Tag Archives: North Northamptonshire

Equine Abuse, horses and ponies, Worst of the Worst

Rothwell, Northamptonshire: Kelly Hoyle

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CONVICTED (2023) | Kelly Hoyle, born 17 February 1981, of Glendon Road, Rothwell, Kettering NN14 6BS – neglected the welfare of two horses to the extent where they had to be euthanised.

Animal abuser Kelly Hoyle, from Rothwell, Kettering, Northamptonshire. Picture: Facebook

Hoyle, a jobless mother-of-three was banned from keeping equines for five years after a prosecution by the RSPCA.

In February 2023 the animal charity and police executed a warrant at a site in Northamptonshire, where the horses were being kept.

Reuben was put to sleep after being severely neglected by Kelly Hoyle from Rothwell, Northamptonshire
Reuben

RSPCA inspector Sue Haywood said: “In the first penned off area was a bay stallion, called Reuben. He had a worn/torn rug on and had a very subdued demeanour. It was clear the horse had a severely enlarged necrotic penis.

“The rug was removed and the horse was clearly underweight with the bones of the hips, spine and ribs being easily visible. The vet examined the penis and the whole shaft was enlarged and at the end was hard/dead tissue. The smell from the infection and puss was overwhelming and pungent.”

“Reuben was confined in an area where stables used to be erected, which was partly covered. There was no grazing at all and the hay/straw that was on the ground was old and mouldy and covered in faeces. There was no access for the horse onto grass as all of the gates were closed shut. Water was available in a plastic tub.

“There were numerous hazards in the pen, such as broken glass from a window frame and a garden fork with the prongs upright.”

A vet advised that Reuben should be put to sleep on welfare grounds as this was the kindest option for him.

Tia was malnourished and in poor health following months of neglect by Kelly Hoyle from Rothwell, Northamptonshire
Tia

They then examined another horse called Tia who was in a very lean body condition with the bones of her ribs, hips and spine prominent through her skin. She also had large melanomas near her anus.

Tia was removed and given round the clock vet care, but her condition didn’t improve and she was also suffering from colic. Sadly she too was put to sleep for humane reasons.

Ms Haywood said: “This suffering could have been prevented by adequate attention and appropriate veterinary treatment. It is vital that owners provide veterinary care should their animal need it – which was not the case with this.

“In my whole career as an RSPCA inspector I have never seen anything like this the condition of Reuben and I along with everyone else there was completely shocked by the condition of the horse.”

Hoyle admitted one count of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal and another of failing to meet an animal’s welfare needs.

The court heard in mitigation that Hoyle was very remorseful. She conceded that she should have arranged veterinary treatment but said she had personal difficulties and claimed her fields had been vandalised.

Sentencing | 23 weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months; rehabilitation; costs and surcharge totalling £654. Banned from keeping equines for five years (expires December 2028).

Northampton Chronicle
Northants Police

Terms of Kelly Hoyle’s court-imposed disqualification order:

Hoyle is disqualified from the following in relation to all equines:

  • Owning any equine(s);
  • Keeping any equine(s);
  • Participating in keeping any equine(s) and from being a party to an arrangement under which she is entitled to control or influence the way in which they are kept;
  • Dealing in any equine(s);
  • Transporting any equine(s); and
  • Arranging for the transportation of any equine(s)

This order shall be enforced from November 29, 2023, for five years or until further order.

No application under s43(1) for termination of this order may be made for five years.

Update | March 2024

Hoyle was back in court on March 29, 2024, after breaching her ban.

In February 2024 she was spotted by a member of the public riding a horse in a field off Stoke Road, Northampton. This triggered an inspection of her premises and police officers found two horses they believed to be in Hoyle’s possession

Investigation showed they had been sold for £40 to a local farrier, but not until January 2024, meaning they had been owned by her for two months after her ban had come into force.

Mitigating for Hoyle, Richard Bolch said: “She’s been in and around horses for all of her life. One of these horses was nine and one was 14. They were middle aged and a pensioner.

