CONVICTED (2017) | publican Darren Turner, born 03/04/1975, of The Kings, 20 Wood Street, Swindon SN1 4AB – neglected four goats he kept in a ‘petting zoo’ at his pubs
Swindon publican Darren Turner was not banned from keeping animals despite his failure to care for four goats who had to be euthanised to end their suffering
Darren Turner, who owns four pubs, including 20 at the Kings, the Clifton in Old Town and the Fox and Hounds in Wroughton, admitted causing unnecessary suffering to four goats between the start of December 2015 and January 20 2016.
Turner kept the goats at his pubs as part of a menagerie.
Graham Gilbert, prosecuting for the RSPCA, said when a vet saw the goats in April 2015 she was immediately concerned for their hooves, though they were otherwise in good health.
Their feet were not entirely normal, he said, and she discussed the long term prognosis for them with Turner, saying the hooves needed to be regularly trimmed.
The following months she wrote him a letter outlining the long term options for the animals, including the possibility of them being put down if it got worse.
Mr Gilbert said the vet said she lost contact with Turner after July 2015 and in October she was at the Fox and Hounds, not to visit the goats, when she spotted them.
“It appeared the goats’ feet had deteriorated,” he said, and though she called Turner and left a voicemail, he did not get back to her.
Animal abuser Darren Turner
In January 2016 an RSPCA officer saw the goats had an odd gait and because of the impact the hooves were having on the quality of their lives they were destroyed.
The legs were then removed and sent to an expert who said the hooves were severely overgrown to a worrying degree, and curling up on themselves.
In at least two he said there were pathological fractures and also had problems with their knees.
“He concluded the goats were clearly in pain and that would have been entirely apparent to anyone who saw them from their gait,” he said.
When he was interviewed by RSPCA officers in January 2016 Turner accepted he knew their hooves needed to be trimmed regularly.
“He said the last thing he wanted was for the goats to suffer in any way, or for them to be put down,” he said.
Alex Daymond, defending, said his client had got the animals, which had issues with their legs and feet when he got them, as part of a sort of petting zoo at his pubs.
He said he never intended to cause any harm to them but accepted for a short period of time he neglected to look after them properly.
Turner now employed two people full time to look after the animals, he said, and had also spent £40,000 to care for them.
And he said because of the nature of his work running four pubs he would struggle to find the time to complete any unpaid work.
Recorder Patrick Clarkson QC, sitting with two magistrates, said they would not ban him from keeping animals as recent inspections had not raised any welfare issues.
Sentencing: 80 hours of unpaid work. No ban on keeping animals.
CONVICTED (2016) | Christine Bowe, born c. 1960, of 7 Low Lane, Calne SN11 8EQ- neglected her five Jack Russells by keeping them muzzled for long periods.
Christine Bowe kept her five Jack Russells muzzled for extended periods, causing them discomfort and distress.
Bowe admitted she had caused unnecessary suffering to one of the dogs known as Piglet and failing to meet the needs of her other dogs called Milo, Rosie, Muffy and Mr Blobby through the misuse of muzzles and failing to provide them with a suitable environment to live.
Bowe’s property was cluttered and chaotic.
RSPCA inspector Miranda Albinson told the court that the animal protection charity was first alerted to the dogs after one had been found wandering the streets wearing a muzzle.
After a Facebook post reunited Bowe with her dog, inspectors visited the property and found evidence that the dogs had been forced to wear muzzles for long periods of time.
They also discovered a gosling with an untreated broken beak.
She said: “Muzzles are not an appropriate solution to stop dogs from barking or from causing destruction in the home. Anyone concerned about their dogs displaying unwanted behaviour should seek specialist help.
“Any muzzle must be properly fitted to ensure they do not cause injury, pain or distress and needs to allow a dog to undertake normal activities such as panting, breathing, vomiting and drinking.”
Sentence: total fine/costs of £200. Banned from keeping dogs for five years (expired 2021).
