CONVICTED (2020) | football hooligan Derek Jennings, born c. 1967, of Laburnum Grove, Portsmouth PO2 0EU – punched a police horse on the nose then swung at her two more times
Jennings pleaded guilty to a charge of violent disorder after attacking police horse Luna before a local derby football match on 24 September 2019.
The court heard a police commander had noticed Jennings becoming aggressive towards officers and rival fans during the build-up to the match.
The officer riding Luna headed towards Jennings, who clenched his first and punched the horse on the nose. The mare shied away from the attack, but Jennings swung at Luna twice more before he attempted to run away. He was quickly arrested, however, and taken into custody
Luna was uninjured in the attack and able to remain on duty.
DCI John McGonigle of Hampshire Constabulary said: “For a grown man to act in this way was deplorable, especially against an animal, who was simply there to help protect people who wanted to enjoy the game and get home safely. We hope this sentence sends a clear message that we will not tolerate this type of behaviour or any disorder at any public event. Action will be taken and those responsible will be investigated.”
“We’d like to thank the public for the outpouring of support we received for Luna, it was very much appreciated,” he said.
Sentencing: 20 months in prison. Six-year football banning order.
CONVICTED (2019) | Deborah Jane Hunt, born 1960, of Holbeach Close, Cosham, Portsmouth PO6 3LD – left her horses with dirty water and no food
Horse abuser Deborah Jane Hunt of Cosham in Portsmouth kept two horses in filthy conditions with no food or clean water
Cruel Debbie Hunt kept horses Paddy and Duchess in a stable in notorious Little Oaks yard in Frogmore Lane, Waterlooville.
Hunt ‘lunges’ abused horse Paddy
The pair were kept in unsuitable conditions without access to suitable and sufficient food and fresh water, despite the RSPCA and World Horse Welfare giving Hunt repeated advice.
Horse abuser Deborah Jane Hunt
One of the animals was seen eating his own faeces because he was so desperate for food.
Neglected horse Duchess is mentally scarred from her ordeal
RSPCA Inspector Tina Ward said: ‘This was a case of prolonged neglect where the needs of Paddy and Duchess were simply ignored.
‘The horses were in stables, filled with faeces and no clean bedding to give a dry resting area.
‘There was no food available and the only water they had access to was a small amount of very dirty water at the bottom of a bucket.
‘I saw Paddy eating his own faeces and found it very upsetting – it was clear he was desperate for food. Bay mare Duchess had severely overgrown hooves that hadn’t been tended by a farrier which were causing her further distress.
‘Thankfully both horses have gone on to make a fantastic recovery with the right care and a suitable diet.
‘Duchess is doing well health wise but mentally she has a long way to go. She has never been with other horses and had grass. She is still learning what it is to be a horse and often stands at the gate looking to come back in.’
Hunt, who has links with serial horse abuser Josh Pedelty, was found guilty of three offences under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 in connection with the neglect suffered by Paddy and Duchess.
Sentencing: 12 weeks’ imprisonment suspended for 12 months; eight-week curfew; total of £865 costs and charges. Banned from keeping equines for five years with right of appeal after three (expires May 2024).
CONVICTED (2019) | Joshua Stephen Pedelty, born 11 November 1988, of 344 Allaway Avenue, Paulsgrove, Portsmouth PO6 4QT – left pregnant mares and a stallion to fend for themselves at a ‘dumping ground’
Horse abuser Joshua Pedelty pleaded not guilty to cruelty charges but was convicted at Portsmouth Magistrates Court and banned from keeping horses for just three years.
A black stallion Friesian named Eli and two bay thoroughbred pregnant mares, Sophia and Duchess, were so under-fed their ribs were clearly visible and their bodies skinny.
Both Eli and Sophia had misshapen and overgrown broken hooves. The mares both gave birth but one foal was stillborn, leaving only foal Zazoo.
Sophia was later put down after an independent vet found she had contracted incurable colic.
All three had been left on land to fly graze on the Causeway, off Sussex Road in Petersfield by notorious horse abuser Joshua Pedelty, who has finally been convicted of neglect following an RSPCA prosecution.
Sadly Joshua Pedelty has reproduced …
Speaking about the prosecution case against Josh Pedelty, RSPCA deputy chief inspector Sandy Barlow, who investigated for the animal welfare charity and worked alongside field officers from World Horse Welfare to rescue the horses, said: ‘Fly-grazing of horses is a big issue, and can lead to welfare problems. Often the land used for fly-grazing is unsuitable for horses.
‘In this instance the area where they had been left had become a dumping ground for horses, and is totally unsuitable.
