CONVICTED (2024) | Thomas Ledbury, born c. 1985, of Pine Close, Corsham SN13 0LB – part of a group of huntsmen that threw a live fox to a pack of hounds.
Tom Ledbury was captured on video watching another person remove a terrified fox from his den before throwing the animal to a pack of hunting dogs.
Ledbury, who was employed by the now defunct Avon Vale Hunt as a terrierman, pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting another to commit an offence, namely unnecessary suffering to a fox.
Video footage obtained by hunt saboteurs showed Ledbury supervising hunt members as they throw a live fox to a pack of baying hounds in an incident near Melksham on December 24, 2020.
The video shows the fox being bitten on its right hind upper leg and upper neck as it is launched into the pack.
Ledbury is shown looking on as the horrifically cruel incident takes place.
An expert witness told the court there was no doubt that the fox was alive when he was pulled from the hole. He added that the poor creature would have experienced severe fear and extreme pain whilst being torn apart by the hounds. It would have eventually lost consciousness and died.
Two other men – namely Oliver Thompson of Faringdon, Oxfordshire and then Avon Vale Hunt Master Stuart Radbourne, a serial wildlife persecutor from Chippenham, Wiltshire, were convicted in relation to the same incident.
Stuart Radbourne (left) and Oliver Thompson
Thompson was found guilty of causing unnecessary suffering to a fox following trial and sentenced to a 20-week suspended prison sentence. Radbourne received a suspended 18-week custodial sentence.
Image credit: Wiltshire Hunt Saboteurs
A fourth man named Charlie Ball was also present and initially prosecuted. Unfortunately, the status of the prosecution against him isn’t currently known.
Charlie Ball (standing) pictured with Tom Ledbury. Photo credit: Wiltshire Hunt Saboteurs – Twitter
A fifth hunt member identified by Wiltshire Hunt Saboteurs as Rob Shearring was shown in the video with a spade and “assisting with the illegal kill”. It is unclear why charges have not been brought against Shearring given his clear involvement.
The Avon Vale Hunt was disbanded in February 2023 after it was removed from the sport’s governing body following the leaking of a video showing two foxes being dug out of the earth and thrown to waiting hounds on December 20, 2022.
Chief Inspector Will Mitchell, from the RSPCA’s Special Operations Unit which led the investigation, named Operation Aurora, said: “As part of a larger investigation the video footage was identified from a seized mobile phone.
“This shocking hunt video shows the lack of compassion and empathy for this fox who is thrown to a pack of baying hounds to be ripped apart. It’s really worrying to think anyone may find treating an animal this way fun.”
Sentencing | 12-month community order with a requirement to undertake 240 hours of unpaid work.
Ledbury runs a business called Tom Ledbury Maintenance and Installations. He currently holds a contract with Bath and North East Somerset Council to repair and maintain street furniture and park infrastructure.
CONVICTED (2023) | Luke Frewin, born c. 1996, of Ebor Paddock, Calne SN11 0JY – caught with a huge collection of images depicting sexual abuse of animals and children.
Sexual deviant Luke Brewin from Calne in Wiltshire. Image credit: Wiltshire999S
Frewin, who is apparently a father, initially denied four sex offences but changed his pleas to guilty a few days before his trial.
He also admitted possessing 57 extreme images involving sexual activity with animals.
He also admitted possessing 750 indecent images of children, including 239 described as being in category A – involving penetration.
Frewin was sentenced to 15-month prison sentence suspended for two years and was told to complete 60 rehabilitation days.
He was also ordered to register as a sex offender for ten years. A Sexual Harm Prevention Order was imposed to run alongside it.
CONVICTED (2023) | Avon Vale Hunt members Aaron Marcus Fookes, born 16 December 1993, of Townsend Green, Henstridge, Templecombe BA8 0TT, and Stuart Timothy Radbourne, born 11 April 1984, of 45 The Common, Chippenham SN15 2JJ – unearthed a live fox and threw her to a pack of hounds.