CONVICTED (2016) | George Gale, born c. 1997, of Doveys Terrace, Kington Langley, Chippenham SN15 5NX – shot a pet chicken with an airgun and hit her with a spade.
Monster: George Gale in 2020 police mugshot.
Gale pleaded guilty to causing suffering to the domestic fowl. He was prosecuted after someone witnessed the prolonged attack.
RSPCA inspector Ian Burns said: “He was seen just throwing the bird’s body over the fence – though it is impossible to know whether the animal was dead or dying when this happened.
“What we do know is that we found the body of the chicken in a seriously awful state. It was obvious how much the poor bird had been bashed about.
“The vet who examined the body afterwards said the air gun pellets had caused severe bruising but would not have caused the death.
“It is not known exactly what caused the death but it is likely to be the accumulated effect from a sustained, prolonged attack.
“This animal would have suffered a great deal.
“This seems to have been a completely mindless attack with no reason”.
Sentence: 14-week suspended prison sentence, total £230 charges. Disqualified from keeping all animals for five years (expired 2021).
Gale is jailed for two years after being found carrying three knives in the centre of Chippeham. He had bought the blades from a shop before going to meet a traveller who he later told police he had threatened to ‘slash up’.
The court heard that Gale had been jailed for having a knife in March 2013 and August 2016 and was put on a community order for theft in mid September 2018.
By this point he had 22 other previous convictions for either assault or battery.
Gale, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to possessing a bladed article.
Guy Wyatt, defending, said his client was of ‘limited intellect’ and that his family says he suffers from a degree of autism.
He said Gale’s grandmother, who didn’t believe he had made threats against anyone, was willing to have him live with her.
Mr Wyatt said that he even had a job lined up as a labourer laying tarmac for the same traveller he was said to be threatening.
CONVICTED (2016) | Ebony Eve, born 23 August 1988, of Frobisher Drive, Swindon – fatally injured a Shar Pei after battering him with a hammer and stabbing him 20 times with a kitchen knife
Ebony Eve killed subjected Shar Pei Nettles to a horrific death
Magistrates heard how Eve’s brother had been with her the night before the killing when she gave the dog ,Nettles, a bath because she said he smelled.
The following morning he found the dog’s bloodied body on the living room floor of their home and raised the alarm.
Police found blood splattered on the floor and walls next to where the dead pet was lying.
Eve admitted killing the dog straight away but could give no explanation for her actions.
2020 image of Ebony Eve who may also use the name Ruby Todd
In court, Eve admitted causing unnecessary suffering to the dog and was remanded in custody for her own safety.
She was later transferred through the Mental Health Act to an NHS medium secure unit.
During the sentencing hearing, magistrates said Eve, who was said to have severe mental health issues, will not be sent to prison but will remain in a secure psychiatric unit.
Chairman of the bench Felicity Dowell said: “We have read the two reports from the psychiatrists and we feel what they are recommending is the most sensible option.
“Therefore you are going to continue with the hospital order where you are now and you will remain there and you will get the treatment you need there.
“You will stay in hospital as long as it takes depending on how you respond to the treatment.
“We are not making any costs because of your situation nor are we awarding a victim surcharge.”
Sentence: to remain in a secure psychiatric unit indefinitely.
CONVICTED (2015) | backyard breeder Andi Martin Kilgallon, born 26/08/1992, previously of Swindon and more recently (2020) Edinburgh Crescent, Bourne PE10 9DS – left his pet dog and her four puppies to starve
Andi Kilgallon
After reports from a member of the public, the RSPCA went to a property on Spindletree Court, Swindon, in August 2015. There inspectors found a nursing mother dog, Tia, shaking and in a skeletal state surrounded by her pups, all of whom were clearly suffering.
Tia was found shaking and in a skeletal state surrounded by her pups. Gravely ill, she was unable to be saved.
