CONVICTED (2024) | Mitchell Stuart Wright, born September 1990, of 20 Cartwright Road, Sutton Coldfield B75 5LF – kept birds of prey in appalling conditions.
Wright had 23 protected species of birds inside aviaries in Whitehill Road, Ellistown, Coalville, when officers arrived in September 2023.
Police said he was keeping the birds in poor conditions and did not have the right paperwork.
Leicestershire Police said Wright failed to hold the correct paperwork for the birds with the Animal and Plant Health Agency.
He pleaded guilty to three offences under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, of failing to prevent the causing of unnecessary suffering of an animal, failing to ensure animal welfare and possessing unregistered birds.
Leicestershire and Rutland Rural Policing Team said: “We are really pleased with this result at court and are grateful to all those who helped us with caring for the birds, advising us and giving their expert opinions and statements. We couldn’t have done it without you.”
His birds are now being cared for by local falconers.
Sentencing | 12-month community order, which includes 15 days of rehabilitation requirement and 200 hours of unpaid work; fined £85 towards Crown Prosecution costs and a £114 victim surcharge. Banned from keeping any animals for five years (expires April 2029).
CONVICTED (2024) | Sean R Palmer, born 19 September 1987, of Langtoft Road, Hamilton, Leicester LE5 1FU – found with 18 poorly dehydrated dogs inside his van after being stopped by police; breached a previous ban.
Other dogs discovered in cramped conditions in Palmer’s vehicle were severely underweight and had untreated wounds, with one later dying.
Palmer, who has links to Syston and Loughborough, was driving the white van when he was stopped by officers from the Leicestershire and Rutland Rural Policing Team on the A47 in Leicestershire last February during a routine procedure.
Inside the van, officers discovered 10 bulldogs and eight puppies all with a variety of welfare issues inside cages.
Three were even found wearing shock collars, while a number were underweight and dehydrated.
Untreated wounds were also found on a number of the dogs, with one dying of malnutrition before he could reach vets.
A subsequent investigation by police and the RSPCA revealed that Palmer had been handed a a three-year disqualification order on keeping dogs by Lincoln Magistrates in February 2022. .
Despite the order, Palmer admitted to owning all of the dogs, but claimed he was dealing with “personal issues” at the time. He told investigators he was also sleeping in the same van alongside the dogs.
Following an RSPCA prosecution, Palmer pleaded guilty to four animal welfare offences including “causing unnecessary suffering” and “failing to provide veterinary treatment” for the dogs’ injuries.
He was given a suspended prison sentence and woeful seven-year ban on keeping dogs.
Speaking after sentencing, RSPCA Inspector Richard Durrant said: “The conditions inside the van were shocking – to have such a large number in such cramped conditions.
“A vet deemed many of the dogs including the pups were suffering. We are so very grateful to the Leicestershire and Rutland Rural Policing Team for all their support in what was a very upsetting case.”
Sentencing | 15-month jail term suspended for two years; 25 rehabilitation activity days; 100 hours of unpaid work; £250 court costs. Banned from keeping dogs for seven years (expires March 2031).
CONVICTED (2024) | cat hoarder Teresa Hawtin, born c. 1975, of Duport Road, Burbage, Hinckley LE10 – kept 58 felines in a faeces- and urine-covered flat.
Two of the 58 cats found at Hawtin’s flat were were dead when the RSPCA entered the property. A third cat was put to sleep after being transferred into the charity’s care.
Hawtin claimed to be a “caring cat lover” who had previously run a cat rescue service.
However, in the preceding six months or so, the number of cats she was looking after had “increased dramatically” due to people asking her to “take in stray cats and cats that had been abandoned”.
RSPCA Inspector Helen Smith said Hawtin’s flat in Shilton Road, in Barwell, Leicester, was “one of the worst properties” she had attended in her 25 years as an inspector. She added the smell of urine and faeces was “overpowering”, with excrement covering “every surface” in the flat except for a small sofa.
Litter trays were overflowing, she said, and there were pools of diarrhoea on the floor. There were also “hundred of flies alive and dead”, the RSPCA said.
All of the remaining cats have since been re-homed, the charity added.
Ms Smith said: “The environment was completely unsuitable, and the smell from the ammonia was overpowering.
“The defendant also claimed she had run a cat rescue, but the conditions these cats were kept in were completely inappropriate for such a large number of cats.