Aaron Fookes (left) and Stuart Radbourne – a convicted badger baiter – pleaded guilty to wildlife offences after being filmed unearthing a fox and throwing her to hounds. Photo: Wiltshire999s
Avon Vale Hunt whipper-in Fookes and hunt master Radbourne pleaded guilty to wildlife offences. The pair were prosecuted after a video emerged on social media showing the hunt duo and others pulling a live fox out of a den and throwing the terrified animal to a pack of hounds.
Crown prosecutor Patrick Schneider said the pair had been hunting in Brokerswood, Wiltshire, when video footage – which was later leaked to anti-hunt activists – was taken of them.
The footage, taken on 20 December 2022, showed Fookes kneeling down over the entrance of a badger sett with his arms down into it, pulling out a live fox. Radbourne is heard making whooping noises before the fox is chucked to a large pack of hounds and killed.
Solicitor Sam Harkness, representing both men, said that press coverage of the incident has “utterly destroyed the lives of the defendants”.
They were both left jobless, with Fookes leaving the county due to threats made against him.
Fookes now works as an agricultural contractor earning around £2,000 per month, whilst Radbourne is struggling with “significant debts” and earning £1,000 a month as a farmer and equestrian.
Radbourne, who faced one charge of hunting a wild mammal with dogs, was fined £384 and told to pay £42.50 costs and a £154 surcharge.
Photo: Wiltshire999s
Fookes was handed an 18-month community order for animal cruelty. He must complete 200 hours of unpaid work. For the fox hunting offence, he was fined £833 and must pay £42.50 costs and a £330 surcharge.
Aaron Fookes (left) and Stuart Radbourne
Alex Warden, born c. 1998, of Wood Road, North Bradley, Trowbridge, appeared in court in July 2023 where he denied illegally hunting a wild mammal with dogs.
Warden also denied causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal.
He chose to be tried by a jury at crown court and will appear at Salisbury Crown Court on 21 December, 2023.
The defendant was granted bail on the condition he does not participate in any trail-hunting in Wiltshire.
Two other people arrested earlier in the year will face no further action.
In February 2023, after footage of this incident was circulated on social media, the Hound Sports Regulatory Authority (HSRA) panel barred the Avon Vale Hunt – meaning the group could no longer operate.
Stuart Radbourne was back before the courts on October 27,2023, to be sentenced for an earlier animal cruelty offence.
He pleaded guilty to being jointly concerned with others in causing unnecessary suffering to a fox by causing it to be thrown to and savaged by hounds in Melksham on December 24, 2020.
Due to the seriousness of the offence, where a child was present, harm was caused to a protected animal, and the incident was filmed and shared with others, he received an 18-week prison sentence which was suspended for 12 months.
During those 12 months, he must carry out 200 hours of unpaid work, as well as pay £750 in court costs and £128 to fund victim services.
CONVICTED (2023) | illegal dog breeder Kimberley Barton t/a Swisshaven, Melfort Close, Sparcells, Swindon SN5 5FG – sold four litters of Greater Swiss Mountain Dogs without a licence.
Despite selling puppies illegally for £2,000 each, Bartom’s ‘punishment’ was a financial penalty of less than £800
Barton was banned from trading in dogs for at least two years following a successful prosecution by Swindon Borough Council, supported by Wiltshire Police and the RSPCA.
The defendant sold the puppies for around £2,000 each. Some were returned by customers over concerns they had not been adequately socially adjusted.
The council received complaints about Barton refusing to provide refunds when puppies had been returned, while also refusing to refund deposits for puppies that were not available as advertised.
The court heard that Barton would have been aware of the legislation surrounding the breeding of dogs as she is involved in dog shows.
Magistrates were told that the breeding operation was complex – with sperm being imported from the USA.
The court heard there was evidence Barton had bred at least a further 18 puppies since becoming aware of the investigation, which showed an “ongoing and flagrant disregard for the law”.