“When the original order was made in November there were discussions between her and various people about her two remaining horses but the official transaction didn’t happen until January.

“One of the horses was very difficult to handle and she wanted to be sure she trusted the person she was selling it to.

“She went about things the wrong way.”

Mr Bolch said that she was receiving treatment for mental health conditions and had been engaging well with mental health services.

A probation officer in court said that activating the suspended sentence would have a ‘catastrophic’ effect on Hoyle.

Sentencing Hoyle, Deputy District Judge Samantha Rastogi said: “This was an unfortunate incident and has put you at grave risk in terms of your suspended sentence.”

However, the judge said that she was satisfied that Hoyle had been attempting to comply with the order and warned her that she must be more open with probation officers in the future.

She was given a further six months on the end of her 23 week suspended prison sentence, meaning it now runs for 18 months. She was also ordered to pay a £120 fine, £48 victim surcharge and costs of £85. The amounts will be deducted from her benefits at a rate of £20 per month.
Hoyle was warned that if she breached the sentence again she ran the risk of being sent to prison.

Northamptonshire Telegraph

Animal Abandonment, Birds, Cats, Dogs, Equine Abuse, Fish, Hoarders, horses and ponies, Lifers, Multiple Species, Pet Sitters, Dog Walkers, Boarding Kennels, rabbits, Serial Animal Abusers, Small Furries

Kettering, North Northamptonshire: Lee Howard

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CONVICTED (2023) | serial animal hoarder and abuser Lee Howard, aka Lee Howard-Smith, born 12 August 1966, previously of Middlesbrough but at the date of his latest conviction of Scott Road, Kettering NN16 9JY – kept animals in faeces-ridden home despite lifetime ban.

Serial animal hoarder and abuser Lee Howard originally from Middlesbrough, now of Kettering, Northants.

Howard was banned from keeping animals for life in 2006 after leaving 13 horses and ponies, 11 hens, four dogs and a rabbit to die of thirst and starvation in Trimdon, County Durham. The animals had been locked inside stables and left to die. Three dogs survived by eating the remains of the dead animals.

In March 2006 Howard was sentenced to six months in jail and banned from keeping animals for the rest of his life.

Just a few months later Howard was back in court after it was discovered he was keeping 11 dogs and 16 birds at a house in Delarden Road, Pallister Park, Middlesbrough.

The animals were kept in squalid conditions, with the dogs running around in piles of faeces and pools of urine. Six of them had problems with their paws and one had an ear infection.

Howard was given a further six-month jail term for breaching his ban.

Now Howard has received a suspended prison sentence after working as a paid pet-sitter. A licensed dog breeder that had used his services happened to see his name and photograph on an animal cruelty website and reported him to the RSPCA.

Animals were kept in squalor by serial animal hoarder and abuser Lee Howard originally from Middlesbrough, now of Kettering, Northants.

On January 6, 2023, police officers and an RSPCA inspector searched Howard’s home in Scott Road, Kettering, and found yet more animals living in filthy conditions without access to water.

Confined in the kitchen was a Boston terrier dog called Harriet, who Howard said he was looking after for a friend.

The floor of the kitchen was covered in faeces and there was no access to water and no proper bedding.

Animals were kept in squalor by serial animal hoarder and abuser Lee Howard originally from Middlesbrough, now of Kettering, Northants.

Bird cages were found in the lounge, with one containing an Amazon green parrot called Jud and the other housing two cockatiels called Paxo and Stuffing. Both cages were dirty with old food, faeces and no fresh water. Fish tanks with goldfish and tropical fish were also found.

Animals were kept in squalor by serial animal hoarder and abuser Lee Howard originally from Middlesbrough, now of Kettering, Northants.

Two female cats called Sooty and Blacky were discovered in a bedroom described as ‘almost floor to ceiling’ with belongings and old cages and tanks.

The floor was caked in faeces and both cats were infested with fleas.

Serial hoarder and abuser Lee Howard's animal care certificates

Police also seized documents from as far back as 2012 with breeding and pedigree certificates, animal course certificates and even a judging education certificate from The Kennel Club found in a frame.

