding called Eddy, in a ‘terrible state’, unable to lift his head from the mud he was lying in, let alone stand.
In her witness statement, Inspector Ryder said: “His hip bones were protruding and you could clearly see his spine and ribs. The horse was lying in deep wet mud. You could clearly see where he was trying to get up as there was a build-up of wet mud around the horse’s head, neck and back.”
In her report to court, the vet said she thought Eddy had been down for some time as she was unable to get him up on his feet. Sadly, there was no alternative but to put him to sleep on welfare grounds to end his suffering.
A further three ponies – a bay gelding called Tye, a mare called Darcy and another bay gelding called Dorcas – were in a field next to Eddy that was very muddy with limited grazing. They had no accessible shelter and the only water source was a stream running along the bottom of a steep bank in the corner of their field.
Tye was in poor body condition, he had severely overgrown hooves and was lame in his front feet. He had difficulty walking, with a rocking motion as his hooves met the ground. The vet concluded Tye was suffering and Darcy and Dorcus were likely to suffer.
They were signed over to the RSPCA and transported to a suitable location for a thorough veterinary assessment.
All three ponies were found to have lice in their coats, parasites and their teeth were in need of attention due to sharp enamel points. They all required sedation before their hooves could be trimmed.
The veterinary evidence heard in court concluded: “Regardless of cause, veterinary intervention should have been sought for Eddy when faced with such extensive weight loss. Suffering unquestionably could have been prevented had they sought advice sooner. I have no doubt that Eddy and Tye were suffering unreasonably and unnecessarily and that this suffering had been present for at least a month. Suffering unquestionably could have been prevented had they sought advice sooner”.
Owner Ben Neill told magistrates that Eddy had been: “Jumping and bouncing around that morning.”
Sentencing Neill, magistrates told him he had shown little remorse. They said: “We have listened to the case from the RSPCA and seen photos of the horse and ponies – Eddy had a ruptured eyeball, was hypothermic in a collapsed state, emaciated and unable to access food and water”.
They highlighted his lack of appreciation to the animals’ suffering, that he failed to adhere to previous warnings and advice given to him by the RSPCA, that he knew help was available but failed to seek it. He saw the horses every day and must have known the poor condition they were in, in particular Eddy.
Sadly, Dorcus was later put to sleep due to the discovery of untreatable tumours.
Tye and Darcy were both rehomed and have settled into their new lives with the Hugs Foundation – an equine rescue charity in Bodmin, Cornwall, who offer therapeutic interventions to children, young people, the elderly, military personnel and veterans to increase health and well-being.
Darcy enjoys being brushed and led by children who visit the charity and Tye is currently on loan as part of their foster scheme and is loving life being spoiled with love and care.
The magistrates thanked the RSPCA for their work in bringing this case to their attention and commented it was ‘the most harrowing they have had to deal with in this court’.
Sentencing | 24 weeks’ immediate custody. Lifetime disqualification from keeping equines which he can appeal after 10 years.
Neill’s partner Leah Marie Brown was sentenced in November 2021 for causing unnecessary suffering to Tye and for failing to meet the needs of Tye, Darcy and Dorcus. She was disqualified from keeping equines for 10 years which she cannot apply for to be lifted for five years. She was also sentenced to a six-month curfew and ordered to pay £400 costs.
CONVICTED (2021) | Natasha M Everard, born 1 November 1976, of Burgh Lane, Bratoft, Skegness PE24 5AR – neglected an ailing dog.
Neglectful Everard, owner of Bewitching Bookkeeping Services, was convicted of causing unnecessary suffering to an unnamed dog, by failing to provide him or her with veterinary care.
Everard was ordered to undertake a 15-day Rehabilitation Activity Requirement. She was ordered to pay a total of £495 in fines, costs and charges and given a five-year ban in respect of all animals.
CONVICTED (2021) Cortez Marvin Belle, born 27 August 1983, of Orb Drive, Newport NP19 0RE – left his pet dog in agony with untreated ear masses, causing permanent deafness.
Failed professional footballer Belle, who now works as a part-time youth football coach, was sent to prison for eight weeks and banned from keeping all animals for life for the prolonged neglect of three-year-old French bulldog, Tinkerbell.
He pleaded guilty to one offence of causing unnecessary suffering to the dog.
Belle said he couldn’t afford to pay for Tinkerbell’s treatment despite breeding from her twice, with the dogs selling for £1,500 each.
The RSPCA said that the court heard animal rescue officer (ARO) Isobel Burston had visited Belle’s home on August 11, 2021, following concerns about his dog. She described smelling “rotting flesh” as soon as she walked into the property and seeing a tennis ball-sized growth tangling out of Tinkerbell’s left ear.
