CONVICTED (2024) | Reece Glossop, born c. 2000, of Wharfedale Lawns, Wetherby, Leeds LS22 6PU – abandoned two cats in an unhygienic flat littered with faeces and hazards.
Glossop left his home over the festive season, leaving his cats Daisy and Mustafa behind for nine days to fend for themselves inside the filthy and hazardous flat.
Cat faeces were behind the flat door and the area behind the living room door was covered in mouldy faeces.
No litter tray had been provided and RSPCA inspectors found faeces piled up on the floor which was also strewn with rubbish.
Glossop, who didn’t even have the decency to attend court for his first hearing, was found guilty in his absence of one offence under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.
In a a written statement read to the court RSPCA Inspector Emma Ellis described being met with a strong smell of ammonia in the communal area outside the flat during her visit on January 11, 2023.
The inspector met Glossop at the property, and he said he was cleaning to the flat.
She asked about the welfare of the cats and he said he had left on December 24 to go to London because of family issues. He said “someone was supposed to be looking after them”.
“He said he came back on December 28 to check on the cats, but he had to return to London and then he came back again on January 6. When I asked who was looking after the cats during that time he replied, ‘they were looking after themselves’,” said the inspector.
Glossop had left food in a bowl in the living room, but there was no water.
Daisy
Daisy and Mustafa were in a normal body condition, but it was later found that Mustafa had a heart murmur, which could have been caused by stress.
In mitigation, the court heard how Glossop had been diagnosed with ADHD and suffered from psychosis. He had received therapy for a personality disorder while at a psychiatric unit.
Sentencing | 12-month community order with 20 hours of unpaid work and 15 hours of “rehabilitation”; £200 costs and £114 victim surcharge. Banned from keeping animals for just three years (expires April 2027).
CONVICTED (2024) | Stephen Atterbury, born 29 July 1966, and Emma Richardson, born 29 July 1980, of 14 Sholebroke Street, Chapeltown, Leeds LS7 3HT – for the starvation and neglect of their pet Rottweiler.
Leeds animal abuser Stephen Atterbury
The RSPCA seized Rottweiler Tyson from Stephen Atterbury and Emma Richardson after the cruel pair failed to address his poor condition.
The charity had made numerous visits to the couple’s home after receiving a report of concern about a dog living there. While officers could hear a dog, he could not be seen. Officers left advisory notices – which include advice on steps an owner should take for their animals – but Atterbury and Richardson failed to respond.
An RSPCA officer managed to speak with the pair in April 2021. Although initially reluctant to allow the RSPCA officer to see their dog, Atterbury admitted that Tyson was skinny, but said he was too.
The officer was eventually allowed to see Tyson and was extremely concerned about his poor bodily condition, describing him as “obviously underweight”. They added that “his ribs, spine, hips and his stomach was sunken. His back legs looked to be lacking in muscle and the top of his head was sunken on either side so appeared pointy.”
The couple claimed that Tyson was eating and toileting normally and showed no concern about his condition. They declined the RSPCA’s offer to take the dog to a vet for an assessment.
They were issued with a welfare notice, stating that Tyson would need to be seen by a vet but this instruction was never followed and the dog’s condition deteriorated further.
An RSPCA inspector returned to the property on 1 May 2021 with a West Yorkshire Police officer. This time Tyson was described as “very thin, his face was gaunt [and] he had dried faeces all over his back.”
Tyson was removed from the home by the officer and placed into the care of the RSPCA.
He was taken to a vet, who said the dog was emaciated with marked muscle wastage over the head, body trunk and limbs, and also showed signs of diarrhoea.
The veterinary surgeon stated: “In my professional opinion (Tyson) had been suffering due to a lack of veterinary treatment or investigation into the degree of emaciation present. This could have been easily avoided in my opinion by the owner seeking veterinary attention or feeding the dog appropriately.”
Tyson has since been put on a feeding plan and has fully recovered, and after nearly a year in RSPCA care, he was able to be released for rehoming.
Atterbury and Richard were both found guilty of animal welfare offences.