The dog, Harriet, was later taken back to her owner who was not aware of any animal welfare incidents relating to Howard. The court heard he had been looking after her since 2017.

Animals were kept in squalor by serial animal hoarder and abuser Lee Howard originally from Middlesbrough, now of Kettering, Northants.

The court heard that in his role as a pet-sitter for the breeder Howard had control of 15 dogs, four chickens and numerous finch-like birds and would be paid £35 a day. He looked after the animals on at least 15 occasions between August 2021 and August 2022 – including the odd overnight stay – and was even listed as a keyholder on the man’s council animal welfare licence.

In court, Howard pleaded guilty to failing to take reasonable steps to ensure animal needs were met and breaching a disqualification from keeping animals.

Mitigating, Sewli Kuddus said Howard suffers from physical and mental health issues and has problems with self-care.

She said he has no family and has only recently been given a carer.

She said: “He had no-one to say to him ‘what you are doing is wrong’.”

Speaking after the case, RSPCA inspector Susan Haywood said: “I hope that now that he has been sentenced by the court the defendant will learn from this experience and not get animals which he clearly is unable to look after properly.”

Sentencing | 18 weeks in prison, suspended for 18 months. 20 rehabilitation activity days; costs of £400 plus £154 victim surcharge. Howard was also handed another lifetime ban from keeping animals and cannot apply to have it lifted for 10 years.

Northamptonshire Telegraph

hare coursing, Organised Animal Crime, Traveller Animal Crimes, Wildlife Crime / Bloodsports

Coventry, West Midlands / Rushden, North Northamptonshire: Darren Lee and Ronnie Doherty

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CONVICTED (2023) | hare coursers Darren Lee, born c. 1996, of Top Road, Barnacle, Coventry CV7, and Ronnie Doherty, born 28 March 2001, of Newton Road, Rushden NN10.

Ronnie Doherty, a traveller and wildlife criminal based in Rushden, North Northamptonshire
Ronnie Doherty, a traveller and wildlife criminal based in Rushden, North Northamptonshire

Gypsy travellers Lee and Doherty both pleaded guilty to charges of trespass with intent to pursue hares with dogs in August 2022.

Ronnie Doherty, a traveller and wildlife criminal based in Rushden, North Northamptonshire

The pair were prosecuted after being caught hare coursing in the South Holland district of Lincolnshire. One incident took place in Gedney Dyke and the other in Whaplode Drove.

Ronnie Doherty, a traveller and wildlife criminal based in Rushden, North Northamptonshire

They were arrested when a witness used binoculars to note a Jaguar’s registration plate as they fled Middle Drove, Gedney Dyke, after being seen bundling sighthounds into the vehicle.

Ronnie Doherty, a traveller and wildlife criminal based in Rushden, North Northamptonshire

Prosecutor Paul Wood said a phone seized from Doherty contained voice messages and conversations about hare coursing as well as photos of leaflets of Lincolnshire Police’s combative Operation Galileo and the new legislation.

There were also 13 videos of hare coursing activity, with at least one filmed that day.

“Mr Doherty narrating ‘this is how me and young Darren goes coursing, boys,’” Mr Wood said.

Ronnie Doherty, a traveller and wildlife criminal based in Rushden, North Northamptonshire

In light of the pleas, the Crown Prosecution Service withdrew a similar charge relating to West Pinchbeck and a charge of hunting a wild mammal elsewhere in South Holland, both on the same date as the offences which they admitted.

Jason Patel, mitigating for both men, said that hare coursing “is an activity which is unfortunately entrenched in their history.”

He added: “These young men will have grown up with this activity around them.”

Ronnie Doherty, a traveller and wildlife criminal based in Rushden, North Northamptonshire

Lee and Doherty were the first in Lincolnshire to be charged under new laws to tackle illegal hare coursing.