All of the dogs were removed from the property and taken to a vet who was shocked at their condition and said that Tia was the skinniest dog that they had ever seen. Sadly two of the dogs, including mother Tia, later had to be put to sleep on veterinary advice.
One of Tia’s four starving pups
Owner Andi Kilgallon, a career criminal with multiple convictions, pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to his pets by not providing them with sufficient food.
His lawyer told the court his client did not have the money to take the dogs to the vet, he was depressed and struggling with the break-up of his relationship with the mother of his children.
Social services had become involved in the care of his six-month-old son and four-year-old daughter.
Speaking after sentencing, RSPCA inspector Steph Daly said: “This was an awful case of neglect.
“When I found Tia she was a bag of bones and was just lying there in a training cage in the front room with no water to drink and just an old t-shirt to lie on. She was surrounded by her hungry, whimpering pups and she was starved almost to death. It was a heartbreaking sight.
Dog killer Kilgallon pictured outside court in 2015. His ban on keeping animals expires in November 2020.
“I just hope that this sentence goes some way to educating people that caring for your animals properly is not only the right thing to do but that it is also a prosecutable offence to neglect them in this way”.
Sentencing: 12-month community order, including 150 hours unpaid work, ordered to pay £200 costs to the RSPCA, a £60 victim surcharge and £150 in court costs. Disqualified from owning any animals for a period of five years (expired 2020).
CONVICTED (2015) | Sarah Jane Reeves, born 23/11/1995, of Frobisher Drive, Swindon SN3 3HB – owner of a kitten that was beaten and starved to near death
Reeves owned a six-month-old kitten. Tilly, who was starved to a third of her body weight and beaten at a home in Haydon Wick
Tilly was ‘clearly dying’ when the RSPCA were called to a property in Speedwell Close and found her under a blanket on the sofa, cold to the touch.
The authorities were only alerted after Reeves discovered a friend had been filmed throwing the tiny cat against the walls of her home.
Despite being rushed to a nearby vet, Tilly was beyond help and had to be euthanised on humane grounds.
Tanya Jones, prosecuting, told the court: “RSPCA inspector Miranda Albinson was informed a cat at an address in Swindon had allegedly been beaten two days previously.
“She was told that there was video footage of the incident.
“She could see the cat was emaciated and looked skeletal.
“Her ribs and hip bones were protruding, and the cat was clearly dying.
“The surgeon would have expected a cat that age to weigh about two to three kilogrammes, and in his opinion, it is not something we would expect to happen over a few days.”
Terry McCarthy, defending Reeves, said much of the punishment meted out to the kitten was not her fault.
Sentence: community order for 12 months, with six months’ supervision and 100 hours of unpaid work; £500 in courts costs and £60 victim surcharge. Banned from keeping any animals for 10 years (expires April 2025).
CONVICTED (2015) | pet hoarders Simon Franoux, born February 1958, and Lisa Clark, born December 1970, previously of Boston, Lincolnshire, then Melksham in Wiltshire and as of August 2020 at Saffron Meadow, Calne SN11 0RR – for severe neglect of 31 cats and a puppy
Simon Franoux
The RSPCA was called in October 2014, following a tip-off from a member of the public regarding concerns about a number of animals living at the pair’s former address in Boston.
RSPCA inspectors removed 31 cats and one black labrador puppy from the property as they were suffering from cat flu and respiratory illnesses along with flea and ear mite infestations.
The court found that all the animals were suffering as a result of the conditions in which they were confined to.
Two of the cats had to be put down by a vet due to their health conditions – but the RSPCA says the rest, including the dog, have all now been re-homed.
Sentence: 12-week custodial sentence, suspended for 12 months; £280 costs each. Disqualified from keeping all animals for six years (expired January 2021).
CONVICTED (2014) | Veronica Reid, born c. 1972, and Jon Paul Allen (aka Jon Paul Davis), born c. 1987, of Woolpack Meadows, Trowbridge BA14 7SU and Paul Brown, born 12/03/1962, of Okehampton Road, Exeter – tied a noose around collie’s neck and hung him with a rope from the attic, punched and kicked him to ensure she was dead.
