CONVICTED (2020) | Perparim Tahiraj, born 21/09/1970, of 36 Williamson Drive, Helensburgh G84 7LH – failed to get veterinary treatment for his five horses and left them to fly-graze
Perparim Tahiraj, who is originally from Albania, told Scottish SPCA inspectors he would not feed or care for horses Al, Africa, Cinderella, Song, and Tia, but refused to sign them over
Tahiraj, who has previously been convicted of domestic violence let the horses roam on land he did not have permission to use. The muddy ground in Helensburgh was unsuitable for grazing, with no shelter from the elements, and the horses became emaciated.
For a year the horses were left to try to fend for themselves on land which was littered with broken fencing and poisonous rhododendron bushes.
Shockingly, on Christmas Eve 2018, Tahiraj announced to inspectors from the Scottish SPCA that he would not feed or care for his horses. But he also refused to hand them over into their care.
Tahiraj was found guilty under Section 24 of the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006 for failing to provide a suitable environment, adequate diet and protection from suffering, injury and disease.
He was banned from keeping horses for five years.
Further sentencing was deferred for six months, meaning if he stays out of trouble for that period of time, he will likely face no further punishment.
Following the sheriff’s verdict, it was disclosed that Tahiraj, who is unemployed, is already using some of his benefits to pay back outstanding fines.
He also claimed he was unable to work due to various alleged health complications, including depression, anxiety, and arthritis, which meant he would be unable to complete a community payback order of unpaid work.
Scottish SPCA inspector Gillian Dick said: “We are pleased Tahiraj has been handed a ban for this level of neglect.
“Tahiraj is well known to the Scottish SPCA, we have had countless dealings with him and removed animals from his care a number of times.
“We tried on several occasions to provide him with guidance and advice on how to care for his animals.
“Tahiraj did not have permission to graze his horses on the land and had effectively been fly grazing within the field and surrounding grass area since January 2018.
“On 24 December 2018 he stated he would no longer attend to his horses or provide feed for them.
“We then asked him to sign the horses over in to our care, which he refused to do. “When we attended horses we discovered them all to be underweight and in poor body condition.
“Four of the five horses were suffering from skin infections, which needed veterinary treatment.
“The field offered inadequate grazing for equine animals and conditions were muddy, with little appropriate shelter from adverse weather conditions.
“The horses were exposed to poisonous rhododendron bushes and discarded fencing material.
“In one corner of the field the fence was broken and taped up, which was not suitable to contain the horses from the nearby busy road. We welcome this sentence. Tahiraj was not capable of meeting the most basic of needs for the horses in his care.
“We hope this sentence makes Tahiraj consider his ability to look after any animal in the future.”
A spokesperson for an informal group of concerned residents, the ‘Friends of Blairvadach Horses’ said the issue of horses ‘fly grazing’ on the council-owned Blairvadach site dated back to 2015, but that the Friends stepped up their own efforts to look after the animals, due to their poor condition, in September 2018.
The spokesperson said: “It was at this time the Friends stepped up their support for the horses and ponies, spending many hundreds of pounds on feed, hay, fruit and veg, and delivering this to Blairvadach every two days or so throughout October-December 2018.
“The Friends sought advice and support from Horse Rescue Scotland (HRS), World Horse Welfare and others. HRS’s guidance and legal knowledge in particular was invaluable, leading to several approaches to the authorities involved.
“Thankfully the ‘Blairvadach Five’ were finally removed by the Scottish SPCA on December 28, 2018.
“Some of the ‘Friends’ had known the animals for many years and had grown very fond of them.
“For anyone who cared about these horses and ponies it was heart-breaking over many months watching their condition deteriorate, more and more of their ribs showing, and knowing they had no shelter and often nothing to eat but plants like rhododendrons, ragwort, oak leaves, bracken and yew, that are poisonous for horses and can lead to liver and kidney failure and, at worst, a painful death.”
Peter McDonald, the chairman of Horse Rescue Scotland, said: “Our role was to provide help and guidance to the Friends on what they could do, and most importantly what they must not do.
“A window of opportunity opened up in the autumn of 2018 after we became aware that Mr Tahiraj had not been seen at the site for some weeks, because there is a specific offence under the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act of 2006 that refers to the abandonment of animals.
“That provided a legal authority to act which had not been there before.”
Mr McDonald said new legislation is currently going through the Scottish Parliament which will increase the powers available to the authorities to punish people convicted of animal neglect offences, and make it easier to take action against suspected offenders.
Sentencing: banned from keeping any equine animals for a period of five years (expires February 2025).