‘This case is a reminder that owning horses is a huge responsibility and owners have to make sure they can assure the welfare of the animals dependent on them.
‘Keeping horses in good condition and meeting their welfare needs can be difficult if an owner is moving them from place to place in this way without always guaranteeing the appropriate environment, such as suitable grazing, access to water and shelter, so we believe fly-grazing horses often experience welfare problems.’
Eli, Duchess, and Zazoo the foal, have fully recovered and will soon be rehomed.
Sentencing: total of £1,300 fines and costs. Three-year ban on keeping any type of horse (expired February 2022). His ban was suspended for 28 days.
Source: The News (article removed)
Additional information
We understand that Pedelty and his girlfriend Hannah Outen also keep around 20 horses in a run-down yard in Frogmore Lane in Horndean, Waterlooville. The horses are said to be in poor condition with overgrown, cracked hooves.
Pedelty and Outen, who apparently have a less than harmonious relationship are also prolific dog breeders. Again, animal welfare ranks low on their list of priorities and their main concern is always making money. Outen insists she is an animal lover but the above FB post from January 2018 would appear to contradict that.
Pedelty has a scrap metal business:
This is believed to be his vehicle. He is said to be banned from driving but drives.
Update | March 2020:
Tip-off received via PM
Joshua Pedelty aka Stephen is believed to have horses still in Titchfield Hampshire.
Update | April 2022
Pedelty, still of Allaway Avenue, Portsmouth, was given a 16-week custodial sentence suspended for two years after breaching his animal welfare conviction.
He was also convicted of causing suffering to a dog after failing to get appropriate veterinary care in October 2019.
During the same time he was also found guilty for failing to provide a suitable environment for the dogs.
He was ordered to complete 80 hours of unpaid work, undertake 22 rehabilitation days and pay a total of £728. Pedelty was banned from keeping two of the dogs.
CONVICTED (2018) | Barry David Shaw, born 25/08/1983, most recently (2021) of Gladys Avenue, Portsmouth – brutally kicked a chihuahua puppy in a fit of rage, leaving her with missing teeth, bloodshot eyes and bruising
The animal cruelty charge against Shaw – a career criminal with family links to Stockport – was proven in his absence.
Tiny chihuahua Coco suffered near fatal injuries in the vicious attack by lifelong loser Barry Shaw
RSPCA Inspector Andrew Kirby, who investigated the incident, said:
‘This was a horribly sad case where poor Coco was left with serious injuries.
‘She was near to death when she was taken to an emergency vet in a collapsed state with missing teeth, bloodshot eyes, and bruising.
‘Shaw admitted in interview he’d lost his temper with Coco after her owner left him alone with her while they nipped out.
‘When the owner returned they discovered what had happened to Coco and rushed her for treatment with a vet.
‘There is no excuse for subjecting an innocent animal to such violence.
‘It is very lucky that Coco’s tiny body survived such an horrendous attack.’
Sentence: 16 weeks in jail. Banned from keeping or owning any animals for just 12 months (expired July 2019).
CONVICTED (2018) | Robin Jefferies, born 30/05/1968, and Pauline Vinall, born 22/05/1987, both of Dormington Road, Paulsgrove, Portsmouth PO6 – let their horses become emaciated and burdened with life-threatening worms
Robin Jefferies and Pauline Vinall avoided jail after the ‘prolonged neglect’ of multiple horses
Robin Jefferies and Pauline Vinall were found guilty of 13 animal welfare offences relating to horses after a seven-day trial at Portsmouth Magistrates Court.
Prosecuting, Sara Pratt told magistrates how the pair allowed some of their horses to suffer ‘prolonged neglect’.
Some battled a ‘worm infestation’, she said, which could have killed them.
Ms Pratt said: ‘Those horses were perhaps very fortunate they remained alive.’
According to statistics, she outlined, as many as 70 per cent of horses fighting the same infestation typically die.
RSPCA chief inspector, Jen Ride, said the pair’s animal offences were reflective of the so-called ‘equine [horse] crisis’.
She said: ‘It’s a prolonged problem of breeding out of control and not having the land or management for such a huge numbers of equines.
‘There were about 35 horses when we visited and we removed nine.’
Jefferies was already banned from keeping animals following a cruelty conviction in October 2014. The court acknowledged that Vinall had abetted Jefferies in breaching that ban.
Magistrate Jonathan Berry called Jefferies’ most recent neglect a ‘flagrant breach’ of his previous disqualification.
Sentencing: Jefferies: 22-week suspended custodial sentence. Lifetime ban on keeping horses reimposed with no right of appeal for 10 years.