The Police Crime Sentencing and Courts Act 2022, which passed into law on 1 August 2022, made it an offence to go equipped for, search for, or pursue hares with dogs, and an offence to trespass with intent to search for or pursue hares with dogs.

Those convicted of doing so face an unlimited fine and up to six months in prison.

It also allows courts to order a reimbursement of the costs of kennelling which is paid for by the police.

Sentencing | Lee and Doherty were each ordered to pay an equal share of £11,144 for kennelling and veterinary costs. They were banned from keeping dogs for five years. The rehoming order was suspended until 31 March 2023 to enable them to rehome their dogs

The court issued an order to Doherty for the forfeiture and destruction of a thermal scope used to detect body heat of hares.

BBC News
Spalding Today

Equine Abuse, horses and ponies

Rothwell, Northamptonshire: Claire Jones

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The ground of the stable was saturated with urine .

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Northamptonshire Telegraph

Dogs, Lifers, Worst of the Worst

Finedon, North Northamptonshire: Laura Baverstock

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CONVICTED (2022) | Laura Baverstock, born 5 December 1981, of 26 High Street, Finedon, Wellingborough NN9 5JN – dug a grave for her dog as he lay dying from unexplained ingestion of a significant quantity of antifreeze.

Baverstock, who has links to Luton, Bedfordshire, should have sought veterinary care for her German shepherd Rek, who became severely ill with symptoms of antifreeze poisoning.

But instead, she told her neighbours he was dying and a hole was dug in the ground while he continued to be in pain. The RSPCA tried to intervene but nobody answered the door.

On August 31, 2022, the 40-year-old was jailed for 18 weeks in what a prosecutor described as being close to one of the worst cases of its kind.

The court heard that on October 9, 2018, Baverstock approached her neighbours and asked if they would assist in digging a hole so Rek could be buried. Her neighbours, who had heard the dog barking that day, asked what his condition was.

Prosecuting, Adam Williams said: “They were told he was not dead but was dying.”

Baverstock’s neighbours refused to help dig the grave and instead went to see Rek. They described him as appearing very ill and weak and droopy eyed, the court heard.

They were so concerned they called the RSPCA who dispatched an officer to the High Street flat. When he arrived the lights at the address were on but nobody answered the door and a calling card was put through the letterbox. He went to the communal back garden where he saw the hole had been dug but was empty.

The next day at 10.30am another RSPCA officer attended and was told that Rek had died overnight.

Rek

Baverstock said her dog had eaten weedkiller three days earlier. The court heard that she said she had spoken to a vet she found on Google, who said that he would be sick but would be fine.

Rek’s cause of death was found to be renal failure from antifreeze poisoning. The court heard that, because of the size of the dog, he must have had at least two-thirds of a pint of concentrated antifreeze for renal failure to kick in. There was no finding of fact over how the antifreeze entered his system.

Mr Williams said: “This is not something that would have been found in weedkiller. This is not something the animal would have stumbled across in any safe home or outside area.”

Rek was also found to be suffering from heart and lung disease – and that any ‘reasonable’ dog owner would have noticed a change in their behaviour weeks earlier.

Mr Williams added: “Putting the antifreeze aside there should have been at least a three week warning that the animal was sick.”

Baverstock was later charged with causing unnecessary suffering to an animal and denied the offence but was found guilty after a two-day trial in July 2022.

The court heard mitigation that she ‘clearly cared a great deal for Rek’, demonstrated genuine emotion at the trial and had the case hanging over her for four years. Her legal representative argued the case for a community order.

But magistrates instead sent her to prison for 18 weeks and banned her from keeping animals for life, with a minimum period of 10 years before she could apply for the disqualification to be lifted.

Chair of the bench Richard Hawkins said there was no question that she had caused unnecessary suffering to Rek.

He said: “It’s really quite appalling what happened.”

Sentencing | 18-week custodial sentence; £7,462.60 in costs. Lifetime ban on keeping animals.

Northants Telegraph

Additional Information

Baverstock lives with a partner and it’s unknown why he wasn’t also charged with animal cruelty.