Sentencing | fined £120 and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £48, plus costs of £600. Prohibition order preventing Barton from dealing in (selling or trading) dogs for a minimum of two years. A breach of the order could result in imprisonment.
CONVICTED (2023) | Dean Callum Parkes, born July 1995, of Orwell Close, Malmesbury SN16 9UB – for cruelty to a critically injured dachshund owned by girlfriend Fae Brittany Prangle, born c. 1995, of Easton Square, Sherston SN16 0LX.
Dean Parkes and Fae Prangle were prosecuted by the RSPCA after miniature dachshund Mable suffered critical injuries
Four-year-old miniature dachshund Mable suffered chest injuries consistent with blunt force trauma while in the care of Dean Parkes. Her owner Fae Prangle, who had recently started a relationship with Parkes, took Mable to a vet who found signs of a high heart rate and abdominal pain. The vet told Prangle that Mable could go home but advised her to monitor her.
After Mable’s condition deteriorated, Prangle returned to the vet practice and a more thorough veterinary examination found that she had suffered fractures to three ribs and numerous pelvic fractures.
The vet likened Mable’s injuries to those resulting from a road traffic accident.
Prangle could provide no explanation for Mable’s injuries and the RSPCA was alerted.
Parkes was found not guilty of inflicting the injuries on Mable but was convicted of failing to protect her from pain, suffering and injury. Prangle was found not guilty and will now have Mable and another dog with similar injuries returned to her.
The RSPCA attended Prangle’s home in Sherston, near Malmesbury, on 6 January 2022 and seized Mable, an 18-month-old miniature dachshund puppy called Matilda and Duke, a red Labrador belonging to Parkes.
Matilda was examined by vets and found to have sustained numerous pelvic fractures, similar to those suffered by Mable.
It transpired that Prangle had sought treatment for Matilda on 3 December, eight days after she said the dog had jumped off an embankment during a walk and started limping. But she claimed Matilda’sr limp and lameness were intermittent and said the pet didn’t show any signs of pain or serious injury.
Finding no evidence of serious injury, the vet released Matlida back to Prangle with seven days’ worth of anti-inflammatory medication.
Both Parkes and Prangle faced charges of causing unnecessary suffering to Mable and Matilda by failing to seek prompt vet care and failing to protect them from pain, suffering and injury.
Parkes and Prangle gave similar accounts of the circumstances surrounding Mable’s injuries and the timeline of events, but these were contradicted by Prangle’s sister, Heather Prangle.
After hearing expert evidence District Judge Joanna Dickens found Parkes not guilty of inflicting the injuries on Mable, stating: “He clearly had the opportunity to do it. I didn’t find his explanation very convincing.
“Whilst he could have done it, and certainly on the balance of probabilities did do it, I am not sure, and therefore I find you not guilty.”
Parkes with red Lab Duke
However, he was found guilty of failing to protect Mable from pain, suffering and injury.
She added: “Mr Parkes was responsible for that animal when that injury happened. Something happened to Mable, I don’t know what happened, but I’m sure Mr Parkes knows.
“Whether he did it or someone else did it, either way, he didn’t take reasonable steps to prevent this happening.”
Prangle was found not guilty on both charges. Judge Dickens said that she “obviously loves the dogs” and took them to the vet when she had concerns about them.
Parkes, co-director of Empire Construction & Carpentry Limited, has a police caution for harassing an ex-girlfriend.
He will be sentenced in June 2023 and faces a ban from owning animals.
Mable and Matilda were released from Bath Cats and Dogs Home back to Prangle – who remains in a relationship with Parkes and now lives with him.
CONVICTED (2023) | Lewis Hill, born c. 2000, of Collett Place, Latton, Swindon SN6 6EH – threw a firework towards police officers, injuring four of them and a police dog.
Football thug Lewis Hill injured a police dog and four officers after launching an exploding firework at them.