Vinall: conditional discharge. Vinall will pay £20 for her discharge.Seven-year ban on keeping horses (expires April 2025).
CONVICTED (2017) | greeder John Ware, born c. 1977, of Blakemere Crescent, Portsmouth PO6 3SH – caught breeding dogs without a licence
John Ware from Portsmouth admitted illegally breeding dogs
John Ware, who has links to the travelling community, pleaded guilty at Portsmouth Magistrates’ Court after the case was brought forward by Winchester City Council.
The court heard the council’s environmental protection team investigated after being notified by Havant Borough Council of puppies being bred in the village of Denmead, Hampshire.
Officers obtained a search warrant and when they inspected Ware’s property of Mill Farm, on Widley Walk in Waterlooville, they found a large number of dogs and four litters of puppies in outhouses.
Further evidence revealed at least three other litters had been bred by Ware or born to dogs owned by his relatives and kept at an address in Denmead.
Under current legislation it is an offence for anyone who keeps a breeding establishment for dogs to allow female dogs to give birth to five or more litters within a year.
Jan Warwick, portfolio holder for environmental health and licensing at Winchester City Council, said: ‘We take breeding dogs without a licence seriously and I am pleased to see the council’s legal team achieve another successful prosecution.
‘If we are presented with clear evidence of wrong-doing we as a council will not shy away from taking matters before the courts.’
Sentencing: Ware was disqualified from obtaining a dog breeding licence for just 12 months and ordered to pay costs of £4,375.
CONVICTED (2016) – dog thief and violent career criminal Lloyd Bellamy, born c. 1994, at the time of Southsea, Portsmouth, but more recently (2018) of Hawthorn Crescent, Cosham, Portsmouth PO6 – snatched a dog from his owner in the street.
Bellamy, who is originally from Grimsby, Lincolnshire, initially struck up a conversation with the dog’s owner in the street. But then suddenly the then 21-year-old grabbed the lead of the dog, a Staffy known as Puma, and ran off.
The theft took place in Portsmouth on June 8, 2015.
Puma was never recovered after being snatched by Lloyd Bellamy
Bellamy was originally charged with robbery over the dog incident, but that was dropped after he pleaded guilty to theft and assault by beating.
The dog has not been seen since the theft.
Bellamy’s solicitor told the court that Bellamy had not sold the animal but got a taxi and gave the dog away to the Aqua Cars driver’s friend.
The court heard there was no evidence to support this.
In mitigation the court heard Bellamy had “a background of difficulties”. The solicitor added that his had mental health problems and autism and acted impulsively.
Judge Sarah Munro QC told him: ‘This offence involved you out at night confronting a man who had his dog with him, initially behaving in a friendly way to him but then forcing the lead out of the man’s hand causing soreness.
‘And when he tried grabbing the dog’s lead back, you pushed him away and called him a foul name.’
She added: ‘It has not been recovered and the man described that dog as having meant the world to him.’
‘That’s a very long time, you’ve never managed to stay out of trouble for two years,’ the judge added.
Bellamy has a previous conviction for possession of a bladed article, for which he was given a community order.
Sentencing | 12-month prison sentence suspended for two years; three-month tagging order.
CONVICTED (2016) | horse trader Peter Ash, born 9 September 1958, of Charles Street, Landport, Portsmouth PO1 1JD – failed to get vet treatment for sick horses in his care; three horses later died
Heartless Peter Ash sentenced his sick animals to a life of misery because he refused to get them essential veterinary treatment.
Ash, who sold horses to the traveling community under the name Peter Ash Gypsy Cobs, was found guilty of causing unnecessary suffering to five equines.
RSPCA inspectors found the animals in a poor condition, with some emaciated and others with diarrhoea.
One had a weeping eye, and another had dental disease and needed urgent veterinary care.
The court heard there were up to 80 horses in the field. Five were found to be in such a poor condition they were seized from Ash and are the basis of charges. Three of these died.
Sentencing, district judge Peter Greenfield said: ‘It seems to me that when under pressure as a commercial enterprise you were doing anything to avoid paying the money for treatment, almost like there was an acceptable attrition rate.’
He added Ash did not spend money on treatment for red worm, which can strike horses in a short time, ‘based on profit’ of his business.
Ash kept the animals at Braishfield, near Romsey in Hampshire. The court ordered that he will still be allowed to transport and trade horses. He was deprived of the four horses still in RSPCA care – two of which were the foals of the adult horses at the time they were removed.
Sentence: 12-week prison sentence, suspended for two years; 300 hours of unpaid work; fined £1,500. Disqualified from owning, keeping and being involved with the care of any horses for five years (expired April 2021).