“The RSPCA had tried to help the defendant on a large number of occasions – but she chose to ignore any offers of support.”
Hawtin was well known in her local area for collecting cats
Hawtin pleaded guilty to failing to ensure the needs of the majority of the cats were met, and failing to ensure they had a suitable, hygienic and safe environment. She was found not guilty of causing unnecessary suffering and of not providing timely and appropriate veterinary treatment for eight of them.
She told the court she had tried her best and felt those eight cats did not need veterinary treatment at the point at which she was looking after them, prior to the RSPCA attending. She added that she realised there were too many to look after and that was the reason she signed them over to the care of the RSPCA.
Sentencing | ordered to pay £100 in costs, a fine of £230 and a victim surcharge of £92. Banned from keeping cats for just two years (expires March 2026).
‘NOT GUILTY’ (2023) | Sarah Kate Moulds, née Stimson, born June 1984, of 2 Oakham Road, Somerby, Melton Mowbray LE14 2QF – acquitted by a jury despite being filmed kicking a pony to the chest and slapping him across the head four times.
‘Not guilty’ | Sarah Moulds, a former primary school teacher, was filmed kicking and striking a pony during a fox hunt.
After a three-day trial at Lincoln crown court Sarah Moulds was cleared of animal cruelty by a jury. She and several friends and family also in court, wept as the verdict was delivered.
The vile incident, which took place in Gunby, Lincolnshire, on 6 November 2021, was caught on camera by the Hertfordshire Hunt Saboteurs when Moulds was out with the Cottesmore Hunt.
The RSPCA, which brought the prosecution, argued that Moulds’ actions would have caused the 12-year-old horse, called Bruce, ‘fear, distress and psychological suffering’.
An equine vet who gave evidence in court said Bruce demonstrated fear in the video, which the Crown said constituted suffering at Moulds’ hands.
But Moulds claimed she had acted because Bruce had broken free from a child and needed to be disciplined. She also insisted she had not hurt him.
Bruce was taken to a vet 10 days after the incident and was found to be ‘in very good health’.
Following her acquittal, Moulds claimed the RSPCA’s decision to prosecute her was “political”
The court heard that Moulds and her family had been bombarded with death threats and “messages of hate” after the footage went viral on social media.
Moulds was suspended, then sacked from her job as a primary school teacher. The Pony Club, where she volunteered as a team leader, also dismissed her.
Following the ‘not guilty’ verdict, the RSPCA defended its decision to prosecute Moulds, citing a 95% success rate in animal welfare cases that it brings to court.
It led the prosecution case alone, with no input from the police or the Crown Prosecution Service.
A spokesperson told MailOnline: ‘We do not take the decision to bring prosecution lightly.
‘We apply the same tests as the Crown Prosecution Service to decide whether to prosecute someone for animal welfare offences.
‘This requires there to be sufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction and for it to be in the public interest to prosecute.
‘This case was reviewed by a prosecution case manager, an independent solicitor and a barrister who all agreed that the evidential test was met and with the support of two expert vets.
‘We accept the court’s decision today and thank the jury for their careful consideration, but the public can be assured the RSPCA will always look into concerns that are raised to us about animal neglect and cruelty.
‘We believe that treating all animals with kindness will lead to a more compassionate society and we need everyone to help us do that.
‘Animals do not learn well when they are scared or stressed so physically punishing them is not effective, as a wealth of science shows.
‘That’s why we advocate the use of positive reward training instead of force and fear.’
CONVICTED (2023) | Olly Adegboyega, born December 1967, previously of Morton Road, Swinderby, Lincoln LN6 but as of November 2023 believed to be in Shoby, Melton Mowbray* – for the mistreatment of seven dogs kept at his home.
Despicable: serial animal abuser Oludotun Adegboyega
Olly Adegboyega, who also uses the first name Oludotun, pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to six dogs by failing to provide adequate nutrition. He also failed to meet the welfare needs of seven dogs.
The RSPCA attended the defendant’s home in December 2022 and discovered the mistreated dogs.
RSPCA inspector Daniel Bradshaw described the scene that confronted him: “The hallway carpet was soaked in urine and there were faeces trodden all over upstairs and downstairs, the smell of ammonia was very overpowering and stung my eyes.”
Many of the dogs were underweight with their ribs, hips and spines visible through their fur. Their sleeping areas were covered in faeces.