In her evidence to the court ARO Burston said: “I have seen something similar to this previously and knew that was where the bad smell was coming from. I knelt down to look closer. The growth looked wet and had debris and hair stuck to it in some areas, and open sore looking yellow patches underneath.”
Belle told the officer that he had taken Tinkerbell to see a vet about six to eight weeks previously but had been told she would need very expensive surgery which he couldn’t afford, and that his ex-partner had cancelled the pet insurance following the breakdown of their relationship.
Tinkerbell was taken to a vet by the RSPCA later that day. She was examined and found to be in a poor bodily condition, with her spine and ribs visible and a tucked appearance at the waist.
The vet who treated her said: “The growths looked polyp-like and these polyps had invaded both of her ear canals, leaving no obvious ear canal for hearing; at this point I imagine she is almost deaf.
“On the left ear, attached to the inner ear polyp there was another mass, this was attached via a stalk. The mass was approximately 20 by 20 centimetres in size, cylindrical in shape and hanging from the ear polyp.
“This mass was grossly infected and ulcerated in places and was also weighing that side of her head down, causing a head tilt.”
The vet said that the inner polyp masses would have taken at least three to six months to get to the size that they were, whilst the mass attached to the polyp on the left ear was so severe it could potentially have been growing for up to a year.
RSPCA inspector Gemma Cooper interviewed Belle on August 16. He told her there had been ongoing issues with Tinkerbell’s ears in the two and a half years he had owned her – including the times when she had given birth to two litters of puppies – and that he had been given antibiotics and steroids by a vet to treat her.
He said his insurance policy would not cover the £6,000 he had been told it would cost to operate on one of Tinkerbell’s ears.
In mitigation, the RSPCA said Belle told the court he was experiencing mental health problems and expressed his remorse and regret about what had happened, saying he did not seek to blame anyone but himself.
Newport magistrates said that the case of ‘prolonged neglect’ was so serious that it crossed the threshold for custody and sent him to prison.
After the hearing, Inspector Cooper said: “I’m very pleased that the court recognised the seriousness of Tinkerbell’s neglect. Belle had every opportunity to seek veterinary treatment or help from various animal charities across South Wales, but he didn’t.
“His inaction resulted in Tinkerbell suffering for months and she is now permanently deaf as a result.”
Tinkerbell was cared for at an RSPCA animal centre for several months. Unfortunately her health started to deteriorate, and sadly, she sent on to be put to sleep on veterinary advice.
Sentencing: eight-week prison sentence; costs and charges of £548. Lifetime ban.
CONVICTED (2021) | backyard breeder Warren Wesley Jackman, born c. 1981, of Redditch Road, Northfield, Birmingham B38 – arranged for the ears of four puppies to be cropped.
Self-styled hardman Warren Jackman had arranged for four puppies’ ears to be mutilated including Loki (left).
Jackman was caught after pictures of several puppies with cropped ears were uploaded onto an Instagram page.
RSPCA and West Midlands Police officers raided a house connected to the account and found four dogs with their ears cropped.
He admitted arranging for the ears of male and female American bully puppies known as Loki and Hela to be cut by a third party. He had bought the dogs from a breeder.
Cropping, also known as docking, involves the dog’s ears being sliced to make the animal look more fierce and aggressive.
Ear cropping is illegal in England and Wales under Section 5 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006.
The RSPCA inspector leading the investigation told the court he had found four dogs inside the property, two adult American bullies and two seven-month-old American bullies.
He said: “All the animals appeared to be in good condition. All of them had had their ears cropped, but not recently.”
Warren Wesley Jackman. Picture: Facebook.
The animals were removed from the property and returned to the breeder who has no record of cropping.
In mitigation, the court heard that Jackman blamed ignorance and drug issues for breaking the law and cropping their ears.
Sentencing: four weeks in prison to run concurrent to another prison term for an unrelated charge. Banned from keeping dogs for 10 years (expires December 2031).
Jackman was imprisoned for a further 16 weeks and given a LIFETIME ban after further offences relating to ear-cropping. His latest victims were a female bully XL called Mika and two three-month-old puppies called Zushi and Zinos.
RSPCA inspector Vicki Taylor said: “Police attended a flat on another matter and were concerned about the three dogs who had cropped ears. They contacted me and seized the dogs, who came into RSPCA care.
“The puppies’ ears were freshly cropped and had not yet healed; they still had stitches in the wounds. The male pup’s ears were inflamed and sore.
“We interviewed the man who claimed to have bred the puppies before selling them to Jackman and provided us with bills of sale. He told us that Jackman had cropped their ears. When I spoke to Jackman he admitted that he had paid £200 for them to have their ears cropped.”
The dogs were seized by police and will now be rehomed by the RSPCA.
CONVICTED (2021) | Benjamin Davies, born 12 March 1995, of Robert Street, Barrow LA14 – choked his pet dog.