Sentencing | Both: 12-week custodial suspended for 12 months; rehabilitation; £172.00 costs and £128 victim surcharge each. Banned from owning all animals indefinitely.
CONVICTED (2023 )| Christopher Silverthorne, aka Chris Newsome, born c. 2002, from Seacroft, Leeds LS14 – subjected a malnourished puppy to sickening violence on at least six occasions.
Three separately filmed videos showed Chris Silverthorne physically abusing a Boxer-type puppy in the garden of a property in Swarcliffe Drive in Leeds.
CCTV footage captured in March 2023 showed Silverthorne walking up the garden path before kicking 8-month-old Boxer-type dog, Ace, on his right hind leg and striking him on the chest with his hand.
He then grabbed the side of Ace’s face and tipped over his water bowl, forcing the puppy to drink from the floor.
A vet who assessed the footage said that Ace (pictured) could suffer from “life-long” emotional distress as a result of the “unnecessary suffering”.
Two further videos taken on 19 April showed him dragging the puppy by the neck and hitting him twice on the side of the face.
RSPCA inspector Adam Dickinson, accompanied by the police, visited Silverthorne at his home on 20 May and seized the dog and took him to a vet.
“Whilst waiting, he drank continuously for one minute and 27 seconds and whenever I made any sudden moves, he would react in a nervous manner and distance himself from me,” he said in a statement to the court.
“Following his clinical examination, he then drank continuously for a further one minute 41 seconds, clearing two bowls of remaining water.”
Pictures of the puppy showed his visible ribs and two areas of hair loss. His body score condition was assessed at just three out of nine,
A vet who viewed the CCTV said Silverthorne had inflicted harm on the puppy at least six times by striking, kicking and dragging him upwards by the neck, while failing to support his weight.
In her statement, she said there was “no reasonable” explanation for Silverthorne’s behaviour towards the dog.
“The owner caused unnecessary suffering on multiple accounts by inflicting pain on Ace.”
Father-of-one Silverthorne walked free from court with just a 10-year ban as punishment.
She added that while Ace would have suffered “momentarily” during the incidents the “emotional impact may have a life-long impact”.
The vet said pictures of the puppy also showed his visible ribs and two areas of hair loss and said any reasonable owner would have taken him to a vet.
Ace was signed over by the defendant and will now be rehomed.
Sentencing | 10-year ban in relation to all animals.
CONVICTED (2023) | pet hoarder Donna R Adams, born 11 May 1971, of 101 Tempest Road, Beeston Hill, Leeds LS11 6RD – failed to feed her eight cats a proper diet or treat their ailments.
Donna Adams fed her eight poorly cats a diet of boiled eggs, bread and cheese but refused to acknowledge her failure to meet their needs
Adams appealed unsuccessfully against her animal cruelty conviction following a trial in February 2023.
She was prosecuted by the RSPCA after the eight cats, who were underweight and suffering from eye and dental issues, were discovered at her flat in Tempest Road, Beeston Hill on 14 January 2022.
Two of the most underweight cats, Claudia and Barnaby, each weighed only 1.4 kilograms (3.086 pounds) and many of them had conjunctivitis, corneal lesions and dental disease.
Sadly two cats was put to sleep on veterinary advice because of kidney failure.
The vet who examined the cats gave the majority of the felines body condition scores of just two or three out of nine.
She said she was highly concerned their basic nutritional needs were not being met and their low body weights suggested they were suffering as a result of a poor diet. Only one cat had been able to obtain enough nutrition to maintain an acceptable condition.
The vet told the court she suspected the cats had suffered for a period of between ‘several weeks and up to two to three months’.
She added: “The significant weight gain and improvement in their body condition once in RSPCA care proved that their previous diet was either unsuitable or of an insufficient quantity.
“Failure to provide suitable food would have resulted in the cats suffering from hunger, and this could have been avoided through the provision of proper food, seeking appropriate dietary advice or reaching out to animal welfare charities to assist with rehoming.”