Cruel breeder Olly Adegboyega kept dogs in squalor with little food or water
A deceased dog was found slumped up against the fencing of the dog run. Her only bedding was an old piece of damp soiled carpet.
When inspector Bradshaw moved her body it was apparent that something had eaten away part of her muzzle.
The six surviving dogs were examined by a vet and given treatment.
One of the dogs was extremely thin, had painful arthritis and numerous age-related health concerns The sad decision was made by a vet to put him to sleep to prevent him suffering further.
An expert vet who examined the dogs said in their evidence: “It is my opinion that these dogs were thin or emaciated due to malnutrition / starvation (simply lack of enough appropriate food).”
They added: “The emaciation and very thin body condition of all of the dogs was obvious despite their thick coats.
“The dogs were all suffering because of malnutrition / near starvation, and most had developed anaemia and detriment to their health.
“Had this situation continued their condition would have worsened further, eventually resulting in organ failure and death.”
They concluded that from the examination and blood results of these dogs, they suspect they have all suffered from malnutrition for at least six to twelve weeks and possibly longer.
The dogs had all been signed over into RSPCA care. They have since been rehomed by the RSPCA Lincolnshire Mid and Lincoln Branch.
In mitigation the defendant, who was unrepresented, said he had owned dogs for 15 years and that they had been a central part of his life. The dogs were all well socialised and friendly. He was said to have taken full responsibility and was devastated.
Sentencing | 12 weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months; costs of £1,504. Banned from keeping animals for 10 years.
We were first contacted about Olly Adegboyega as long ago as April 2019. The source was a former partner of his and told us he was a serial dog abuser, not to mention a perpetrator of domestic violence.
The source’s involvement with Adegboyega was in 2016 when she said he had six dogs whom he would “lock in cages, no food nor water for days on end when he went away”.
She added that he “was violent to me and hurt me so I had to walk away”.
The source contacted us again following Adegboyega’s prosecution and said:
I used to know this monster years ago . He had one of my dogs sister, a quality well bred GSD that was sadly one of the dogs that either died or was removed from him.
In my time knowing him, the dogs lived in their own urine and faeces – I reported him and also to his landlord when he stayed in West Yorkshire.
The RSPCA went out to his home but took no further action, but at this point they were not starved just living in shit.
I’m sure many women also will come forward to comment on here, as he was a womaniser, with many partners who did not know about each other. He used women financially and was violent
I’m devastated to read about the dogs , but glad they are all away from him. Two of the malamutes , one is named Smartie , originally came from a rescue.
He was an accountant with ASDA Wakefield.
He also lived in Wakefield, Kippax, and sub-let a property in Menai Bridge. He is from London with family in Wimbledon.
A total evil narcissist.
All of the above must of course be treated as allegations, but Adegboyega has the right of reply if he wishes to get in touch.
Update | November 2023
*We’ve received a tip-off that Adegboyega lives in Main Street, Shoby, Melton Mowbray LE14 3PJ.
CONVICTED (2022) | former Quorn huntsman John Oliver Finnegan known as Ollie Finnegan, born 13 August 1985, previously of the Quorn Hunt Kennels, Gaddesby Lane, Melton Mowbray LE14 2TQ but more recently of Kennel Lane, Northwich – for illegal hunting with dogs.
Ollie Finnegan was convicted of breaching the Hunting Act after dozens of incriminatory WhatsApp messages were found on his phone
Finnegan, who is now huntsman of the Cheshire Hunt based in Sandiway, Northwich, was seen fox hunting on 7 January 2022. He was caught during a joint meet near Hartpury between Leicestershire’s Quorn Hunt and the Ledbury Hunt, which is based in Gloucestershire.
The meet came less than a fortnight after Ledbury joint hunt master David Redvers said his hunt was committed to trail hunting, which is legal.
Finnegan is now a huntsman with the Cheshire Hunt.
Key evidence was found on Finnegan’s phone after it was seized by officers from Leicestershire Police.
WhatsApp messages on the day show communication about illegal fox-hunting with an unnamed huntsman.
He asked Finnegan: “How’d you get on at Ledbury today?”
Finnegan replies “Only found a brace [of foxes]. First one went to ground, The second went 5 fields to a real thick cover which we weren’t aloud in and had to stop [the hounds].”
The huntsman replies: “used to be full of them round there! Had my best days around there.”
