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Animal Sanctuaries from Hell, Equine Abuse, Hoarders, horses and ponies, Lifers, Multiple Species, Worst of the Worst

Hyde, Greater Manchester: Lynn and Charlotte Haydon-Williams

April 15, 2024 misanthropic Leave a comment

CONVICTED (2024) | Lynn Haydon-Williams, born 6 April 1960, of Redgate, Hyde SK14 5DE, and Charlotte Haydon-Williams, born 17 November 1988, of Cheetham Fold Road, Hyde SK14 5DF – for the neglect of multiple animals in the care of their sanctuary.

RSPCA prosecution of Lynn Haydon-Williams and daughter Charlotte Haydon-Williams from Hyde, Greater Manchester in relation to Haywill Animal Rescue.

Mother and daughter Lynn and Charlotte Haydon-Williams were found guilty of a number of offences following a trial on Thursday, March 28, 2024.

The court heard how neglected horses, including one suffering with multiple tumours, lame goats, pigs with hoof problems and an arthritic coatimundi were found at the Haywill Animal Centre by the RSPCA.

During 2020 and 2021, the RSPCA identified animal welfare concerns at sites in Glossop, Derbyshire and Broadbottom in Manchester.

The RSPCA had visited the rescue on previous occasions during which they had offered support and advice to the founder/owner Lynn Haydon-Williams.

In a statement read to the court RSPCA inspector Jessica Araujo said she recalled attending the centre on May 11, 2021, when she saw “goats with overgrown feet that were struggling to walk normally, grossly obese pigs, a coati that appeared to have small masses on its underside and a horse with overgrown feet”.

Inspector Araujo continued: “I saw a number of large goats with overgrown hooves that appeared to have difficulty walking normally or walking at all. There was also a black pygmy goat who looked quite thin and you could feel his spine and hips when you put your hands on him.”

Among the animals taken into the care of the RSPCA was Gemma, a grey bay mare, who was covered in skin tumours. A vet later decided that the kindest course of action was to put her to sleep to end her suffering.

Another horse, called Casper, who was suffering from laminitis was also, sadly, put to sleep, as was a pot-bellied pig, who was suffering from overgrown feet.

An emaciated pygmy goat and the coatimundi, who was in poor health, passed away later.

Several of the horses required treatment for foot and hoof ailments.

In mitigation for Lynn Haydon-Williams, the court was told she previously did “a lot of good work for many people for a long time”. It was said that Covid impacted the rescue’s finances and lessened her ability to look after the animals. It was said that she had not deliberately mistreated the animals.

The court heard that Charlotte Haydon-Williams suffered from health problems which affected her care of the horse. The court accepted she was not responsible for the care of the other animals.

Lynn Haydon-Williams initially pleaded not guilty to 15 charges, but she was convicted of 13 offences after a trial.

Charlotte Haydon-Williams pleaded not guilty to the same 15 charges and was convicted of three offences relating to the care of a horse. It was ruled she had no case to answer on the remaining 12 charges.

The surviving animals – a horse and 10 goats – will be rehomed by the RSPCA.

Speaking after the sentencing, Inspector Araujo said: “This owner was given ample time and opportunity to get the help she needed to give these animals the veterinary care and treatment they needed. Sadly, she did not take action and the animals suffered for longer than they had to.”

Sentencing |
Lynn Haydon-Williams: six-month custodial suspended for 18 months; 240 hours of unpaid work; £240 costs and £156 victim surcharge. She was given a lifetime disqualification from keeping animals except for dogs and cats.

Charlotte Haydon-Williams: 12-month community order; fined £1,500 and ordered to pay £1,000 costs and £114 victim surcharge. Banned from keeping horses for three years (expires March 2027).

DerbyshireLive
Manchester Evening News
Quest Media Network

Animal Abandonment, Animal Sanctuaries from Hell, donkeys and mules, Equine Abuse, horse traders, Multiple Species

Beverley, East Riding of Yorkshire: Alan Riley and Sarah Nethercoat

March 11, 2024 misanthropic Leave a comment

CONVICTED (2024) | petting farm owners Alan Riley, born c. 1970, and Sarah Nethercoat, born 14 July 1989, of Park Avenue, Beverley HU17 7AT – neglected a donkey and pony until they became so unwell they had to be put down.