Dog abuser Ben Davies. Pictures: Facebook.
Davies caused unnecessary suffering to the unnamed dog by choking her as well as assaulting a woman in Barrow.
He admitted to both offences, which took place on September 12, 2021.
The court heard Davies was responsible for a dog and ‘committed an act that caused that animal to suffer and permitted that to happen or failed to take such steps as were reasonable in all the circumstances to prevent that happening, and that suffering was unnecessary’.
No injuries to the dog were highlighted in court but it was said she has since been rehomed.
Anita Green, of Animal Refuge Furness, said: “Actions like this are to be condemned as is violence against all animals and humans.
“As a charity we do all we can to make sure that animals go to the right homes to avoid any situations like this one.
“If there is any concern about animal abuse then people need to contact the authorities such as the RSPCA or the police.
“We do not have any authority in terms of taking animals away but if we do get contacted then we will of course help where we can by contacting the right people.
“Offences like this are awful and really upsetting.”
Sentencing: 150 hours of unpaid work; 25 days of rehabilitation activity. Three-year disqualification order (expires December 2024).
CONVICTED (2021) | badger baiter Anthony Campbell of Bank Street, Newton-le-Willows WA12 9NS – failed to treat the facial injuries of a dog he forced into vicious animal fights.
Bloodthirsty thug Anthony Campbell made terrier Millie ‘fight badgers’ and left her in agony with untreated facial injuries.
Campbell was banned from keeping pets after his dog – a Patterdale terrier named Millie – was found with severe facial injuries and scarring. He had not taken her to the vet for treatment or pain relief.
RSPCA officers joined Merseyside Police who executed a warrant, under the Protection of Badgers Act, at Campbell’s address in Newton-le-Willows on November 13, 2020.
RSPCA inspectors Anthony Joynes and Andrew Harris discovered four dogs on the property, including Millie.
Inspector Joynes told the court: “Millie was quite apprehensive in demeanour but yet pleasant and exhibited no aggressiveness.
“She had severe scars on her face, chin, lower jaw, neck, and front legs, which I noted.
“I could see and feel the remaining traces of scabs on and around the scarred area, indicating that wounds had been there until recently.”
Millie
Campbell claimed Millie was attacked by another dog while they were out ratting. He stated she’d been given antibiotics, but couldn’t say who had attended to her wounds.
Millie’s injuries were inspected by a member of the RSPCA’s Special Operations Unit, which is responsible for investigating serious and organized animal crime, such as badger baiting and wildlife crimes.
In his statement, the Special Ops investigator said: “The dog was exhibiting injuries to its lower jaw and forelegs.
“These injuries suggested to me that the dog had just been in close combat with a badger. The lower jaw damage was typical of those done by badgers, in my opinion.”
Millie also experienced “degloving injuries,” which are injuries in which a significant chunk of skin and the layer of soft tissue beneath it partially or totally rips from the body.
Campbell was sentenced at Wigan Magistrates’ Court on December 16 and had previously pleaded guilty to cause unnecessary suffering to a protected animal on November 13, 2020.
Millie remained in RSPCA care while the investigation was ongoing but will now look for a loving new home.
Sentencing: community order including an eight-week curfew; £750 in costs and a victim surcharge. Disqualified from keeping all animals for life.
#MostEvil | Declan Milne, born 16 December 1999, of 129 Crewe Crescent, Pilton, Edinburgh EH5 2JN – stabbed a labrador 14 times with scissors.
Milne used his partner’s nail scissors to strike her four-year-old black Labrador, Max, on the head, cheek, and thighs.
He carried out the “appalling attack” on July 22, 2021.
Max belonged to the parents of Milne’s girlfriend but the couple were looking after him while they were on break.
Following the attack, Milne’s girlfriend found Max cowering in fear with faeces all over the floor and on his tail.
She questioned Milne who denied any wrongdoing but when she discovered a pair of nail scissors was missing from her set, she realised that they had what looked like black dog hair on them.
Scottish SPCA inspector Fiona Thorburn was alerted to the incident after a vet who treated Max was concerned by the number of injuries he had across his body.
The vet recognised these wounds were non-accidental and had immediate concerns for Max’s welfare so they contacted the animal helpline.
The scissors were taken for forensic analysis and dog blood and DNA was found on them.
Milne was charged under the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006 under Section 19 1 (a) and (b) for causing Max unnecessary suffering by stabbing him with nail scissors multiple times.
Speaking about the case Inspector Thorburn said, “After Milne’s girlfriend discovered Max with the fresh injuries, she immediately phoned her family who returned from their weekend away. The family were incredibly concerned and took Max straight to the vet where he received prompt treatment for his wounds.