Hill threw the firework towards a group of police officers ahead of Swindon Town’s clash with Bristol Rovers on 22 January 2022.
The firework exploded at the feet of the four officers, causing minor injuries, while PD Ross suffered burns to his nose. Ross has since returned to work as a police dog.
Ross suffered burns to his nose but has now returned to his duties as a police dog with Wiltshire Police
In court, Hill admitted one count of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal and four counts of assaulting an emergency worker.
Hill was tracked down through CCTV and witness statements, Wiltshire Police said.
Chief Constable of Wiltshire Police, Catherine Roper, said: “To throw a firework towards any group of people is an incredibly reckless and dangerous act.
“Assaults against police officers and police animals will never be tolerated.
“If you assault an officer or any other emergency services worker then be prepared to be dealt with to the fullest extent of the law.”
Dog unit manager Ian Partington said: “It is pleasing to see that Mr Hill has been jailed for his actions and that offences against officers and police dogs are taken seriously.
“Thankfully PD Ross has been able to continue his career and is performing well as a police dog.”
Sentencing | four months’ imprisonment. Three-year football banning order.
CONVICTED (2022) | smallholders Nicholas Shearmon, born 21 July 1966,, and Diane Shearmon, born 19 July 1981, of Spiders Paddock, Rusty Lane, Seend, Melksham SN12 6NS for a string of animal cruelty charges in relation to cattle.
On November 19, 2019, officers from Wiltshire Council’s animal health team and vets from the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) visited the couple’s smallholding.
They discovered three of their 12 cows had died. Many of the remaining cows were weak and in poor condition. One weakened cow became stuck in a muddy pool and had to be freed by Shearmon.
The court heard that on another visit on November 27, 2019, an animal health officer instructed the Shearmons to call a vet within 48 hours to a cow which appeared to have laboured breathing. A vet was not called and an officer from the animal health team subsequently attended the holding.
The cow was found in a collapsed state and required urgent veterinary attention. This animal was eventually euthanised by the couple’s private vet.
The offenders pleaded guilty to the following charges in court:
Causing unnecessary suffering to three cows, which at post-mortem were found to be chronically malnourished and having a lungworm infection
Causing unnecessary suffering by failing to seek veterinary attention for a cow which was anaemic, dehydrated and extremely thin
Failing to isolate ill or injured animals in appropriate accommodation
Failing to care appropriately for a cow which appeared ill or injured by failing to seek veterinary advice
Failing to protect nine cows from risks to their health by preventing access to a muddy bog/pond containing debris
Failing to report the movement of four cattle
Failing to hold three carcases in such a manner that no animal or bird had access to them
Sentencing | 100 hours of unpaid community work; ordered to pay £8,000 costs plus victim surcharge of £190. Banned from keeping, owning, dealing in or transporting cattle for 10 years.
CONVICTED (2022) | gamekeeper Archie Watson, born c. 2000, of Dragon Lane, Manningford Bruce, Pewsey SN9 6JE – caught dumping dead birds of prey in a well.
Archie Watson, pictured during his court appearance, was filmed dumping dead wild birds in a well.
Watson was prosecuted after secret filming caught him dumping dead buzzards, red kites and a herring gull on the farm where he worked.
He pleaded guilty to illegally possessing dead birds of prey after the animals were found in a well within the grounds of Galteemore Farm (aka the Farm at Avebury) in Beckhampton.
The charges related to five dead buzzards, three red kites, one herring.
He also admitted three counts of failing to comply with a firearm certificate after a loaded shotgun was discovered on the seat of his unlocked vehicle.
Magistrates heard that in August 2020 the RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) launched a covert investigation after they received a tip-off about a gamekeeper at Galteemore Farm killing birds of prey and throwing their remains into a well.
Prosecuting, Ashley Petchey said an investigation team from the bird conservation charity attended the farm and installed hidden cameras around the well.
