CONVICTED (2024) | drug addict Niall O’Kane, born 21 January 1987, of Altinure Road, Claudy, Londonderry BT47 4DG – punched a dog repeatedly, bit her then tried to strangle her during domestic violence incident.
Junkie O’Kane, who has a string of criminal convictions dating back 14 years, also attacked his sister in bed and set fire to her bedroom door while she was inside.
The court was told that on July 10, 2023, O’Kane returned to the home he shared with his mother and sister in a state of intoxication.
He asked his sister, who was in bed, if he could borrow her phone, but she refused.
O’Kane then became “violent, aggressive and threatening” and turned his attention to his sister’s dog,.
The court heard he “punched the dog a number of times, bit the dog and then grabbed it by the neck as if trying to strangle it”.
As his sister grappled with him to protect her pet, O’Kane “grabbed her by the back of the head and bit her on the cheek” before he staggered from the bedroom.
A short time later, the sister noticed flames at her door and rang some friends to come to her aid.
When they arrived at the property, O’Kane, who was slumped on the sofa, told them to “f*** off”.
They ignored him and extinguished the fire, which he had started by piling clothes against the door and setting them alight.
O’Kane was unfit to be interviewed by police until the following day. He said he recalled nothing of the previous evening because he had been on a drink and drug binge. He denied attacking the dog, however, and claimed to have a good relationship with his sister.
Ultimately O’Kane, who has links to Limavady, County Londonderry, admitted causing unnecessary suffering to an animal alongside assault, criminal damage and arson.
The court heard that Kane had amassed 51 previous convictions — half of them related to his drug habit.
Sentencing | one-year custodial of which half will be spent on licence. No mention of a ban on keeping animals.
CONVICTED (2023) | Peter Paul Toland, born 15 March 1994, of 35 Cornshell Fields, Londonderry BT48 7UG* – beat his dog and buried her as she lay dying.
Peter Toland’s dog, Luna (pictured), was found barely alive by a member of the public having suffered multiple injuries, including broken teeth and broken bones.
On March 15, 2023, the American bulldog known as Luna, was brought to a veterinary clinic by police officers after she was found partially buried and under a stone by a member of the public in Ballyarnett Country Park.
Luna was humanely put down due to the extent of her injuries. A post-mortem examination found she was severely underweight, weighing just 19kg.
She had a facial haematoma as well as fractures which had been caused by blunt force. These were recent, possibly only hours old, and had been caused by a wide object.
Her ears were packed with mud which had been forced into her ears.
She had a body mass of two out of nine, meaning she was severely emaciated with no muscle mass present. Her canine teeth were broken and her pulse was exposed.
The dog was put to sleep on humane grounds.
The judge said Toland’s treatment of Luna amounted to “extreme” cruelty and she had suffered months of abuse and neglect before she was brutally killed.
In his police interview Toland said he’d owned the dog for two years. He said he’d gone to Donegal on March 15 and when he returned home he noticed Luna was missing.
Toland told the police Luna had “dropped a full litter of pups the previous October” but said that he’d never taken the dog to a veterinary clinic nor registered any of his dogs with any clinic.
Dog killer: Peter Toland is banned from keeping animals for life
When the police searched Toland’s home they found three other dogs in the enclosed rear garden. There was no water for them, bedding was inadequate, and the yard contained a considerable amount of faeces.
The prosecutor said Toland told the police Luna had never run away before and that he’d searched for her for one hour after he’d discovered she was missing.
Defence barrister Eoghan Devlin said there was “absolutely no doubt Toland is a terrible owner of animals” but he submitted that the prosecution had failed to prove its case that the defendant had buried the dog alive.
The barrister said the police had failed to properly investigate the incident. They’d neither looked for CCTV footage nor organised an identity line-up for the member of the public who’d found the dog and who had seen two men at the scene.
The District Judge said either the dog got out of the back yard and somebody partially buried her or somebody took the dog from the back yard and did it.