RSPCA prosecution of Alan Riley and Sarah Nethercoat from Beverley, East Riding of Yorkshire, who neglected and starved a donkey and pony on their petting farm.

Melody, a 30-year-old pony, and Maggie, a 15-year-old grey donkey, were among the animals neglected by Alan Riley and Sarah Nethercoat, owners of Aroha Donkeys rescue centre and sanctuary, at Ashfield Farm in Wilfholme, between Beverley and Driffield. Both were so emaciated and distressed that vets had no option but to euthanise them.

In court the couple admitted causing unnecessary suffering to the animals in 2021.

Aroha Donkeys was run as a business, which initially cared for donkeys used in beach rides but expanded to become a breeding and training centre. A total of 20 donkeys were kept at the centre as well as goats and ponies.

The RSPCA first became involved with the couple in July 2019, when a welfare officer advised them to provide the donkeys with shelter. Riley and Nethercoat insisted that a hedge in the field provided sufficient shelter for the animals. They also claimed that the donkeys received regular hoof and dental care.

The RSPCA issued them with a non-statutory improvement notice. Follow-up attempts to contact the pair were unsuccessful.

On a subsequent visit, officers found dirty bedding full of faeces. A shelter was too small for the number of animals using the centre.

In November 2021, RSPCA inspectors Tom Hutton and Alice Wilson along with staff from the Donkey Sanctuary charity, paid a visit to Ashfield Farm where they found around 25 horses and donkeys, owned by the pair, living in poor conditions in a field and barn.

Inspectors found poor quality fencing. A shelter area was made of corrugated iron, which was described as “rusty and dangerous”,

Inspector Hutton said in a statement presented to the court that there were concerns for the health of four animals, in particular Maggie and Melody.

“There were around 23 equines in a large paddock and an open barn with a thick straw bedding with excessive faeces inside,” said the inspector.

“As I walked around the field, there were several hazards littering the perimeter, including bits of loose wire, fallen fencing and loose fence posts.

“One small pony was extremely underweight as it walked across the field towards us with her head down. Her ribs and hip bones were excessively prominent.”

“The owners said they were providing feed. But there was now evidence the animals were in a sub-optimal condition,” he added.

Vet Suzanne Green attended the scene and found Melody in a weak, thin and lethargic state, with a wound to the side shoulder and a second large wound on one of her thighs.

They were inflamed and bleeding and in the vet’s expert opinion they had been left untreated for weeks, if not months.

Nethercoat told the vet that the wound had been treated for about six months with antibiotics. No evidence was provided to substantiate the treatment.

Melody and Maggie and the two other horses were removed from the field, with Melody later transferred to an equine hospital for treatment.

Prosecutor Phil Brown told the court: “Melody needed urgent treatment for overgrown hooves as there had been a lack of hoof care. There was pain and suffering.

“Euthanasia was the only way to ease the suffering,

“They also found ulcerations to the mouth which had made eating difficult.”

Pregnant donkey Maggie required urgent treatment to her hooves. X-rays taken later showed that the failure to provide hoof care had caused malformed bone structures within her feet and osteoarthritis.

She had bonded with another donkey who was earlier found dead in a field.

Maggie gave birth before she too was put down in February 2024.

Riley’s lawyer, Matthew Moore-Taylor, told the court his client had an acute bowel condition, which caused a serious reduction in his weight. Before 2021, all the animals in the centre were in good condition, he added.

For Nethercoat, Sheila Whitehead said: “She needed more help than she admitted. People came to her with wild animals for care. She has always allowed the animals to come to her irrespective of the condition they were in..”

The pony was old. so certain treatments could not be done, Miss Whitehead said. “She was very upset it had got to the level that it had.

“She is remorseful that it got to the position that it had,” she added.

It was claimed that any money raised at the donkey sanctuary was ploughed back into the centre for feed and care.

Sentencing the pair, Recorder MacDonald KC said he had read testimonials highlighting their care for animals.

“But you don’t have to be an expert to see that the pony had three significant injuries, ribs sticking out and was malnourished and you could see it needed veterinary treatment,” he added.

“It is perfectly clear to me, being a non-veterinary person, its ribs were poking out and it had a large wound on the shoulder and the thigh was bleeding. These injuries had been there for weeks or months. It was chronically mal-nourished.”