A former neighbour of the pair told us this:

“I’ve reported them for cruelty to animals a number of times as I’ve heard them hitting the dogs, shouting at them. The previous dog before Rek they kept in a communal cupboard, no window no warmth and this was through the snow and freezing weather so I reported that too. The RSPCA and the dog warden were involved, then that dog disappeared.

“I honestly had fpir years of hell living beneath them, everyone who knows me knows how much I love animals and I’d do anything I can to protect them so as you can imagine having to hear those psychos treat their animals the way they did and not being able to doanything other than report them was so heart breaking….

“Because I reported them for Rek myself and my family were threatened on a daily basis from them, my children had knives waved at them out the window, I was chased with a hammer swinging it at me.

“We had four years of absolute torture but we are finally away from them in a new house but now they torture the new tenants of our old flat…

“They are horrendous and get away with because they just don’t answer the door to anyone, not the RSPCA, the police no one… I can’t tell you how ecstatic I am that something has been done.”

Dogs, Pet Theft, Violent and Sadistic Pet Abusers, Worst of the Worst

Luton, Bedfordshire: Deon Ellis

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CONVICTED (2021) | Deon Ellis, born c. 1989, said to be of no fixed abode but with a last known address of Fallowfield, Luton LU3 and with links to Corby, Northants – stole a puppy before stabbing him and deliberately running him over with his van.

Persistent criminal Deon Ellis
Persistent criminal Deon Ellis

Deon Ellis savagely attacked ‘XL bully’ dog Hugo, who was just four months old at the time, leaving him for dead in the road.

Hugo was later found with serious injuries and knife wounds by volunteers who had searched through the night for him following a social media appeal. The young dog had to have life-saving surgery which was paid for by public donations.

The court heard Ellis had been involved in a dispute with Hugo’s family and stole the dog in ‘revenge’ while he was being walked.

Witnesses reported Ellis grabbing and lifting the dog by his collar before leaving the scene.

Victim Hugo
Victim Hugo

Hugo was then taken more than 60 miles away to Corby where a woman heard a dog cry out in pain and Ellis driving towards him. He was then seen swerving the van to make sure he hit the animal.

The puppy was later found and taken to a vet with lacerations which were consistent with stab wounds. Blood splatters which were linked to Hugo’s DNA were found in the back of the van which was recovered in the town.

The court heard Ellis, who appeared over video-link from HMP Peterborough, callously refused to give Hugo’s owner details of what he had done to the dog.

The court heard that Ellis’ previous convictions included possession of a firearm in 2015.

Ellis was convicted by a jury of theft of a dog and criminal damage to a dog.

Recorder George Keightley told Ellis it was a “cruel, targeted and planned act” which was “motivated by revenge”.

He added: “You attempted, in my view, to either seriously injure or kill this puppy and in effect left it for dead in the street.”

Sentencing: Ellis was jailed for a total of two years and four months and will serve up to half before being released on licence.

Northamptonshire Telegraph
Luton Today

Dogs, Pet Profiteering, puppy farmers / traffickers, kennels, backyard breeders

Rushden, Northamptonshire: Jackson and Wendy Dass

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CONVICTED (2021) | Jackson Dass and wife Wendy Dass (ages unknown) of 32 Harborough Road, Rushden NN10 0LP – sold dogs without a licence

Husband and wife Jackson and Wendy Dass were selling dogs without a licence.
Husband and wife Jackson and Wendy Dass were selling dogs without a licence.


Jackson and Wendy Dass were disqualified from dealing in dogs (both selling and breeding) for three years after being convicted of illegal breeding.

The pair, who were prosecuted by North Northamptonshire Council under licensing laws, appear to specialise in pugs. They used online outlets such as Facebook to sell to the public.

It isn’t known whether they breed and sell their own dogs or whether they are ‘middlemen’ for puppy farms.

Illegal breeder Wendy Dass

Emma Matthews, licensing compliance officer for North Northamptonshire Council, said: “We are determined that the local area will not be used for illegal activities around dog breeding and as a qualified inspector, it is my responsibility to ensure that people who require a licence obtain one, those that have a licence comply with their licence conditions and those who don’t engage are dealt with appropriately.