“It is appalling and despicable that this animal was found as it was found. To think that somebody could bury the animal alive is just incomprehensible.
“No person with the slightest shred of decency would do that. But somebody did it, either a person or persons unknown did that, or the dog somehow got out for the first time and then somebody did this to the dog.
“This animal was in an appalling state of health. It was emaciated, there was no muscle mass, it had broken canine teeth, puncture wounds and facial fractures that was the result of blunt trauma with a wide object.
“This animal had suffered a prolonged period of suffering, months long, and that is squarely at the door of the defendant. He took no steps to have the dog treated, no steps to take it to a vet. He took no steps to deal with a severely emaciated dog, he is guilty”, said Mr Magill.
After jailing Toland, who has 46 previous criminal convictions, for nine months, the judge granted a defence application for leave to appeal the sentence and released the defendant on continuing bail.
Sentencing | nine months in jail. Banned from keeping animals for life.
*alternative address: 84 Bloomfield Park, Londonderry BT48 8HB. This is the home of his parents, Clare and Paul Toland, but word on the street is that this is where he’s hiding out.
Update | 8 January 2024
Toland was finally jailed after his appeal over a nine month sentence was dismissed in court.
The sentence amounts to 30% of the maximum available to the court with Toland expected to serve half of that sentence behind bars.
After Toland had spent 25 days on bail, his solicitor asked asked Judge Neil Rafferty KC at Bishop’s Street County Court to dismiss the appeal.
The appeal was dismissed and Toland’s previous sentence was affirmed and he started his nine month jail term today.
A friend of Toland’s, Liam Glennon, was initially implicated alongside him after several witnesses said they saw the pair together on 15 March 2023 near to where Luna was found.
Peter Toland with fellow wildlife persecutor Liam GlennonGlennon posts sick images showing foxes being mauled to death by dogs on social media
Glennon, who like Toland enjoys persecuting wildlife, denied the allegations and it appears that case against him did not proceed.
CONVICTED (2023) | Mark Carson, born c. 1978, of Maythorn Avenue, Coleraine BT52 2EU – caught on CCTV kicking an elderly cat to death.
Cat killer Mark Carson, who claimed to have been targeted by animal-loving vigilantes, was jailed for three months
Carson pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to ginger cat Jasper on March 24, 2020.
The badly injured pet was found at the rear of a house on Maythorn Avenue and rushed to a vet. After examining the animal, the vet concluded the injuries were caused in a road accident.
However, when an animal lover checked CCTV at the rear of the houses, they spotted Carson kicking Jasper “approximately seven times”.
The footage showed him returning a few minutes later and “flipping it over with his foot”.
Victim Jasper
Carson did nothing to help the injured animal, instead walking back to his house.
Defence counsel Alan Stewart described the incident as “awful”.
He told the court his client was ashamed of his behaviour and had written a letter of apology to the cat’s owner.
He said Carson’s partner was extremely unwell at the time and was losing her sight, with the imposition of lockdown at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic exacerbating the family’s stress.
“He simply lost the run of himself, lost his temper and lashed out in anger,” he added.
Mr Stewart submitted that Carson had “already paid something of a price” over the last three years in terms of the effect on his mental health and from knowing how people in his community felt about him.
He continued: “He has been living almost as a hermit.”
The court heard Carson had been sent an anonymous letter threatening him with death forcing him to flee his home for his own safety.
More than 450 of his neighbours in the Maythorn Avenue area signed a letter calling on the courts to make an example of him.
District Judge Peter King said he had seen the petition. It described how “everyone in our estate is stressed and disgusted with this killing”, adding: “We do not need this person in our community.”
The judge quoted from it: “We hope that you [will] make an example of this terrible act by giving a custodial sentence….
He warned, however: “I think it’s important that I say from the bench that if anybody thinks taking the law into their own hands either assists the court in dealing with how this case is disposed of or in any way, shape or form can bring a modicum of comfort to [the cat’s] owners, they are sorely mistaken.