Recorder MacDonald said that he did not view the petting farm as a money-making venture. He accepted that both defendants had health problems and it was this that caused neglect of the animals, rather than a cynical disregard for the animals’ care to make money.

“These were just two of a much larger number of animals which were generally in good condition,” Recorder MacDonald added.

Speaking after the sentencing, RSPCA inspector Tom Hutton said: “This was a clear case of neglect. Both these equines were left in appalling conditions when they needed urgent vet treatment and one sadly had to be put to sleep because she was so unwell.”

Riley, a former farmer, and Nethercoat, who worked as a riding instructor, were well-known in the area as their donkeys, many of whom were rescue animals, took part in events such as the Beverley Christmas Festival.

In 2021 they were given sudden notice to leave a smallholding between Beverley and Driffield they had been renting from a farmer and appealed for the public’s help in finding a new home.

Sentencing | six-month custodial, suspended for two years; 25 rehabilitation days. No order for costs was imposed because the petting farm was not making money. Both are disqualified from keeping donkeys, mules and equine hybrids for 10 years.

HullLive
Yorkshire Post
ExaminerLive

Equine Abuse, horse traders, horses and ponies, riding stables, stud farms and livery yards, Serial Animal Abusers, Traveller Animal Crimes

Browney, County Durham: Pamela Brown

March 10, 2024 misanthropic 2 Comments

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.

Serial horse abuser Pamela Brown, a traveller from Browney, Durham, County Durham. Image: Pamela Brown / Facebook.

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.

Northern Echo

*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, a traveller from Browney, Durham, County Durham. Pictured with co-defendant Louise Nicholson aka Louise Doherty. Image: Pamela Brown / Facebook. — 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.

Northern Echo

Additional Information

Pamela Brown’s daughter Louise Nicholson/Louise Doherty is co-director with husband Patrick Doherty aka Par Doherty of Doherty Stud Yard Ltd.

Animal Abandonment, donkeys and mules, Equine Abuse, horses and ponies, Lifers, Multiple Species, riding stables, stud farms and livery yards, Worst of the Worst

Par, Cornwall: James and Sarah Baker, Darren Laker

March 2, 2024 misanthropic Leave a comment

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.

RSPCA prosecution of animal abusers Sarah Jayne Baker/Sarah Jayne Ryan, husband James Baker and employee Darren Laker - all of Par, Cornwall. — 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.

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.

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.

Many of the horses had to be looked after by the Mare and Foal Sanctuary in Devon. The donkeys were rehomed at the Donkey Sanctuary, also in Devon.

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, 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.

CornwallLive
BBC News

Animal Abandonment, Equine Abuse, horse traders, horses and ponies, Lifers, riding stables, stud farms and livery yards, Worst of the Worst

Market Weighton, East Riding of Yorkshire: Jane Moore

January 27, 2024 misanthropic Leave a comment

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.

Stud farm owner Jane 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 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.”

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.

York Press
Horse & Hound
BBC News
Yorkshire Post

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.

Animal Abandonment, Equine Abuse, Traveller Animal Crimes, Worst of the Worst

Kidderminster, Worcestershire: Willie Thornton

November 10, 2023 misanthropic 3 Comments

CONVICTED (2023) | William Thornton, who has a number of aliases including Dennis Thornton and Hugh McGinley, born June 1998, of 69 Upton Road, Kidderminster DY10 2YB but with links to Shrewsbury – allowed an emaciated mare to become so poorly she lost her foal and later died.

Irish traveller and animal abuser Willie Thornton from Kidderminster, Worcestershire

Willie Thornton, an Irish traveller who works as a self-employed driveway contractor, was disqualified from owning horses after failing to properly care for a pregnant horse that later had to be put down after losing her foal.

Thornton admitted two offences under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and was sentenced at Kidderminster Magistrates Court on Monday 6 November 2023.

Bay mare Gypsy Speedy lost her foal and was later put to sleep following months of neglect by her owner, Willie Thornton

The offences related to a bay mare named Gypsy Speedy kept at a travellers site in Timber Lane, Stourport.

RSPCA inspector Suzi Smith attended the site , on December 9, 2022, after the charity received reports about the welfare of horses kept there.

She left an advice notice regarding Gypsy Speedy, who at that point was identified to be underweight. Thornton was advised to provide additional forage and to ensure a farrier attended.