“This is the second case which I have worked on in recent years that has been brought to the courts, and the second which has resulted in a conviction.

“The new legislation in October 2018 made it very clear that commercial breeding of dogs requires a licence and that animal welfare will be paramount.

“We will continue to work hard to prevent illegal dog sales, whilst also protecting animals in the area.”

Sentencing: fined £369 and £646 respectively plus victim surcharge. Ordered to pay £1,000 each towards costs. Banned from dealing in dogs for three years (expires April 2024).

Northamptonshire Telegraph

Cats, Dogs, Hoarders, Multiple Species

Wellingborough, North Northamptonshire: Maite Garcia

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CONVICTED (2016) | pet hoarder Maite Garcia aka Maite Garcia Rodriguez, born c. 1970, of Nightingale Lane, Wellingborough NN8 4TP – starved and neglected 20 pets.

Animal hoarder and animal abuser Maite Garcia from Wellingborough, North Northamptonshire.
Wellingborough pet hoarder Maite Garcia is banned from keeping animals until July 2026

Garcia pleaded guilty to 14 charges of animal cruelty and neglect.

Two of the charges related to the diets of five cats, which the RSPCA says were judged not “suitable.”

Seven domestic cats were not protected from pain, injury, suffering and disease as shown by an ear mite infection and were also not kept in a “suitable environment.”

An adult Bengal style cat called Sassy, was not taken to the vets when she was in “poor condition.

Garcia did not show the correct duty of care to a ragdoll style cat called Lily, and did not treat a rex type cat for an ulcerated eye.

Some of the animals starved and neglected by hoarder Maite Garcia from Wellingborough, North Northamptonshire.

A female bulldog with eye and skin conditions, a boxer dog by the name of Zeus and a bulldog with conditions “affecting her skin, eyes and ears,” were also included in the charges.

Wellingborough Magistrates’ Court heard how RSPCA inspectors visited Garcia’s house on August 5, 2015, after concerns that a cat was too skinny.

But after entering the property they found five dogs and 15 cats to have scaly skin, scabs and sores. They were also underweight, with some completely bald.

There was no evidence of food or water on the floor, with cats overcrowded and on tables and chairs.

Seven cats were found in an unsuitable wooden pen, with diarrhoea on the floor and litter trays saturated with excrement.

In a police interview, Garcia said she had not taken any of the animals to the vet since December 2014.

She said she was aware that her pets had a skin condition and had looked it up on the internet and used shampoos on them.

She also admitted that she knew some of them had eye conditions, but did not take them to the vet as she didn’t think they were suffering.

Garcia maintained that she did not believe they were in pain and said all of the pets were fed two meals a day. She claimed she spent up to £100 a month on dog food.

When asked by inspectors where the food was, she told them it was in the toilet and they hadn’t looked there – but the door was locked.

Among the pets she owned were male and female bulldogs, boxers, a Persian cat, Bengal cat and ragdoll cat.

Some of the animals starved and neglected by hoarder Maite Garcia from Wellingborough, North Northamptonshire.

The court heard that Garcia had received a pay-out of about £10,000 after winning an employment tribunal, much of which she used to buy the pets.

She claimed she could not afford to pay for the vets bills, but bought a kitten for £700 prior to the inspector’s visit.

Mitigating, Sean Smith told the court that Garcia was addicted to owning pets to make up for her unhappy home life.

He said: “This is not a case where the defendant is intending to hurt the animals.

“Buying an animal was like a hit, so powerful that she bought another, and another, and another, and in a short space of time she had collected a lot.

“She did not legislate for the cost of the vets bills.

“We are talking about someone who has not thought this through at all, clearly.”

Sentencing her, chairman of the bench John Baker said: “These are serious offences due to the number of animals and the neglect caused.

“You knew all along that you could not look after them.

“This clearly crosses the custody threshold but we believe that you need some help.”