“I would absolutely urge everybody in cases of this nature to leave the police and the courts to do their job, otherwise that role becomes jeopardised and people quite frankly are putting their own liberty at risk.”
Judge King concluded: “The reason this case is of such concern is because cruelty to animals is a red flag to a whole raft of other issues.”
Sentencing | three-month custodial, Banned from having custody or control of any animal for 10 years.
On Monday October 9, 2023, Carson was finally sent to prison to begin his three-month prison sentence after his appeal was thrown out.
Dismissing Carson’s appeal at Coleraine County Appeal Court, Judge Fiona Bagnall said despite his protests that he didn’t mean to hurt the cat and “immediately felt terrible” about his actions, “I’m very sceptical about much of what he says.”
“Clearly this passes the custody threshold,” she told the court, “sadly this poor cat died as a result of his actions and he left it to suffer until some other person came along and picked it up and took it to the vets.
“He showed no empathy or humanity or compassion… he kicked it several times to the point of unconsciousness and with considerable internal injuries that ultimately caused it’s death,” said Judge Bagnall who concluded “I have no difficulty in upholding the sentence handed down.”
Defence counsel Alan Stewart told the court that Carson’s behaviour had been “totally horrible, totally unjustified and a cruel act” but he stressed that he was “an otherwise good man who had done a bad thing.”
“I’m sure that there’s a lot of people who go to prison that that has been said about,” the judge retorted however.
Mr Stewart argued that since the incident, Carson had “lived almost as a recluse” and had not come to any adverse police attention but in contrast, he himself had received death threats and online abuse.
“He doesn’t know what overcame him that day but he is absolutely and utterly disgusted and ashamed of his behaviour and of himself,” said the barrister, reminding the court that at the time it was the first week of the first Covid lockdown and describing how Carson’s partner had to keep herself away from her family as she was working in Covid wards.
Although it was not fully opened in court today, Judge Bagnall heard there had been a petition from local residents who had lived near Carson.
The earlier court heard it had been signed by over 470 people who had called for Carson “to be made an example of” and which outlined how “everyone in our estate is stressed and disgusted with this killing — we do not need this person in our community.”
Jailing Carson, Judge Bagnall said “nothing justifies him receiving death threats or intimidation but this is a very serious case… kicking several times with a shod foot can be construed as using a weapon” and as gratuitous violence.
Accordingly, she dismissed the appeal and affirmed the three month jail sentence.
CONVICTED (2023) | Michael Thorpe, born c. 1972, of The Hen House, 42 Sconce Road, Articlave, Coleraine BT51 4JT – caused distress and suffering to a hen.
AirBnB host Michael Thorpe was convicted of one charge of causing “avoidable pain, distress or suffering” to an animal, a hen, at the time of killing.
Thorpe, who hails from the French city of Lyon, was also convicted of one charge of engaging in the restraint, stunning or killing of an animal without having the knowledge or skill necessary to perform those operations “humanely and efficiently”.
Finally he was charged with failing to hold a carcass that had not been slaughtered for human consumption in such a manner as to ensure that any animal or bird would not have access to it.
Thorpe pleaded guilty, and the judge ordered him to pay a £450 fine in addition to a £15 offender levy.
CONVICTED (2023) | backyard breeder Nadine Wells, born 13 May 1993, of 76 Cornshell Fields, Derry BT48 7UH – for the ill-treatment of a German shepherd and two of her puppies.
Wells was convicted of causing unnecessary suffering to the German Shepherd named Bella and two puppies.
The complaint was brought against Wells by Derry City and Strabane District Council under the Welfare of Animals Act (NI) 2011.
Wells’s dog Bella produced a litter of nine puppies but the vile backyard breeder only faced cruelty charges in relation to two of the pups and Bella herself
An investigation was carried out by the council’s Animal Welfare Officer, after a complaint that a German Shepherd puppy was hanging out the top window of a home trying to drink water off the outside of the window.