On another occasion the Master says “How did this evening go?” to which Finnegan replied “Found 2 brace [foxes] seen another 2 brace, very busy all night. Hounds hunted well considering the heat.”
Dozens of messages and videos were found on Finnegan’s phone, but only a tiny minority were shared with the court.
Following the conviction, a spokesperson for the British Hound Sports Association (BHSA) said: “We can confirm that a current member of the BHSA has today pleaded guilty to illegal hunting on 7th January 2022, near Hartbury, Glos.
“This organisation does not condone illegal activity and the matter has been referred to the Hound Sports Regulatory Authority (HSRA) which is the regulatory body responsible for disciplinary matters.”
Finnegan with wife Rachel Finnegan, who hunts in her own right, and their two boys
Speaking about the case, Lynn Sawyer of Three Counties Hunt Saboteurs, said : “Three counties sabs are pleased that the Hunting Act has been enforced in this case.
“Along with Herefordshire hunt sabs we attended the joint Quorn/Ledbury meet to protect foxes and we will continue to sab fox hunts until they stop harming wildlife.”
The allegations related to an incident in Breedon on the Hill, North West Leicestershire, on February 4, 2020.
Both defendants pleaded not guilty and faced trial in August 2021.
Matcham and Finnegan pictured during their court appearance in August 2021
Shockingly they were found not guilty after the Crown Prosecution Service accepted the case had no reasonable prospect of conviction.
The Crown had claimed footage filmed by the League Against Cruel Sports showed ‘a proper fox hunt going back to the olden days’.
But the first witness in the case, the League’s staff member Roger Swaine, told the court on Tuesday that he could not see where Matcham was looking when a fox was seen to emerge from a covert.
Defence lawyer Stephen Welford then asked Mr Swaine: “It’s perfectly reasonable to suggest that hounds were in that bit of covert, they had found an artificial trail…and a fox popped out. That is one possibility, is it not?”
Mr Swaine answered: “Yes.”
Explaining the Crown’s decision to drop the case, before Finnegan and Matcham had given evidence, prosecutor Mark Fielding said: “The Crown Prosecution Service have a duty to review the prospects of success of a matter at all times, up to and including the end of the case.
“Suffice to say, having listened to Mr Swaine giving clearly honest and truthful evidence in cross-examination, for which he is to be commended, my impression, which I communicated to the reviewing lawyer, was that this case no longer had a reasonable prospect of success.”
Immediately after Mr Fielding’s comments, the chair of the three-strong magistrates’ bench entered not guilty verdicts on both defendants.
Martin Sims, director of investigations at the League Against Cruel Sports, said: “We’re understandably disappointed with this result but we stand by the evidence we presented, which clearly shows hounds hunting a fox.
“While there are questions that need to be answered about the prosecution’s approach, it’s yet further confirmation that the Hunting Act needs to be strengthened so that it does what it’s supposed to – preventing foxes being chased by hounds.”
He and co-accused Matthew Ramsden, 35, pleaded not guilty.
Prosecutor Natalie Cheeseman alleged the defendants allowed a pack of hounds to chase a fox in Brokenborough, Malmesbury, at about 8.30am on 13 September 2021.
She said the prime evidence, in the form of video footage, was provided by a member of Cirencester Illegal Hunt Watch.
Ms Cheeseman alleged that Matcham and Ramsden were “knowingly engaged in hunting a fox” and did nothing to stop the hounds from pursuing the fox.
She added: “No one appears to do anything to stop the hounds chasing fox”.
Daniel Gill, defending, said his clients both deny hunting whilst legally following a trail and that they “did everything they could” to stop the hounds from pursuing the fox.
The trial will be heard at Swindon Magistrates’ Court later in 2022, but legal advisor Juen Batchelor said a date cannot be fixed until expert witnesses have confirmed their availability.
Matcham, of Kennel Drive, Badminton, and Ramsden, of High Street, Badminton, were remanded on unconditional bail.
Update | August 2023
Finnegan, most recently employed by the Cheshire Hunt, was found guilty of two counts of illegal hunting. He was convicted in his absence after he failed to attend court for a third time.
Finnegan was fined the maximum amount – £1000 – for each of the two offenses and must pay court costs. He was also given a two-year Criminal Behaviour Order including one sanction stating that he cannot hunt with more than 10 hounds.
The Hunt Saboteurs report that Finnegan has now moved to Ireland where foxhunting is legal.