Watson walked free from court with a community order. Picture: Facebook.
Footage recorded by the camera showed a male attending the site on numerous occasions and on 12 August 2020, a male was captured placing a buzzard into the well. Wiltshire Police was informed and they were able to identify him as Watson.
Armed with video footage, the force attained a search warrant under the Wildlife and Countryside Act. Supported by the RSPB, Natural England and the National Wildlife Crime Unit raided two separate addresses linked to Watson – including Galteemore Farm – in September 2020.
The farm’s owner, Robert Hues, was located and gave police Watson’s address. Watson was subsequently arrested at that address.
Specially trained rescue personnel entered the well and recovered the remains of numerous birds. As well as the protected red kites, buzzards and gull, dead pheasants were also located. The remains of a sheep and the skull of an unidentified mammal were also found.
In custody, Watson told officers that the buzzard he was recorded putting into the well was found dead under a tree. He said he used the well to dispose of birds and said the leg rings were found whilst metal detecting on land in Pewsey.
Mr Petchey said the birds’ cause of death could not be ascertained, though two of the buzzards located in the well did have metal in them.
Andy Lee, defending, said his client wished to make it clear he never caused unnecessary suffering or killed any birds or animals and there is “no evidence he has done so”.
He said Watson “came into possession of those birds after they have died” having discovered them on the farm’s land after they died. He said the birds were disposed of in the well after their death to “prevent the spread of disease”.
He added that there is “no evidence he had personally persecuted” the birds.
CPS Wessex Senior Crown Prosecutor Angharad Thomas said: “This is one of the largest prosecutions of someone being in possession of dead wild birds.
“Every wild bird is protected by law and it is an offence to even be in possession of one, dead or alive.
“A huge effort has gone into growing the red kite population in the UK, so to find three of them dead in that area is alarming and will have an impact on the success of this protected species.
“The CPS takes wildlife offences very seriously and will prosecute whenever our legal test is met.”
Sentencing | 12-month community order with 180 hours of unpaid work; ordered to pay the Fairtrade Access Fund £288.
#MostEvil | Thomas Robert Fowler, born c. 1993, of Periwinkle Close, Swindon SN2 2QH – inflicted horrific injuries on two cats and a puppy during repeated attacks, while his partner, Claire Louise Willis of the same address, turned a blind eye to the cruelty.
British Army soldier Tom Fowler was jailed for animal cruelty after inflicting “cruel” and “horrific” injuries on two cats and a puppy that later died or had to be put down.
Fowler owned cats Jessie and Shadow as well as 10-week-old pup Rolo, who all suffered multiple injuries while he cared for them alone when his partner was at work– including several rib fractures on all three pets.
District judge Joanna Dickens described the violence suffered by Rolo, Shadow and Jessie before they died as the most serious she had seen, adding that it was “gratuitous and horrific” as well as “cruel and sustained”.
Despite initial denials, Fowler later admitted the offences and said he couldn’t say why he had acted the way he had.
Lurcher puppy Rolo was subjected to a litany of physical abuse by his sadistic owner, Tom Fowler, from which he ultimately died.
Concerned vets raised the alarm in August 2020 after noticing suspicious injuries on the animals during frequent visits from Fowler and his partner Claire Louise Willis.
Fowler took female black cat Shadow to the vets on March 11 2020 when she was lethargic with a scratched head and a fractured tooth. She returned the next day disorientated and with laboured breathing and was then sent to hospital after medics noticed a neck wound, chest bruises, multiple rib fractures and a bruised lung.
Shadow left hospital on March 15 but was back with different injuries on May 7, this time a lame left hindleg and swelling.
She received pain relief medication and returned to her owner’s care – but was dead when the vets saw her again the next day.
Fowler’s partner adopted another cat, Jessie, on May 31 and it was not long before the new pet had to receive medical attention. Less than two weeks later, she would be dead.