In her evidence at the appeal hearing, Adams – who refused to sign any of the animals over – said she had kept cats for over ten years and in her view, they were all well fed and in good condition.
She confirmed their feeding regime included two boiled eggs, a slice of bread and some oil, bits of cheese and an occasional tray of chicken and access to biscuits.
She insisted the cats were in good condition and disputed their diet was inadequate or that the ocular discharge and dental disease required specialist veterinary intervention.
In cross-examination, she conceded that only one cat, Barnaby, had seen the PDSA – which was the day before they were removed – but evidence of other consultations could not be found.
Adams’ appeal against her conviction and sentence was dismissed following a hearing at Leeds Crown Court on Friday 15 September 2023.
Dismissing the appeal, Judge Simon Phillips KC and two lay magistrates said they were in no doubt as to the evidence in the case, which showed prolonged neglect and harm had been caused to the cats.
They said the complete lack of insight shown by Adams led them to believe that her disqualification should be extended in relation to all animals from a period of five years to seven years.
RSPCA inspector Kris Walker, one of the investigating officers, said:
“Adams continued to maintain that her cats were well cared for, despite the overwhelming veterinary evidence to the contrary. A responsible owner would have recognised their pet was not thriving and would have proactively sought professional help and advice.”
Sentencing | seven-year ban on keeping animals (expires September 2030).
CONVICTED (2023) | rogue horse traders Charlie Virginia Hingley, born c. 1996, of 55 Stoney Lane, Netherton, Dudley DY2 0AD, and Lucia Kate Stanton, born c. 2004, of 3 King Alfreds Walk, Meanwood, Leeds LS6 4PY – allowed five emaciated horses to suffer with two having to be put down.
Lucia Stanton (left) and Charlie Hingley faced animal cruelty charges after five horses owned between the pair were found in poor bodily condition, with two having to be put to sleep by vets on humane grounds
Hingley and Stanton were sentenced at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court on 25 September 2023 after pleading guilty to horse cruelty charges at an earlier hearing.
Pictured are Sonny (left) and Celly (right). Both horses were owned by Charlie Hingley. Sonny later died due to the extent of his mistreatment. Photo: RSPCA .
Hingley admitted four offences of causing suffering to horses Sonny, Celly, Luna, and Bobby, between December 2022 and January 2023, while Stanton admitted causing suffering to miniature Shetland Waffles during the same period.
On 22 January 2023 witnesses contacted an equine bailiff after they saw a tractor being used to lift a collapsed horse, Celly, in a field in the vicinity of School Lane, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire.
Bobby’s coat was dull and scruffy and his spine was protruding. He was also suffering from rain scald and a lice infestation. Photo: RSPCA
The bailiff attended and requested that Hingley contact a vet immediately. When the vet attended, a second horse, Sonny, was found collapsed and was in “such a poor state” he had to be put down on welfare grounds immediately
Celly, who was in an emaciated condition, was relinquished by Hingley to the bailiff and removed from the site.
Little Waffles, who was owned by notorious horse trader Lucia Stanton, was also found in poor condition. Photo: RSPCA
The RSPCA was later called to check on the welfare of Luna, Bobby and Waffles, and RSPCA inspector Suzi Smith attended the field on 26 January, during which she called a vet over concerns for all three horses.
“My initial concern was for piebald mare Luna, and young Shetland Waffles, because both looked to be in poor body condition visually, despite fluffy winter coats, and Luna had rain scald on her back,” said Ms Smith.
“After taking a closer look at Luna, I could see she was significantly underweight. I could see her ribs, pelvis, spine and a shelf at the top of the ribs, and when I put my hands along Waffles’ back, neck and pelvis, I could feel all these structures easily with no muscle along the sides of the spine.”
Luna
Ms Smith was also concerned about the condition of colt Bobby, who was in a second field.
“When I asked Hingley to remove Bobby’s rugs so I could have a better look at him, I saw that his spine protruded with a clear obvious shelf each side of the spine, his pelvic bones protruded and were sharp, he had a ‘thigh gap’ with little muscle left on the legs, he walked with a weak gait,” she said.