RSPCA inspector Polly Underwood, who investigated the case, said: “There were so many animals in the house and there were signs of suffering.

“The dogs were thin and with skin conditions, and there was limited food and water available.

“There were also a number of cats at the property which were in a poor condition and as a result had to be removed.

“There were a large number of animals involved in this case and it is so important to get the message across that people should not take on more animals than they can cope with as it may lead to suffering.”

As Maite was banned from keeping animals, she had to give up three dogs, three cats, five rabbits and one parrot still in her care.

Sentencing | eight-week suspended prison term; 20-day rehabilitation programme; 140 hours of unpaid work; £500 in court costs plus £80 victim surcharge. Banned from keeping an animal for 10 years (expires July 2026)

Northamptonshire Telegraph

Animal Abandonment, Dogs, Pet Profiteering, puppy farmers / traffickers, kennels, backyard breeders, Worst of the Worst

Thrapston, North Northamptonshire: Mary-Ellen Collis

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CONVICTED (2009) | Mary-Ellen Collis, born c. 1958, then owner of Wardana breeding kennels in Brigstock, near Kettering – abandoned 100 St Bernards to go on holiday to Tenerife

Collis, who now lives in Treen Close, Thrapston NN14 4UU, pleaded guilty to seven counts of causing unnecessary suffering to 85 dogs and one count of failing to meet the welfare needs of 14 dogs.

RSPCA inspectors visited the kennels following a tip-off and discovered the dogs living in filthy kennels with no access to fresh food or water.

The court heard how a total of 99 dogs had been abandoned at the kennels. Eighty-five of the St Bernards were suffering from medical problems such as abscesses, ulcerated skin and eye conditions and ear infections which had not been treated. Many were emaciated.

Three of the puppies were very thin and their ribs were visible. One dog was unable to stand and was suffering from dehydration. She had several open sores on her legs and feet caused by pressure and urine scalds. Another was in such a poor condition that the vet had to put the dog to sleep at the scene to prevent him from suffering further.

Another dog died overnight after suffering a heart attack at the veterinary surgery. He was thin, covered in faeces and was suffering from severe dehydration. Another had severely ulcerated eyes, which had not been treated and had caused blindness.

Ultimately 16 dogs died. The others were rehomed following a campaign by the RSPCA.

Prosecutor Kevin McCole told the court that the RSPCA was called after David Nolan, a member of the public, became concerned about the welfare of his mother’s dog. Repeated visits found nobody on the site and Mr Nolan called the police, but they said they could do nothing if there was no immediate threat to a human. Eventually he contacted the RSPCA and asked them to intervene.

When inspectors went into the abandoned kennels on November 29, 2008, they found dogs ranging from nine weeks to eight years of age, many of them were covered in urine and faeces. There was not enough food and water available and most were in a poor state.

Mr McCole said: “The defendant had left her premises and left the dogs effectively unattended while she went on holiday to Tenerife with her partner. It seems she went away on November 24 and subsequent to that for a number of days there was nobody at the premises.”

The court heard Collis, who had been declared bankrupt in 2007, claimed she was struggling for money in order to keep the kennels going. She told RSPCA inspectors that she had asked other people to look after the dogs, though they have since said they had never agreed to such a request.

Mr McCole told the court: “She gave no explanation as to why it was that she went away and why she made no provision for the wellbeing, welfare and care of the large number of dogs that were in her care at that time.’’

He told the court the dogs were boarded and treated by several vets – and experts concluded most of them had suffered neglect for several weeks or months.

Ms Collis’ defence solicitor Ben Brown, said his client’s actions were out of character. He said the former kennel-owner, who had bred and exhibited St Bernards for 30 years, had been well-respected in dog breeding circles.

He said she had bought the kennels in 2000, but things took a turn for the worse when she hit financial problems. She was declared bankrupt in May 2007 but Mr Brown said problems emerged with what to do with the dogs after the bankruptcy was set in motion.

Sentencing | 18 weeks in prison. Disqualified from keeping animals for 10 years (expired 2019).

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