On June 12, a different vet to Shadow’s examined Jessie because the poor cat had not drunk anything for 36 hours and was not eating properly.
An x-ray revealed six recently-fractured ribs – five on one side and one on the other – so vets placed her in an oxygen tent to assist her breathing and had to feed her via a tube. Sadly, Jessie failed to respond to treatment and to be humanely euthanised.
Unfortunately, the campaign of cruelty continued with another pet on August 3, when 10-week-old male Lurcher pup Rolo had laboured breathing and bruised eyes.
Fowler claimed Rolo had been playing with a toy, banged his head on the coffee table and then landed on the floor with his neck twisted.
Radiographs revealed Rolo had air abnormally surrounding his right lung on the right side as well as a bruise on the right side of the chest and swelling to his face.
He received pain relief, with intravenous fluid therapy and a chest drain removing the air from the pneumothorax.
After three days in hospital, Rolo returned to his owners but received fresh injuries within the eight hours before his owners brought him back again to the vets.
This time, he showed signs of physical trauma including a fractured rib as well as swollen red eyes that vets suspected had been caused by strangulation and also a fractured rib.
After these injuries were treated, Rolo suffered more trauma from which he could not recover.
Fowler and Willis returned to the vets on August 11 and 12 with Rolo sporting new injuries. A scan revealed fractures to the left side of his jaw as well as to his right cheekbone, both shoulder blades, two vertebrae and both hips, plus a total of 15 rib fractures, nine on one side and six on the other side of his chest.
Sadly, Rolo did not recover from his injuries and, after failing to respond to treatment, had to be put to sleep by a vet.
Sentencing Fowler, Judge Dickens added that she could not sentence him to more than 20 weeks’ custody even if she wanted to do so, because the law caps the prison term for animal welfare offences at 26 weeks’ custody.
She went on to explain that Fowler was entitled in law to have a reduction in his sentence because he had pleaded guilty to the offences.
She imposed a lifetime disqualification in relation to all animals which he cannot apply for this to be lifted for 10 years, and ordered he pay a £122 victim surcharge.
Fowler had served in the British Army for the past nine years and was supported in court by a representative from the armed forces. It was said he would be leaving the military as a result of these convictions and sentence.
Willis was sentenced for three charges having failed to exercise reasonable care and supervision in respect of protecting the animals from harm. She received a one-year community order and 10-year ban.
In mitigation, it was said that Willis was remorseful and that she had buried her head in the sand about what Fowler had been doing and continued to bring more animals into the home which were then abused by her partner.
RSPCA inspector Miranda Albinson, who investigated for the animal welfare charity, said: “The facts of this case are about as serious a case of cruelty as can be imagined and the extent of the injuries caused to these pets is heartbreaking.
“The animals in Fowler’s care suffered repeated violence as reflected in the horrendous extensive nature of their injuries and in the case of Rolo he was beaten within an inch of his life.
“It is heartbreaking to find this level of physical violence being inflicted upon so many animals in such a short space of time – and no sooner was Rolo brought home from the vet having treatment- he was further attacked.”
Sentencing:
Tom Fowler: 20 weeks in custody; £122 victim surcharge. Lifetime disqualification in relation to all animals but can appeal after 10 years.
Claire Willis: one-year community order with 120 hours of unpaid work and 12 Rehabilitation Activity Requirement days; £195 costs. 10-year disqualification order but can appeal after five years.
CONVICTED (2021) | Jason Paul Chalke, born c. 1980, of Moyne Close, Devizes – put four kittens in a bin bag which he dumped in a communal bin.
Chalke, who works as a fitter for Boel Rentals, admitted causing unnecessary suffering to the four kittens he threw away like rubbish in August 2019. It is not known whether they survived. .
Appearing at Salisbury Magistrates Court in January 2021, Chalke was fined £616 and ordered to pay a £62 surcharge and £85 in costs.
He was also banned from owning or keeping animals for a period of just three years (expires June 2024).