An RSPCA spokesman said the vet confirmed the horses were suffering, and Hingley signed Luna and Bobby to the RSPCA. Waffles belonged to Stanton, and as she was not present, he was taken into possession by the police and placed into the RSPCA’s care. The three were taken to an equine hospital for further examinations and treatment.
In the vet’s witness statement, Lunda, Bobby and Waffles were described as having a body condition score of one out of five, the most likely cause a high worm burden. Waffles’ and Bobby’s coats were described as “dull and scurfy with a heavy lice infestation”, and Luna was “suffering with extensive rain scald over the back and rump”.
“Sadly, despite the vet’s best efforts, Luna’s condition deteriorated and the veterinary team made the decision to put her down to prevent her suffering further,” said the RSPCA spokesman.
Charlie Hingley, who works as a care assistant and has famiyl links to Cornwall, is now banned from having anything to do with equine animals for life
Ms Smith added that the vet confirmed the pasture management of the fields was “totally inadequate with extensive faecal contamination” and that extremely high worm burdens had caused the horses’ poor body condition.
“Worm and parasite management in horses can be easily managed with an effective parasite control programme, so it’s very sad that neither owner identified that the horses were underweight, nor had a parasite control plan in place which would have prevented this needless suffering,” she said.
“I am very pleased that thankfully, Waffles and Bobby made good recoveries in RSPCA care, and Celly has made a good recovery in the care of the equine bailiff. During the winter months, I would urge horse owners to get in the routine of using their hands to check their animals’ body condition through their winter coats, as well as regularly removing rugs to monitor their weight and check for sores.”
In mitigation it was heard that Hingley showed remorse and was of good character. Stanton’s mental health was raised as an issue.
Bobby has since been rehomed through the British Horse Society’s (BHS) second chance programme, a collaborative rehoming initiative between the BHS and welfare charities to give rescued horses and ponies a “second chance at life” through a BHS-approved yard.
Sentencing | Hingley: two 12-week prison sentences to run concurrently, suspended for 12 months; 15-day rehabilitation activity requirement; £400 in costs. Banned from owning equines for life, with no appeal allowed for 10 years. Stanton: £300 fine, £400 costs, and a £120 victim surcharge. Banned from owning equines for 10 years, with no appeal for five years.
The pair’s bans include being disqualified from dealing, transporting, or arranging the transport of horses.
CONVICTED (2023) | Luke Keith Ward, born 13 November 1985, of Upper Woodview Terrace, Beeston, Leeds LS11 6JZ – stabbed and slashed horses in a field and tried to strangle one of them.
Sadistic Ward’s vicious attack on the defenceless horses took place at a farm off Hall Lane in Farnley, Leeds, around July 15, 2022,
Ward attacked one pony and three horses in total.
One was found with slash wounds across her throat and had also been stabbed in the neck. An elderly pony had a shoelace tied around his neck in an apparent strangulation attempt.
The injuries included deep cuts and slashes to the neck and face. The horses were left covered in blood and scarred.
A blood-stained knife with an 8-inch blade was found at the scene and forensic analysis found Ward’s DNA on it.
When Ward, who had lived opposite the farm at the time of the incident, was interviewed about the offences, he initially denied being involved.
He was subsequently charged with four offences of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal and pleaded guilty during an earlier court appearance.
Judge Simon Phillips KC, sitting at Leeds Crown Court, described Ward’s actions as ‘sadistic’ and said they had caused distress to the animals and their owners.
He said the owners had also faced vets bills running into hundreds of pounds.
The horse yard had increased security and had installed a £1,000 CCTV system.
PC Rachel Harrison, of Leeds West Patrol Team 3, who investigated the offences, said: “Ward targeted these defenceless animals and caused serious injuries to them which left them in significant pain and distress.
“He has not explained his actions and we can only assume that he derived some sense of satisfaction from inflicting these injuries on them. As well as the pain and distress caused to the horses, these incidents also caused upset to the owners and understandable concern in the local community.