But after returning on January 18 she found no action to have been taken and the mare’s condition had deteriorated.

In her witness statement, inspector Smith said: “The pregnant bay mare was visibly severely underweight. She had deteriorated a lot in the five and a half weeks, with her spine, pelvis and shelf above her ribcage being exposed despite a thick winter coat.

“There was no additional forage, and the grazing available was insufficient to meet the needs of the equines.”

Inspector Smith called a specialist equine vet to attend, who examined the horse and confirmed she was suffering unnecessarily given her poor body condition and lack of nutrition available.

West Mercia Police attended and placed Gypsy Speedy into the care of the RSPCA.

In their witness statement, the vet stated Gypsy Speedy’s body condition score was just one out of five.

They added: “The body condition score of the animal was unacceptably low and the animal was being caused unnecessary suffering.

“In my opinion, the cause of the poor body condition was due to malnutrition, starvation and/or or an inadequate parasite control programme.

“The mare has been caused suffering for at least six weeks and would continue to suffer if the circumstances did not change.

“In my opinion, the owner has failed in their duty of care by failing to provide adequate food, by failing to implement a suitable parasite control programme, by failing to provide adequate farriery and by failing to seek veterinary advice.”

Inspector Smith added: “It’s very sad when we identify an animal that is at risk and clearly discuss with the owner changes and improvements they need to make in order to prevent their animal from suffering, but that advice isn’t taken.

“Thankfully, in the vast majority of our work, owners take on board this advice and make the changes that are needed and the lives of the animals are vastly improved. Sadly there are some cases, such as this one, where animals are caused to suffer as a result of owners who refuse to take the required action.”

Due to her poor health, Gypsy Speedy lost her foal, despite the best efforts of vets and the RSPCA’s equine care teams.

She later became very unwell herself, and vets made the difficult decision to put her to sleep to prevent her suffering further.

Sentencing | community order with 120 hours unpaid work over 12 months; costs of £400. Banned from owning horses for six years (expires November 2029).

Express & Star

Equine Abuse, farms / smallholdings, Food Production, horses and ponies, Multiple Species

Peasedown St John, Somerset: Katrianna Rich

August 12, 2023 misanthropic 2 Comments

CONVICTED (2023) | smallholder Katrianna Jade Rich, born 4 May 1994, of 4 Lower Peasedown, Peasedown St John, Bath BA2 8AH – starved a horse over a prolonged period and left him to suffer.

Animal abuser Katrianna Jade Rich from Peasedown St John, Bath, Somerset

Rich pleaded guilty to animal welfare offences following an investigation by the RSPCA

The court heard how Rich, who ran a smallholding with a number of horses, sheep and goats, was visited by RSPCA Inspector Daniel Hatfield and a field officer from World Horse Welfare on February 9, 2023 after welfare concerns were raised.

Horse starved and neglected by Katrianna Jade Rich from Peasedown St John, Bath, Somerset

While there, they discovered a horse named Murphy, who despite being covered with three rugs, was in visibly poor condition.

Inspector Hatfield said: “I could still easily see his hip bones sticking through the rugs, appearing in really poor body condition and once the rugs were removed you could see just how poor bodily condition he was in.

“You could see his ribs, hips and spine easily and he stood there with his head stooped down looking extremely depressed and you could see the dips in the side of his head.”

Horses starved and neglected by Katrianna Jade Rich from Peasedown St John, Bath, Somerset

A vet was called to examine Murphy, who was found to be emaciated with a body condition score of just 0.5 out of 5. He also had poor feet with overgrown hooves which were impacted with debris, including embedded stones, and poor dental health, including a fractured tooth.

He was certified as suffering by the vet and was taken into possession by police and passed into the care of the RSPCA.

Further tests found he had a high worm burden but showed nothing abnormal to account for the poor body condition, aside from prolonged starvation.

Murphy gained weight once in the care of the RSPCA by simply being given a normal diet.

Sentencing | nine week curfew; £400 costs. Banned from keeping horses for 10 years.

Midsomer Norton, Radstock & District Journal
BBC News
ITV News

Additional Information

Katrianna Rich was only prosecuted in relation to Murphy, but there is evidence shared on social media that he was not the only horse neglected by her.