The dogs were then found to be living in unhygienic conditions and had no access to water.
All three dogs were successfully re-homed by the local authority.
Sentencing | two-year conditional discharge; total costs of £434. Disqualified from keeping animals for five years (expires May 2028).
CONVICTED (2023) | Dylan Lockhart, born c. 1996, from Beraghvale, Londonderry/Derry – for cruelty to two emaciated Staffies kept in unhygienic conditions.
Lockhart was given a six-month prison sentence, suspended for two years and banned from keeping dogs for seven years (expires April 2030).
He was convicted after a case was brought against him by Derry City and Strabane District Council.
He was also ordered to pay costs totalling £1,325 for veterinary costs and care of the two dogs and legal fees of £226.
The Council successfully rehomed both of the dogs.
CONVICTED (2022) | Samuel Ronald Hessin, born c. 1976, and son Samuel Arthur Hessin, born c. 2000, of Balnamoon Farm, Crossroads, Keith AB55 6ND – ran an illegal puppy farm where dozens of disease-ridden dogs were neglected and forced to live in squalor; one dog bred to death.
Puppy farmers Samuel Hessin Jr and Sr, who are pictured during their court appearance, were only given a 10-year ban on owning dogs.
The Hessins, who are originally from Magherafelt in Northern Ireland, were given community sentences and a 10-year ban on owning dogs after running a squalid puppy farm.
The pair posed as legitimate breeders but sold animals who were suffering the effects of mental and physical neglect.
Dozens of dogs were found living in atrocious conditions at the farm when it was raided in a joint operation involving the Scottish SPCA, Moray Council trading standards and Police Scotland.
The raid followed two separate complaints from members of the public. One report came from a woman and her daughter who had gone to view a puppy sold by the pair. The women declined to buy the dog as he looked and smelled “filthy” but alerted the authorities.
Almost 60 dogs were seized in the multi-agency operation but with two of them pregnant, the SSPCA ended up caring for 78 dogs in total. The animal charity was forced to appeal for donations to help cover the costs of caring for the sheer number of rescued dogs.
Puppies were forced to live in filth-infested cages without proper hydration or heat and had e-coli infections, rancid skin conditions and infected sores
Samuel Hessin Sr, who told an SSPCA investigator he believed he had met the animals’ needs by providing them with food water and shelter, averted his eyes as distressing footage was played to the court. This showed litters of Labrador and Staffordshire bull terrier puppies, as well as adult springer spaniels, kept within sparse cages, as well as a number of terrier-type dogs running around a house strewn with litter and with brown streaks on the floor.
Twenty-eight of the dogs were later found to have diarrhoea, including all but one of the youngest puppies.
A two-year-old Staffie was described as having a “grossly swollen” neck and a “large gaping wound” behind her left ear.
Three more dogs were to said to have painful skin conditions, while a further 11 were infected with ear mites.
The dogs were said to be at various locations including Huntly and Buckie as well as Keith.
Bred to death: one dog (bottom right) was pregnant with her third litter of the year and tragically died while giving birth.
The Hessins used fake names and multiple email addresses to advertise the dogs on websites like Gumtree and Freeads.
They pretended they were family pets or their offspring but were actually imported from Northern Ireland.
SSPCA inspectors said that no regard was shown for the animals’ welfare, with many being found with eye, skin and respiratory diseases caused by faecal matter and urine covering the living space. The dogs were also said to be left with little food or ventilation.
One dog was pregnant with her third litter of the year – one more than is allowed in a dog’s lifetime – and died during birth in what was thought to be caused by overbreeding.
All of the remaining dogs were rehomed with loving families
Hessin Sr told investigators he was “only required to provide food, water and shelter” to the dogs in his care, but ultimately admitted cruelty charges.