Dog killers: from left to right Jon Allen, Paul Brown and Veronica Reid and the innocent victim of their cruelty, collie Shandy
Veronica Reid and Jon Allen pleaded guilty to charges of causing unnecessary suffering to a collie by hanging him until he died. A third defendant, Paul Brown, pleaded guilty at the court separately.
Veronica Reid and Jon Allen pictured outside court
The court heard how Allen and Brown went to a vets practice in Trowbridge on January 17, 2014, to inquire about having the dog, a collie named Shandy, put down claiming he had become aggressive.
Jon Allen and Paul Brown
When the vet told them it would cost ‘more than £100’ , the pair took matters into their own hands and decided to kill the dog themselves.
It took up to 10 minutes for the dog to die by hanging, Brown punched and kicked him to make sure he was dead. The trio then buried him in the garden.
Their crime came to a light during a conversation between Reid and a neighbour. The neighbour told the RSPCA: “[Reid] was sat waiting for a bus one day and we started having a chat.
“I asked her what had happened to the dog, as it used to bark constantly. She then told me it was gone. I asked her what she meant, thinking she had taken it to a dog’s home or something, and then she made a hanging gesture. She also told me that the squealing noise it made sounded like when you boil a lobster.”
Sentence: Brown – 18-week prison sentence suspended for 18 months, Reid – 18-week suspended jail sentence, 6-month curfew, Allen – 23-week suspended sentence and 300 hours’ unpaid work. All three abusers – 10 year ban on keeping animals(expires September 2024).
CONVICTED (2013) | Avon Vale Hunt joint huntmaster Stuart Timothy Radbourne, born April 1984, of The Common, Chippenham SN15 2JJ and terrierman Benjamin George Pethers, born c. 1984, of Hoopers Pool, Southwick, Trowbridge BA14 9NG – “interfered” with a badger set.
Avon Vale joint huntmaster Stuart Radbourne (left) and terrierman Ben Pethers admitted interfering with a badger sett
Stuart Radbourne and Ben Pethers claimed they were trying to find a lost terrier called Jimmy after they were caught digging frantically at a badger sett.
The pair were charged with the badger set attack and jointly charged with breaching the Hunting Act along with Jonathon Seed, born February 1958, the former master of the Avon Vale Hunt, and two other hunt staff, Paul Tylee-Hinder, born c. 1954, and Josh Charlesworth, born c. 1994.
L-R Avon Vale Hunt employees Stuart Radbourne, Paul Tylee-Hinder, Ben Pethers and Joshua CharlseworthConservative councillor and former hunt master Jonathan Seed branded the court case a ‘complete outrage’
The RSPCA ultimately dropped the hunting charges after Radbourne and Pethers pleaded guilty to interfering with a badger sett.
The court heard that on March 6 ,2012, the five men, who were out hunting, were alerted that their dogs had marked a fox in a nearby field.
Radbourne and Pethers, who were riding on a quad bike, reached the area first and began to assess the situation.
They let the inexperienced terrier, Jimmy, loose and he ran off and disappeared.
The huntsmen located the dog in the sett after they heard barking from below the ground.
They tried to use a location collar to pull him out but when that failed they began digging at the ground to free him, the court was told.
Jeremy Cave, prosecuting, said: ‘An onlooker saw the men digging in the sett and describes the digging as furious with soil flying.
‘The police and the RSPCA turned up and the men were questioned.
‘There had been considerable interference with the set, digging and filling in the entrances. In total there were 15 entrances to the sett, 11 of which had been blocked.
‘RSPCA Inspector Ian Burns, who turned up at the site, described it as “the worst find he has ever witnessed in his 25 years of being an inspector”.’
He added that Radbourne had been seen by another onlooker waist deep in the sett digging.