Conditions in which starved and neglected horses were kept by Katrianna Jade Rich from Peasedown St John, Bath, Somerset

Katrianna Rich is a self-employed beautician and manicurist who has traded under the names Rich’s Beauty Den and Katrianna Pinup Parlour.

She also provides pet services under the name The Smallholder Fairy Pet Services & Groomer and Canis Canine.

Equine Abuse, horse traders, horse trainers, horses and ponies, Pet Profiteering, riding stables, stud farms and livery yards

Sheriff Hutton, North Yorkshire: Gary Sanderson

July 11, 2023 misanthropic 1 Comment

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.

Horse trainer Gary Sanderson - animal abuser from North Yorkshire

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.

York Press

Equine Abuse, horse traders, horses and ponies, Serial Animal Abusers

Pool-in-Wharfedale, West Yorkshire: Dianne Cox

February 13, 2023 misanthropic Leave a comment

CONVICTED (2023) | Dianne Cox, born c. 1958, of Churchill Flats, Pool-in-Wharfedale, Otley LS21 1LS – left three horses to suffer with overgrown hooves and lice infestations.

Horses neglected by Dianne Cos from Pool-in-Wharfedale, Otley, West Yorkshire. Pic: RSPCA. — Pepsi

Sam, a 19 to 21 year old chestnut thoroughbred gelding, Pepsi a 17 to 23 year old bay thoroughbred mare and Tony, a piebald Shetland gelding aged around 17 years old – were living in hazardous conditions in a field off School Lane, Wike, in West Yorkshire back in April 2020.

Sam was found to be in lean to poor bodily condition with his ribs, hips and pelvis visible. His hooves were severely overgrown, splayed and cracked, causing him to trip on both front feet when he walked. He was also lame and suffering from laminitis, an extremely painful inflammatory foot condition.

Pepsi was similarly malnourished, while Tony had suffered patchy hair loss as a result of an untreated lice infestation, a condition which was present in all three animals.

The horses’ owner, Dianne Cox, had denied neglecting the horses but was found guilty of two animal welfare offences following a trial on January 14, 2022.

The court heard how RSPCA inspector Kris Walker visited the field on April 12, 2022 following concerns for the horses’ welfare.

Grazing at the site was extremely sparse, fencing was in a state of disrepair and loops of sheep netting and loose barbed wire had the potential to cause injury.

The horses were seized by police on the advice of a vet who attended the location.

The court heard Cox had previously been warned by RSPCA officers in 2018 and 2019 about the condition of her horses and given notices to improve their welfare but had failed to heed advice.

A vet who gave evidence at the trial said the horses had suffered because Cox had failed to take preventative health care measures to protect them from pain, injury, suffering and disease.

In mitigation the trial was told that Cox had 30 years’ experience of breeding horses and had appropriate qualifications.

Cox’s solicitor said the offence had arisen because of her considerable difficulty in locating a farrier. He said there was evidence she had one booked for April 20 – eight days after the horses were removed from the field – and that she was also purchasing regular food from an agricultural supplier.

She was banned from keeping equines for 24 months and a deprivation order was imposed on the horses.

Cox appealed her conviction and sentence at Leeds Crown Court shortly after the trial concluded but abandoned it on January 26, 2023.

Now the RSPCA – which has met the cost of caring for the horses at a private equine facility since the start of the investigation – can legally begin the process of rehoming them.

Inspector Walker said: “After nearly three years, we’re pleased that this long-running case has finally concluded and we can, at last, start to find permanent new homes for Sam, Pepsi and Tony.

“The contrasting pictures of the horses now and then speak for themselves, and we’d like to say a huge thanks to the staff at the equine yard who have supported them on what has been a very long journey.

It’s clear that once they started to receive appropriate nutrition, endoparasite care and dental treatment, they started to go from strength to strength, although Sam is likely to be permanently lame to some degree and will need closely monitoring for the rest of his life due to the chronic neglect of his hooves.”

Sentencing | banned from keeping equines for 24 months (expires February 2025).

Yorkshire Post
LeedsLive

Equine Abuse, horses and ponies

Rothwell, Northamptonshire: Claire Jones

January 26, 2023 misanthropic Leave a comment

CONVICTED (2023) | Claire Jones, born 28 September 1973, of Market Hill, Rothwell, Kettering NN14 6BW – kept horses in ‘cruel and degrading’ conditions.