That cruelty included exposing puppies to faeces, diarrhoea, urine and generally unhygienic conditions. The pups also weren’t given proper ventilation, hydration and warmth and were starved of stimulus, exercise and adequate separation.
Meanwhile, other dogs and puppies were subjected to inadequate birthing conditions and not allowed to “exhibit normal behaviour patterns” – a failure on their owner’s part to protect them from disease, injury and mental and physical suffering.
One puppy in Hessin Snr’s care was found underweight and with bloody diarrhoea. Another was infected with e-coli and a third “smelled filthy” and had private parts encrusted with pus.
He also admitted selling or advertising for sale more than 100 dogs without a licence to do so between December 3 2018 and September 9 2019 and being in possession of 56 dogs for the purpose of sale on the latter date.
Samuel Hessin junior admitted two different charges of misleading trading practices and causing the animals unnecessary suffering.
Balnamoon puppy farm near Keith in Moray
Between June 12 2019 and September 19 2019 he failed to provide proper care and veterinary treatment to 56 dogs and 12 puppies, who were found to be suffering from gastrointestinal, dental, respiratory, skin and parasitic diseases.
Three puppies – named Tiree, Danna and Calla – suffered chronic skin conditions including demodectic mange and bacterial and fungal infections causing hair loss and scaly, reddened and pustulated skin.
Danna needed surgery for her eye condition while another pup named Scarba had fractured teeth, an infected cut on her neck and an ear mite infestation.
The younger Hessin also admitted trading offences whereby he pretended to be selling family-bred dogs which were actually imported animals from Northern Ireland.
Between December 2 2018 and September 9 2019 he listed more than 100 dogs for sale on Gumtree and Freeads websites using 18 different names, 11 different email addresses and 18 different mobile numbers.
He also made misleading statements in the adverts giving the false impression that the dogs were family pets or offspring of family pets, the charge states.
The adverts also misleadingly claimed the animals were in good health and being sold through a legitimate business.
Charges were originally brought against other family members, namely Donna Hessin, born c. 1976, and Rachel Hessin, born c. 1998, but their not guilty pleas were accepted by the court
Many of the dogs have now been rehomed with loving families.
An SSPCA special investigations unit inspector involved in the case said: “These dogs were kept in horrendous conditions which were ripe for causing horrific disease and suffering. After we seized them, vets found many were suffering from a host of skin, eye and respiratory diseases.
“Many dogs were carrying wounds consistent with kennel fights and we are in no doubt this was due to the stress caused by the conditions these poor animals were kept in. The stench of urine, lack of proper bedding and the amount of faeces on the floors and even in amongst what small amount of food was out, clearly showed there was no regard for the welfare of these dogs.
“All of this, combined with the lack of ventilation, meant disease spread with ease among these poor animals. This site was clearly a low-welfare puppy farm.
“Two of the female dogs were pregnant when they came in to our care. Sadly, the birth was just too much for one of them and she passed away during labour. We believe she had been badly overbred and it was her third litter in just one year.”
The charity expressed concern about the sentence, stating that they believe that those running puppy farms should be banned from keeping animals for life.
SSPCA chief superintendent Mike Flynn said: “Securing a conviction is a great result, but we believe anyone convicted of running a puppy farm should get a life ban on owning animals. Individuals prepared to put profit before welfare to an extent that dogs get seriously ill should not be allowed to keep animals.”
Sentencing | 300 hours of unpaid work; 18-month supervision order. 10-year bans on keeping dogs.
The Hessin family moved from Ireland to the north-east of Scotland in 2018 for a “better life” and bought the 105-hectare Balnamoon Farm, along with its five-bedroom 1880s farmhouse, for more than £1,050.000.
But with failing finances Samuel Hessin Jnr had taken up a Northern Irish friend’s offer of some dogs to sell on.
The animals were imported to Scotland but the Hessins pretended to buyers that they were family pets or their offspring.
