Tag Archives: Tunbridge Wells

animal fighting / baiting, Dogs, hare coursing, hunting with dogs, Organised Animal Crime, Traveller Animal Crimes, Wildlife Crime / Bloodsports

Amersham, Buckinghamshire / Hawkhurst, Kent: Tommy Lee Gray and Joseph Abercrombie

July 23, 2023 misanthropic 1 Comment

CONVICTED (2023) | Tommy Lee Gray, born 11 July 2004, of 15 Weller Road, Amersham HP6 6LQ and Joseph Abercrombie, born 12 April 2003, of 1 Heartenoak Farm, Heartenoak Road, Hawkhurst, Cranbrook TN18 5EY – for hare coursing.

Hare coursers and gypsy travellers Tommy Lee Gray (left) and Joseph Abercrombie — Tommy Lee Gray (left) and Joseph Abercrombie

Travellers Tommy Lee Gray, offspring of convicted horse abusers James and Julie Cordelia Gray previously of Spindles Farm, and Joseph Abercrombie, a professional boxer, were arrested in Essex by specialist rural engagement officers and subsequently convicted of trespassing with intent to search for, or to pursue, hares with dogs.

Both admitted the offence when they appeared before Basildon magistrates on 13 July 2023.

Hare courser and professional boxer Joseph Abercrombie from Hawkhurst, Kent

The court was told they had both travelled to Paglesham near Rochford on 6 January 2023, Gray from Buckinghamshire and Abercrombie from Kent.

Hare courser Tommy Lee Gray from Amersham, Bucks

They were spotted by members of the public trespassing on fields with two dogs and reported to Essex Police.

Officers from the Essex Police Rural Engagement Team and Rayleigh Local Policing Team attended and the pair were arrested and charged.

Magistrates told them they had travelled a great distance and the offence was ‘planned and deliberate’. They decided against banning either man from driving because it was their first offence and against disqualifying them from owning or keeping dogs because of their family circumstances.

Sgt Ben Felton, from the Rural Engagement Team, said: “Hare coursing causes landowners, farmers and the rural community a large amount of anxiety because of the damage caused to the land by trespassing.

“We won’t tolerate animal cruelty in any form and will seek to prosecute whenever we have evidence of such crimes because we understand the damage, its cost and the fear this cruel crime can cause in our more isolated communities.

“This prosecution is the first of its kind in Essex, and among the first in the country, and we won’t hesitate to use the legislation to prevent and deter people from poaching game in our county.

“The message is getting out that hare coursers are not welcome in Essex.

“During the 2022/23 season we reduced hare coursing incidents across the county by 50% working with the CPS, forces across the eastern region and Kent, with help from the National Police Air Service.

“We encourage anyone who sees hare coursing in action to call 999.”

Sentencing | fined £250 and ordered to pay £105 costs and a £100 victim surcharge.

Essex Police
EssexLive

Dogs, Lifers, Worst of the Worst

Marden / Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent: Lain Elliott and Tina Wilson

August 4, 2016 misanthropic 2 Comments

CONVICTED (2016) | Lain Elliott, born 19/02/1969, of Cranham Square, Marden TN12 9TG, and Tina Wilson, born 20/07/1972, of Sandhurst Close, Tunbridge Wells TN2 3ST – left bulldog with an untreated skin condition so bad that “thickened rhino skin” replaced fur on at least half of her body

Animal abusers Tina Wilson and Lain Elliott from Kent

Elliott and Wilson both pleaded guilty to failing to ensure the needs of the dog, named Coco, by not maintaining adequate medication to control her skin condition.

Elliott also pleaded guilty to breaching a life disqualification on keeping all animals, which he had been given in 2011.

The RSPCA was called in October 2015 after concern was raised about Coco, thought to be around two to three years old.

She was found at Wilson’s address in Sandhurst Close in a terrible state, after her severe skin condition had gone untreated for at least four to five months.

The RSPCA took her straight to a vet who said, very sadly, that her state of health was so bad that the kindest thing to do was put her to sleep to prevent further suffering.

RSPCA inspector Andrew Kirby said: “Coco was just sitting on the sofa when I arrived – lethargic, in pain and looking very, very sad.

“Her skin condition was obvious – she only had fur on about half of her body and her legs, muzzle and underbelly were completely bare. Her skin was thickened like rhino skin, and was red raw and oozing pus.

“She also had claws growing into the pads of her paws and could barely walk. She was just utterly miserable.”

Sentencing |
Elliott – 60 days in prison, suspended for 18 months; 20-day rehabilitation order; six months of alcohol treatment; £437.50 costs. He had previously received a lifetime disqualification on keeping all animals in 2011.
Wilson – 12-month community order; curfew; £337.50 costs; disqualified from keeping dogs for five years (expired April 2021).

Kent Online

Dogs, Violent and Sadistic Pet Abusers

Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent: Christopher Stock

October 21, 2014 misanthropic Leave a comment

CONVICTED (2014) | Chris Stock, born around 1990, of Wiltshire Way, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN2 – for kicking a dog and sending her “flying into a wall”

Animal abuser: Chris Stock from Tunbridge Wells, Kent

Stock was convicted in his absence of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal.

The court heard Stock was outside the Guinea Butt pub in Calverley Road on May 14, 2014, when the incident occurred.

A pub employee spotted the crime when he was watching CCTV from the pub’s system. He saw Stock kicking his dog Sandy with enough force she went flying into the wall about a yard away.

Andrew Kirby from the RSPCA visited Stock two days later at his home.

Victim Sandy was kicked with force by Chris Stock from Tunbridge Wells, Kent — Victim Sandy

Prosecuting for the RSPCA, Andrew Wiles, said that Stock told Mr Kirby he was ‘off his head’ and lost his temper, but knew it didn’t excuse him kicking the dog.

Mr Kirby said: “There is no doubt that the defendant caused a lot of unnecessary suffering to this poor dog.

“He kicked her very hard on her side and the force was strong enough to knock the 33kg dog off her feet and send her flying across the floor.

“She visibly flinched and ran off in distress.”

The mastiff was later taken for examination by a local vet, Jason Hadley. He was shown the CCTV footage, and said the animal was ‘clearly kicked hard’.

The court heard Stock had previous convictions including for violence but none involving animals.

Mr Wiles said the RSPCA had put the dog in boarding kennels and that Scott had “declined to relinquish” her.

He also said that when Scott was sentenced there would be a case for a deprivation, meaning Sandy could be rehomed permanently.

Sentence: unknown