CONVICTED (2022) | Ramadan Murati, born c. 2002, previously from Leicester but now of Folkestone Road, Walthamstow – had a puppy’s ears cropped.
Bully’s ears were sore and red, with exposed cartilage
Albanian national Murati was warned that the procedure to his 15-week-old dog Bully was illegal, but he went ahead with it anyway.
The RSPCA was contacted by a veterinary practice after he took the dog for a vaccination, and the vets could see he had recently had his ears cropped.
Bully was placed in the care of the animal rescue team after RSPCA inspector Herchy Boal attended.
Leicester Magistrates’ Court heard that Murati previously asked vets and the RSPCA where he could go to get Bully’s ears cropped – and was told in no uncertain terms that he cannot do this.
The inspector said: “I could see instantly that the puppy’ ears had been recently cropped, they appeared sore and red, but were not actively bleeding.
“The puppy was called Bully and was around 15 weeks old. He was friendly and on taking a closer look I could see that his ears were starting to heal and granulate, but were still sore.
“Both ears flaps had been cut, with exposure of the cartilage surfaces.”
An expert vet said that there was no evidence of any “conventional surgical technique, sutures or dressing” covering the ears.
The vet added: “In my professional opinion the patient was subjected unnecessarily to a procedure, that regardless of the medical care provided, always implicated discomfort and potential pain during and after the procedure.
“The degree of pain will have been depending on the degree and depth of the anaesthesia and analgesia that was provided when the procedure took place.”
Inspector Boal added: “Bully was also quite old to have had his ears cropped which again would have been more painful for him and he could have further health issues from this in years to come.
“I am happy to say that Bully was signed over to the care of the RSPCA and has since been rehomed to a lovely family who completely adore him.”
Sentencing | Fined £120 and ordered to pay costs of £150 and a £34 victim surcharge. At the magistrates’ court, Disqualified from keeping all animals for just two years (expires November 2024).
CONVICTED (2022) | pig farmers Alan Elvidge, born August 1978, of Flat House Farm, Peatling Parva Road, Gilmorton, Lutterworth LE17 5NR and Rachel Elvidge, born April 1970, of Parsons Barn Farm, Ullesthorpe Road, Gilmorton, Lutterworth LE17 5PD
Alan Elvidge
Siblings Alan and Rachel Elvidge, co-directors of Elvidge Farms Limited, pleaded guilty to breaching the Animal Welfare Act and were fined £4,500..
The case against the pair was brought by Leicestershire Trading Standards over the care of pigs at Flat House Farm in Gilmorton, near Lutterworth, which was reportedly operated by their late father, Richard Elvidge, alone.
The pair were prosecuted following inspections at the farm in September 2020. All but one of the original 66 charges were dropped after Richard Elvidge died, however. The court heard that he had been the only operative at the farm during the time of the investigation.
In 2020, Flat House Farm, which was home to around 8,000 pigs and 800 breeding sows,, was the subject of an undercover investigation by animal rights group Viva! Campaigns. The animal welfare group released footage showing “barbaric conditions” at the farm.
Over a four month period, the campaigners placed hidden cameras in sheds at the farm whose meat carried the Red Tractor logo – assuring consumers it is “traceable, safe to eat and has been produced responsibly”..
During the investigation Viva! unearthed a catalogue of neglect and abuse, including “sick and dying animals left to suffer” and “rotting corpses and emaciated pigs”.
Viva! has also claimed that some allegedly neglected animals even resorted to cannibalism.
Feral cats are seen on the footage feeding on “weak and dead” piglets, and workers can be seen apparently “aggressively abusing” animals.
A spokeswoman for the campaign group said: “The team discovered animals had a range of serious ailments causing acute pain – including bleeding hernias, deformed trotters, prolapses, rectal strictures and pot bellies.
“Other animals were covered in lacerations and grotesque bites, injuries inflicted on them by other pigs who are driven to insanity by the barren environment.
“Our director filmed young animals left to die in cells, writhing in pain with their eyes rolling in their socket.”
She added: “Across the farm dead and dying animals had been pulled into the walkways and left to rot – a serious violation of the Government’s guidance on how to handle fallen stock.
“There were jaw bones and bodies piled up left in various locations across the site, which goes against Government guidelines.
“One particularly sick animal, who was severely bloated, had been left in the walkway, with no access to food or water, other than that that was dripping down the walls during a rainy evening.
“This is in clear breach of UK government guidelines.”