Avon Vale Hunt employee Paul Tylee-Hinder from Calne, Wiltshire and his terrier
The traumatised terrier eventually resurfaced two hours after he had first become stuck, suffering deep cuts and puncture wounds to his neck and face.
The RSPCA had originally brought charges against all five huntsman of breaking the Hunting Act ban, but decided to drop the cases after accepting the guilty pleas from Radbourne and Pethers.
Seed, of Bromham, Tylee-Hinder, of Calne, and Charlesworth, of East Tytherton, all denied any wrong-doing.
Clive Rees, defending Radbourne, told the court: ‘It was certainly a badger sett and it was accepted that he had been the one who was up to his waist in it and he took full responsibility for that.
‘But it was out of concern for the terrier.
‘Mr Radbourne accepted his responsibility from the beginning. Seeing it was an active badger set made him even more concerned about Jimmy.’
Janet Gedrych, for Mr Pethers, said her client had accepted that it was ‘reckless’ to let Jimmy free.
‘It was clear that Jimmy had escaped and it was reckless to allow the dog out of the cage before fully investigating,’ he said.
‘He accepts that he was digging in an effort to find his dog, he didn’t intentionally set out to damage the sett but he acted recklessly to find his lost dog.’
Stuart Radbourne pictured arriving at court
District Judge Cooper told the pair: ‘In my mind the main aspect of this case was a failure to control Jimmy.
‘Reliable or not, he should have been kept in his box. He got out and disappeared down the sett.
‘Why he did it is speculation, but that he should have been allowed to do it was wrong. You are both responsible and you both could have prevented it.’
The RSPCA inspector who compiled the case against the five men said he would have been ‘heavily criticised’ if he had walked away from prosecution.
Inspector Ian Burns said: ‘There was severe damage to that badger sett and with all the money it has cost I would have been heavily criticised if I had walked away and left it.
‘I have had 25 years’ experience as a wildlife officer and I have dealt with numerous badger cases and that is the biggest, deepest, hole that I have seen dug.’
A spokesman for the RSPCA added: ‘The RSPCA received a call that a group of men had been seen on and around a badger sett in Stockley Hollow at the time that the Avon Vale was riding in the vicinity.
‘On examining the area, RSPCA inspector Ian Burns found that a large hole had been dug directly down into the active badger sett, breaking a tunnel and entrances had been blocked up.
‘A small Patterdale terrier emerged from the sett, muddy, dazed and bleeding badly from his jaw. He was fitted with an underground location collar.
‘The dog, which belonged to Pethers, was taken to a vet who found his injuries were consistent with having been attacked by the claws and teeth of an animal whilst underground.
‘The defendants gave conflicting accounts at the scene including chasing foxes, rabbits and searching for a lost dog.’
The badger sett where the men were spotted was in Stockley Hollow, near Calne, Wiltshire.
Sentencing | each ordered to pay a £300 fine, £250 costs and a £15 victim surcharge.
Three members of the Avon Vale Hunt have been arrested on suspicion of wildlife offences after a video emerged online appearing to show people pulling a fox out of a den.
According to various hunt saboteur groups, Stuart Radbourne is one of the three, alongside whipper-in Aaron Fookes. The identity of the third man has not yet been confirmed.
Aaron Fookes (left) with Stuart Radbourne
The clip shows one fox being pulled out of its den before another jumps out from underground.
Cheers and laughter are then heard as the hounds apparently pursue the foxes.
The British Hounds Sports Association (BHSA) immediately suspended Avon Vale Hunt from its organisation pending an investigation and has summoned the joint masters, acting chairman and kennel huntsman to BHSA headquarters to explain themselves.
In a statement, the BHSA said: “The panel found that on the balance of probabilities the evidence revealed serious breaches of the core principles and rules of the BHSA.”
It said the panel “were minded to permanently to expel the hunt and its masters, huntsman and kennel huntsman from membership of the BHSA.
“This would mean that in all probability the Hunt would no longer be able to function.”
The Wiltshire hunt has 14 days to respond to the findings.