“When he was interviewed, Ward denied the offences and said that he had grown up with horses and would never hurt any animal, but the forensic evidence linked him to the scene and resulted in his guilty pleas.
“We hope it will provide some reassurance to the victims and to the wider community to know that he has now had to answer for his actions.”
Sentencing | 45 months in prison. Banned from keeping or owning any animal for life.
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.
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.
Sam’s hooves were in urgent need of farrier treatment
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.
Sam
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.
Little Shetland Tony after being nursed back to health
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).
CONVICTED (2023) | Louis Mason, born 27 May 2004, of 10 Coppice Wood Crescent, Yeadon, Leeds LS19 7LG – battered a guinea pig to death.
Mason admitted inflicting blunt force trauma on a white and tan guinea pig known as Bun Bun, causing the animal to suffer extensive fatal injuries.
The incident took place at Eliot Grove in Guiseley, Leeds, on March 17, 2022.
The prosecution was brought by the RSPCA.
Sentencing | 50 hours of unpaid work; 25 rehabilitation activity requirement days; supervision; £195 towards the RSPCA’s costs of £3,000 plus victim surcharge. Banned from owning any animal for life.
CONVICTED (2023) | Richard Dobinson, born June 1985, of Burnsall Grange, Armley, Leeds LS12 – kicked and threw a dog during a domestic violence incident
Dobinson was jailed for two-and-a-half years following a campaign of horrific violence against his former partner, which culminated in an attack against her dog.
The attack on the unnamed dog took place in August 15, 2022. The court hear that he kicked the dog in the stomach, making him cry out in pain. He then picked the dog up by his shoulders and hurled him onto the concrete. The dog lost two front teeth in the incident and also suffered severe gum damage.
Dobinson had been in a relationship with the woman from 2021 and during that time she had been subjected to domestic abuse on multiple occasions.
On May 1, 2022, during a row. Dobinson grabbed the woman’s neck and threw her across the room, causing bruising to her hip and also breathing difficulties.
On another occasion Dobinson strangled her to the point where she couldn’t breathe. As she struggled to get to her feet he headbutted her causing a cut on her nose.
The woman wanted to go for medical treatment but Dobinson stopped her from doing so.
Dobinson admitted common assault, actual bodily harm assault, strangulation and an animal cruelty charge.
The court heard Dobinson had previous alcohol and temper-related convictions on his criminal record, and there had been past offending involving a previous partner.
CONVICTED (2022) | Michelle Cunliffe, born 12 March 1976, of Ingram Gardens, Leeds LS11 9SA – left her paralysed cat in agony in a nearby bin store.
Felix
Felix was found in a bin store near to Cunliffe’s former home at Stanley Road in Leeds after RSPCA inspectors Kris Walker and Nikki Cheetham paid a visit on the morning of September 15, 2021.
The charity attended after a member of the public raised concerns for the cat’s welfare.
A check of the animal’s microchip revealed Cunliffe lived close by. The owner admitted to Inspector Walker the black female cat, known as Felix, was not receiving veterinary care.
In a witness statement, Inspector Walker said: “She said that Felix had a fit almost a week previously and was off her back legs. She said she’d left her home on September 12 and hadn’t been seen since.”
Inspector Cheetham stated: “The cat was very cold, her fur was wet and she was unable to stand. It was clear that she had no use of her back limbs and she was very vocal when touched as if in pain.
“Cunliffe made us aware that the cat was registered at the PDSA vet charity, which was a short distance from the address. But she had not sought any advice from its staff on the cat’s condition.”
An expert report by a veterinary surgeon stated the cat, who was underweight, was unable to use her pelvic limbs with no reflexes or pulses detected.
The court was told that Cunliffe “realised she could have done more”. She had been “very fond of her cat, but had other priorities that day”, it was said.
The cat was eventually put to sleep because of her poor condition.
Sentencing | two-month community order with 25 rehabilitation activity days; ordered to pay £295 in fine, costs and charges. Lifetime ban on keeping animals.