“This has been an incredibly distressing time for Max and his owners. The family trusted Milne to look after their pet and unbeknownst to them, Milne caused Max a great deal of stress and pain. The suffering to Max is not just physical but would have caused him immense mental anguish too.
“The puncture wounds were on Max’s head, cheek, his thighs and muzzle. The vet determined that the injuries were caused by repeated trauma with a sharp object. A second vet was consulted who surmised that it was beyond any reasonable doubt that Max had sustained those injuries by deliberate violent means.
“We are glad that Milne pled guilty and admitted to this appalling crime.
“We don’t believe this was the first time that Max was caused to suffer at the hands of Milne.
“What we can take away from this is that Milne was caught when he was so that Max did not have to continue to suffer.
“We are pleased to say that Max recovered well from his wounds no doubt helped by being surrounded by his loving family.
“The Sheriff stated in court that he was ‘nauseated by the cruelty’ Milne had shown towards Max.
“We are pleased that Milne admitted his guilt in this case and that he has been handed this sentence. The ban will ensure no other animals will suffer at his hands like Max did.
“We would like to thank Science and Advice for Scottish Agriculture (SASA) who carried out the DNA testing.”
Milne was charged under the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006 under Section 19 1 (a) and (b) for causing Max unnecessary suffering by stabbing him with nail scissors multiple times.
Sentencing: four-month restriction of liberty order; 200-hour community payback order. Ten-year ban on owning animals.
CONVICTED (2021) | Thomas ‘Tomo’ Robertson, born 20 May 1994, of 38 Provost Watt Drive, Aberdeen AB12 5NA – repeatedly beat his female bulldog over the head and body with an axe handle, his fists and a dog lead, leaving her with bruising, flesh wounds and bald patches.
Violent thug Tomo Robertson took his “anger issues” out on a defenceless dog.
Unemployed Robertson was caught after Scottish SPCA officers paid a visit to his home in Aberdeen.
Inside they found a 15-month-old bulldog named Nala, who was so traumatised she would become “frozen with fear” if a man entered the room.
Nala endured multiple violent attacks by sadistic Robertson.
Fiscal despite Jen Pritchard told Aberdeen Sheriff Court that SSPCA inspectors had been tipped off from a concerned neighbour in the early hours of October 16, 2020.
“On arrival, they were met by the accused,” she said. “They advised him that someone had overheard a dog being possibly mistreated in the early hours.
“He showed the officers the dog, whose name was Nala. The female bull-type dog was in the kitchen behind and being kept behind a stair gate.”
Despite inflicting horrific violence on bulldog Nala, Robertson only received a four-year ban on owning dogs.
The inspectors suspected Nala had been beaten given there was bruising to her head and marks on her neck.
Robertson’s girlfriend told them she had been asleep but “did hear Nala yelping when she woke up”, the court heard.
As the inspectors were leaving an officer noticed a wooden handle in Anderson’s home and asked him if it had been used on Nala.
“He said it was a shaft of an axe but denied using it on the dog,” the fiscal added.
A vet later examined Nala and immediately spotted wounds that were “consistent with that of a beating” as well as evidence that a blunt object has been used.
It was during that examination that it became clear Nala had been traumatised and was now nervous around men.
“A male veterinary surgeon entered the all-female room and Nala was visibly scared and frozen in fear until he left the room,” the fiscal added. “She was nervous but relaxed during the examination. Her demeanour only changed when a male colleague entered the room.”
Nala was found to have bruising to her right ear that was “painful upon touching” and that the vet deemed had occurred in the previous 48 hours.
There was also bruising on her chin, full-thickness skin injuries on her ear, rib cage, both shoulders, her neck and her hip. Further healing injuries were spotted on Nala’s left hind leg.
She had hairless areas on her shoulder and neck and the skin injuries were deemed “consistent with being hit repeatedly with an object”. ‘She would have been severely distressed’
“The surgeon stated that for her to have been beaten in this manner would have caused the dog fear and alarm,” the fiscal added. “She would have been severely distressed.”
Nala was taken to the SSPCA’s local rescue and rehoming centre at Drumoak, where she remains and is doing “much better”.
Defence agent Ian MacGregor said Robertson’s own admissions to social workers had actually provided a more “graphic” account of Nala’s abuse than that heard by the court.
“His conduct was absolutely appalling,” he said. “He has had issues in his life with respect to dealing with anger and he has taken steps previously off his own back to be seen by a psychiatrist in that regard.”
Robertson admitted causing the dog unnecessary suffering.
Sheriff Margaret Hodge told him: “What I am told in the social work report does cause me concern about your propensity to violence, which was demonstrated by what you did to this dog.”
Sentencing: community payback order with one year of supervision and 100-day curfew. Banned from keeping or owning a dog for four years (expires December 2025).