Horse abuser: Claire Jones from Rothwell, Kettering, Northamptonshire. Picture: Facebook

Jones was prosecuted by the RSPCA after inspectors found two of her horses with lice, cracked hoofs and urine scalds. Both were so lean that bones were visible.

Horses starved and neglected by Claire Jones from Rothwell, Kettering, Northamptonshire. — Claire Jones’s were found with lice, urine scalds and cracked hoofs

On April 14, 2022, an officer from World Horse Welfare attended the Rothwell yard where Jones was keeping her horses and found the stable to be very dirty with a strong smell.

Prosecuting, Janita Patel said: “Both [horses] were found to be in a very poor bodily condition.”

The filthy stable where neglected horses were kept by Claire Jones from Rothwell, Kettering, Northamptonshire. — The horses were kept in a dark and dirty stable in their own faeces, with no straw bedding.

The officer gave Jones advice on the horses and cleaning up the stable.

On two occasions over the next 10 days the RSPCA attempted to visit but the gate was locked. They applied for a warrant, before returning with police and a vet on April 28.

They found 12-year-old mare Pixie and two-year-old colt Gary in conditions which were ‘unsuitable and unhygienic’ with no proper bedding.

Pixie was so thin that her ribs, hips and spine were clearly visible. She had patches of hair loss, obvious evidence of a lice infestation and her hoofs were overgrown, cracked and split.

Gary was excitable when he came out of the stable. His bones were clearly visible with hair loss and lice. He had hard matted faeces stuck to his hair because there was no bedding and he had to lie on the stable floor. Gary also had urine scalds on his leg and his hoofs were also overgrown, cracked and split.

The ground of the stable was saturated with urine .

Ms Patel said: “It’s shocking [that] they could be kept there 24/7.”

Horses neglected by Claire Jones from Rothwell, Kettering, Northamptonshire.

A vet said that they had suffered for several months. A farrier who examined the ponies in May was of the opinion that their hoofs hadn’t been trimmed for between six and eight months.

Ms Patel said warning notices had been sent to Jones but that she had failed to accept the advice.

She said: “They have fallen on deaf ears.”

When she was interviewed Jones said she had little equine experience and that she used to use straw but that Gary would eat it.

The court heard she thought the skin issues were caused by fleas and treated it with white vinegar but that she didn’t notice the sores.

Ms Patel said Jones agreed that the horses were a bit lean and that the stable was a ‘shit tip’.

She told the RSPCA that money wasn’t an issue and that she didn’t know why she hadn’t got a vet out.

She later signed the horses over and admitted three animal welfare offences, including two of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal.

District Judge Amar Mehta told Jones she was lucky the animals survived and that her offending crossed the custodial threshold – but that she had escaped going to prison by ‘a whisker’.

He said: “You kept these horses in a condition which, when one looks at the photographs, makes the court shudder.

“That is not how to keep animals. You kept them in cruel and degrading conditions.”

Sentencing | 26 weeks in prison, suspended for 18 months; 150 hours of unpaid work; costs and surcharge totalling of £654. Disqualified from keeping animals for 10 years.

Northamptonshire Telegraph

UK Animal Cruelty Files

Tag Archives: hoof care

Hyde, Greater Manchester: Lynn and Charlotte Haydon-Williams

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Beverley, East Riding of Yorkshire: Alan Riley and Sarah Nethercoat

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Browney, County Durham: Pamela Brown

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Additional Information

Par, Cornwall: James and Sarah Baker, Darren Laker

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Kidderminster, Worcestershire: Willie Thornton

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Peasedown St John, Somerset: Katrianna Rich

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Additional Information

Sheriff Hutton, North Yorkshire: Gary Sanderson

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.

Pool-in-Wharfedale, West Yorkshire: Dianne Cox

CONVICTED (2023) | Dianne Cox, born c. 1958, of Churchill Flats, Pool-in-Wharfedale, Otley LS21 1LS – left three horses to suffer with overgrown hooves and lice infestations.

Rothwell, Northamptonshire: Claire Jones

CONVICTED (2023) | Claire Jones, born 28 September 1973, of Market Hill, Rothwell, Kettering NN14 6BW – kept horses in ‘cruel and degrading’ conditions.

We collate data on animal cruelty convictions in the UK