By using fake names and multiple email addresses, the rogue dealers were able to advertise the dogs on websites like Gumtree and Freeads.
The crackdown into their illegal business was codenamed Operation Delphin and involved teams from the SSPCA, Moray Council trading standards and Police Scotland.
Hessin Snr and Hessin Jnr, along with Donna and Rachel Hessin, were charged with posing as legitimate breeders and selling animals who were suffering the effects of mental and physical neglect.
Once charges against the two women were dropped, the father and son accepted responsibility and changed their plea ahead of a trial at Elgin Sheriff Court.
· Samuel Hessin Snr admitted failing to meet the suitable environmental needs of dogs and puppies at Balnamoon between May 31 2019 and September 9 2019.
· Samuel Hessin Jnr admitted two different charges of misleading trading practices and causing the animals unnecessary suffering.
Phones and paperwork seized by Moray Trading Standards showed that between December 3, 2018 and September, 19, 2019 Samuel Hessin Jnr had placed multiple adverts on Gumtree and Freeads under various email addresses and contact names.
He used 18 different names and mobile numbers, 11 email addresses and three separate locations to mislead buyers into thinking they were buying family pets from a family home.
It’s estimated that they had made around £10,000 from the puppy farm operation.
Hessin Snr averted his eyes in the dock as footage of the squalid conditions was played during their sentencing.
His son’s solicitor said the pair’s illegal bidding was an attempt to shore up the “horrific figures” in the account books of the family farm.
The younger man was described as a “bit of a daft lad, not a criminal mastermind” who “just let it get out of hand”.
A potential puppy buyer who reported them thought that was a “pretty pitiful” punishment, given what she saw during her traumatic visit to Balnamoon Farm.
“It’s awful. Of course, they should be in jail,” she said. “From what I saw alone they should have been in jail, never mind what I didn’t see, which was worse.
“It doesn’t seem right that they have only got a ban for 10 years and community service.
“How these poor dogs must have felt and how scared they must have felt … it really breaks my heart.
CONVICTED (2022) | former police officer John Fleming (age and address unknown) – caught on camera brutally kicking one dog and slamming the head of another onto the road.
Fleming pleaded guilty to two counts of causing unnecessary suffering to his pets (pictured): Alsatian cross Ko and Staffy Alfie during the incident.
A witness spotted Fleming with his dogs on the Craigbrack Road, Eglinton, on January 30, 2021.
They saw Ko had “grabbed a springer spaniel by the back and was shaking it.”
Fleming kicked Ko until the dog let go and the Alsatian “cowered before him”.
But Fleming then bent down, picked the dog up by his head and slammed him “hard onto the ground”.
The witness recorded the rest of the incident on dashcam.
During the footage played to the court, Fleming is seen continuing to kick at the Alsatian a number of times before the animal gets up and runs back onto the road.
Fleming, wearing a yellow high vis jacket, can be seen swinging five full-force kicks at Ko.
At least three of his kicks connect with the animal, who is then seen running way.
Fleming (right) with husband Daniel Fleming-Cairo and a relative.
Striding a short distance down the road after Ko, Fleming appears to stop his husband Daniel Fleming-Cairo from stroking Alfie.
But he then picks up the smaller dog by his scruff and hindquarters, raising him above head height, arms fully stretched, before slamming the animal into tarmac.
The video records Fleming repeating the move – lifting Alfie nearly to head height, and slamming him into the ground.
However the footage is cut off when a vehicle drives in front of the camera, obscuring Fleming and his husband from view.
Prosecuting counsel said while there was no audio on the recording, the witness claimed he had “blasted the car horn and shouted something along the lines of ‘stop beating that dog’.”
However Fleming’s reaction was to turn around and begin “shouting and posturing aggressively,“ the court was told.
There were confrontational words exchanged between the men, with Fleming trying to open the vehicle door.
Disgraced former police officer John Fleming pictured outside court.