Viva! said evidence of biting among the pigs was widespread on the farm, with alleged acute malnutrition indicating a “lack of adequate veterinary care” and “unnecessary suffering” for the animals.
The spokeswoman said: “One of the most distressing scenes shows a farm worker ‘knocking’ young piglets – killing them by slamming their tiny heads onto the metal bars of their mother’s metal cage – a brutally cruel act.
“Dismembered body parts were found on every visit, as well as numerous dead piglets alongside confined sows. Hidden camera footage from the crates captured cats picking off sick piglets, eating them alive and dragging their limp bodies into the walkways to feast.
“These practices are in complete violation of the Government’s guidance on how to handle ‘fallen stock’.”
Juliet Gellatley, Viva!’s founder and director, claimed the treatment of animals at the farm was “appalling”.
Viva! subsequently submitted the footage to the RSPCA, Leicestershire County Council Trading Standards, and Red Tractor.
The farm was then placed under investigation by Trading Standards, with Red Tractor also removing Elvidge Farms Ltd from its scheme and launching its own investigation.
Ultimately Viva!’s footage played no part in the court proceedings, which representatives of the charity said was “the perfect example that the law just doesn’t exist to protect farm animals”.
Another representative added: “I was horrified and I’ve been working with animals for a long, long time and you do get used to it.
“The horrors at that pig farm stayed with me for a long, long time.”
Sentencing, District Judge Nicholas Watson told the court the case had started with a large number of wide ranging charges against the company, Elvidge Farms Ltd.
These include:
Pigs being kept in unsuitable conditions
Too high a density of animals in areas
Dark and dirty conditions as well as insufficient water and stimulus
He said the charges suggested the problems had been long standing but that these had been discontinued at Crown Court because the prosecution had either failed to provide enough evidence or it was no longer in the public interest.
He sentenced Elvidge Farms Ltd to pay a £4,500 fine, along with a maximum surcharge of £181 within three months. A 10% discount was awarded due to the company’s guilty plea. As it was Elvidge Farms Ltd that pleaded guilty – and a company cannot go to prison or be disqualified from rearing animals – no jail time or community service was given.
The court heard that Elvidge Farms Ltd had once enjoyed an annual turnover of £1 million, but now no longer trade as a pig farm business as they have no money.
The siblings left court today by a back entrance to avoid reporters,
The Elvidges have been told they have three months to pay the fine.
CONVICTED (2022) | Russell Whitehead, born c. 1988, of the Black Horse Inn, 2 Top Street, Appleby Magna, Swadlincote DE12 7AH – left a horse to starve until she became “skin and bones”.
Russell Whitehead (right) with husband Dale Whitehead
The horse called Paris was neglected by Russell Whitehead, who runs the Black Horse Inn with husband Dale Whitehead, for at least the last four months of her life. Whitehead said the pressures of running his business had got on top of him and long-term staff sickness meant he had less and less time to care for the horse.
Whitehead pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering and failing to protect the animal from harm.
The RSPCA was alerted to Paris’s plight after photographs of her poor condition were posted on social media.
Inspector Harlock attended the location on February 19, 2022, and was met by the police. A number of the members of the public were also at the location.
Whitehead approached the officer and explained he was responsible for the horse. He said he had been ‘gifted’ the thoroughbred mare.
He had informed the owner of Paris – who then also attended the location to remove the horse from his care. The owner transported the horse to an equine clinic where vets examined her and provide the necessary care.
Inspector Harlock later said: “I went over to Paris and even with her rug on I could see her hip bones and that she had no muscle on her neck. With help from the police officers we moved her away from the other two ponies and removed her rug. I could see she was extremely underweight, she had no muscle on her body, all her ribs and hip bones were visible.”
A report by an expert vet who examined Paris concluded that: “There was no evidence that the horse was emaciated due to any other cause than inadequate consumption of nutrition. The chronic lack of nutrition led to catabolism of body fat and muscle.
“The neglect of preventative routine health care was evident in all aspects; foot trimming, dental care and basic grooming. The time period of suffering to get into this condition would be at least four months, more likely six months or more. The teeth appeared not to have been rasped for at least 12 months.”
Tragically although Paris had started to show signs of improvement she had to be put to sleep after she developed colic a few days later.
Sentencing | 18-month community order with 300 hours unpaid work; £295 in costs and charges. Banned from keeping all animals for life.
