CONVICTED (2023) | Daniel Banham, born 6 September 1999, of Carters Hill Park traveller site, Carters Hill, Billingbear, Wokingham RG40 5QL – left his horse to suffer with a painful untreated skin condition.
Daniel Banham received a suspended prison sentence and eight-year ban on keeping horses following his mistreatment of an unnamed colt
Banham, a traveller, was visited by the RSPCA after calls of concern over a young horse in Fordingbridge in Hampshire who had severe skin lesions over his body. The lesions were crusty, the skin was dry, red and painful.
The horse was signed over to the RSPCA and can now be rehomed following his recovery
A vet carried out an examination of the unnamed horse and found him to be in a suffering state.
Banham was asked about the skin condition and said he thought it was rain scald so had used coconut oil on the lesions.
In their report, the vet said: “This horse was suffering from the consequences of inadequate management. The poor management led to dehydration, malnutrition, painful skin condition and severe liver disease that can have life-threatening consequences.
“He failed in his duty by failing to seek veterinary help for his horse’s very obvious and severe skin condition and concerning weight loss.
“Added to this his choice to apply coconut oil to his skin significantly increased this animal’s pain and suffering by conducting and amplifying the sun’s heat onto his severely damaged skin.”
RSPCA Inspector Tina Ward, who investigated for the animal welfare charity, said: “Our plea to all animal owners is to make sure they always receive care and treatment from veterinary experts when they need it.
“They are completely reliant on their owners to ensure their needs are met and they are kept safe and healthy.
“Owning an animal is a privilege – and ensuring appropriate veterinary care is a key part of the responsibility we have towards them. It’s so sad that, in this instance, that responsibility was not met.”
The horse was also signed over into the care of the RSPCA and can now be rehomed.
Sentencing | eight-week custodial suspended for 12 months; 20 rehabilitation activity requirement days; £300 costs and £154 victim surcharge. Banned from keeping horses for eight years.
#MostEvil | Joshua James Sharp, born 11 October 1996, of 28 Delane Drive, Winnersh, Wokingham RG41 5AT – battered a kitten and a puppy to death.
Jealous boyfriend Josh Sharp and his victims Peppa and Stark
Sadistic Sharp, who already has a lengthy criminal record, was convicted in relation to the violent deaths of two much-loved family pets: a four-month-old Sphynx kitten named Peppa and a Dachsund-type puppy known as Stark. The pets, who died within a couple of months of each other, were each owned by women Sharp had been dating.
Both women described Sharp as a controlling boyfriend who showed glimpses of jealousy towards their pets.
Peppa, who had previously been a healthy and contented kitten, died at an emergency vet a short time after being found by his horrified owner, Susannah, unconscious on her bed with blood pouring from his nose and mouth. He had also lost control of his bowels. Sharp, who was present at the time, claimed he had seen Susannah’s dog swipe the kitten with his paw during a scuffle, but the vet said the blunt-force trauma to Peppa’s head wasn’t consistent with this account.
Sharp persuaded Susannah to bury Peppa’s body but her suspicions grew after he told her how an ex-girlfriend’s puppy, Stark the Dachshund, had died, he claimed, from an allergic reaction to vaccinations.
Turning detective, Susannah tracked the ex down via Facebook. The woman confirmed that Stark had also died in mysterious circumstances after being with Sharp. She described how she had found her puppy on his side, dry-retching and gasping for breath. He passed away a short time later. She’d had her suspicions that Sharp had killed her pet, as the pup had always seemed nervous around him, but was unable to prove it and the two split up a short time later.
While still doubting that Sharp could be capable of such evil, Susannah needed answers and decided to dig up Peppa’s remains and arrange for a post-mortem. This confirmed the cause of death to be a fractured skull and brain haemorrhage.
Susannah believes Sharp used a phone to batter Peppa over the head.
The RSPCA was alerted and, following an investigation, Sharp was charged with animal cruelty.
Susannah suspects that Sharp’s motive for killing the pets was jealousy. She described how he would often complain that her dog got in the way of her cuddling him. She added: “He seemed to hate any attention being taken away from him. Whenever he was around, the animals acted strangely but he just kept repeating that he was an animal lover. “
At a sentencing hearing on Friday, March 4, 2022, Sharp was handed a 24-week prison sentence suspended for 22 months. He was ordered to carry out 180 hours of unpaid work and 40 days of rehabilitation. He was given an order stating that he can’t own, be in possession, handle or be left unattended with any animal for 10 years.
Susannah took to Facebook to express her frustration at the sentencing and anger at Sharp’s sickening animal cruelty. She wrote:
You may have escaped prison. But you haven’t escaped what this evil world will bring to you, and show you what you really deserve after being found guilty on killing two baby animals. You could have got a year behind bars, but in my eyes you got more. You can’t be protected in segregation out here Josh Sharpe.
‘You have severe mental and behavioural issues, and because of that you’ll do 40 days in rehab’ says the judge. After 40 days probation will see you need 40 years, not days.
£500 compensation which I don’t even want doesn’t bring my animal back or covers the emotions me and my kids had to deal with.
You’ve been recognised,
Your sick self is in the public eye and there’s no escaping what you did to these baby animals.
Losing a pet is hard but knowing it endured such a painful death is something that makes my heart hurt. No animal deserves to be hurt, especially tortured and killed. You’ve shown no remorse and you never will because you’re a sick sick human being and everything that comes your way you deserve, and more.
As the judge said herself people like you go on to harm humans and I pray that no individual has to experience what your sick hands are capable of.
I don’t really understand why she didn’t send you down. The only thing I can think of she’s recognised how much help you actually need, and realised rehabilitation will hopefully help you more in the long run so you don’t destroy any more lives – animals or humans. You’ll always be known as someone who abuses and kills animals, and you’ll never escape that.
You’re the lowest of the low.
You may not have harmed the 5 dogs your parents owned but trust me they won’t keep your name clean forever.
You can’t brainwash people you’re an animal lover forever and justice will be served.