Council and police officers went to Fleming’s home a few days later. A vet noticed that while both animals were friendly and good-natured, Alfie “did appear to be slightly sore when sitting and rising and was assessed as having a mild weight-bearing lameness in his right leg with a superficial wound.”
A third dog was also seized during the visit.
Although initially Fleming’s husband wanted to contest the Council’s application for this dog to be re-homed the court heard he had agreed to the measure.
The court also heard that when he was initially questioned about the incident, Fleming claimed his actions were “proportional.”
He said: “Obviously I am remorseful that I had to hit my dogs… [but] I wouldn’t have acted if I didn’t think that they weren’t correct… Do I regret acting? No… It’s the circumstances I regret that it even happened.”
When the witness’ account was put to him, Fleming “laughed throughout” that portion of the interview and accused the witness “of a public disorder offence”.
Defence counsel Eoghan Devlin said that Fleming had been dismissed from the PSNI this week “as a result of these proceedings”.
Not only had he suffered the ignominy of finding himself in the dock, but he had also lost “what was a very promising career,” Mr Devlin added.
Fleming faced a maximum sentence of five years behind bars, but walked free from court with a community service order..
Sentencing | 200-hour Community Service Order; £2000 towards costs. Banned from keeping any animal for ten years.
#MostEvil | Paul Hasson, born 25 October 1971, of College Mews, Greystone Road, Limavady BT49 0UT and previously of Slievemore Park, Londonderry BT48 8NJ – abandoned a dog, leaving her to starve to death.
Evil: Paul Hasson, previously of Londonderry and more recently Limavady
Hasson was convicted of abandoning without reasonable cause, causing unnecessary suffering to, and failing to ensure the welfare of, the unnamed terrier-type dog.
Derry City and Strabane District Council brought the charges against Hasson under the Welfare of Animals Act (NI) 2011.
Saddest sight: the horrific scene which greeted council animal welfare officers.
In a statement, the council said: “Proceedings followed an investigation by council’s animal welfare officers, following a complaint received in June 2020 that a dead dog had been found in a property at Slievemore Park, Londonderry.
“Animal welfare officers entered the defendant’s property and found the remains of a small terrier-type dog which appeared to have been pushed up against the wall with a brush on top of it.
“There was a pungent smell of urine and faeces in the property which was in a bad state of hygiene.
“The dog was very thin and had begun to decompose.
“The dog was seized by animal welfare officers on recommendation of the council-instructed vet.
Despite leaving his pet dog to endure an agonising death, Hasson was only given a 5-year ban on owning animals along with a financial penalty of a few hundred pounds.
“Mr Hasson admitted all offences. District judge King disqualified Mr Hasson from owning, keeping or participating in the keeping of animals and from being party to an arrangement under which that person is entitled to control or influence the way in which animals are kept for a period of five years.
“Mr Hasson was fined £500 and ordered to pay legal costs totalling £138.”
Sentencing: fine, costs and a five-year ban (expires December 2026).
CONVICTED (2021) | horse trader Francis McWilliams, born 11 August 1959, of 58A Kilhoyle Road, Drumsurn, Limavady BT49 0PU – starved and neglected four horses
Francis McWilliams, a traveller, pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to a Chestnut horse and to failing to ensure the welfare of three other horses, on the Boleran Road, Garvagh.
The charges were brought against McWilliams by Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council under the Welfare of Animals Act (NI) 2011.
Animal welfare officers from the council visited the field in Garvagh and found a number of horses to be in poor condition, with their ribs, spines and pelvic bones protruding. When no owner presented themselves despite cards left over a period of seven days, four horses were taken into the Council’s possession after a vet attended with an officer and instructed that they should be removed.
The vet concluded that the horses were in poor physical condition and were suffering due lack of adequate nutrition.
Sentencing: eight months’ imprisonment, suspended for three years; total costs of £7267. Disqualified from keeping horses for five years (expires July 2026).
