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08/05/2009
Dealers Guilty Of Horse Neglect Charges
Five people have been found guilty of neglecting more than 100 horses, ponies and donkeys on a Buckinghamshire farm.
Horse dealer James John Gray, 45 and his son James Gray Junior,16, were both found guilty of 11 charges under sections 4 and 9 of Animal Welfare Act following a 12-week trial, brought by the RSPCA.
His wife Julie Gray, 41, and daughters Jodie, 26, and Cordelia Gray, 20, were also found guilty of two charges under section 9 of the Act.
RSPCA inspectors discovered the cruelty when they were called to Spindle Farm in Amersham, Buckinghamshire in January last year.
Bicester Magistrates' Court heard how they found more than 100 horses, ponies and donkeys, along with the bodies of a further 32 equines, at the farm.
RSPCA Chief Inspector Rob Skinner told the court he found the 32 carcasses in different locations on the farm when he went to look round in January last year.
He said the horses looked "dejected" and "emaciated" and some animals could not feed freely as they were being bullied by others.
Some of them were burnt and dumped on a bonfire, while others were discovered lying on the ground, covered in rubbish.
Hooves and body parts were also found scattered across the farm, along with a mound of bones and skulls.
Officers from World Horse Welfare, Redwings Horse Sanctuary, vets and Thames Valley Police worked alongside the RSPCA to rescue the surviving animals.
Nick White, a field officer for international horse charity World Horse Welfare - who was one of the first on the scene - said: "There were dead horses on the ground in front of me, and to the right.
"I looked across, there was a dead horse in the stalls. It was like walking into another world.
"There were none of the normal noises I associate with a stable yard – horses moving about, eating, drinking, calling out to one another or the gentle noises that horses make when approached, expecting to be fed or cared for. They were totally silent."
Sentencing is due to take place on June 5.
(JM/BMcC)
Horse dealer James John Gray, 45 and his son James Gray Junior,16, were both found guilty of 11 charges under sections 4 and 9 of Animal Welfare Act following a 12-week trial, brought by the RSPCA.
His wife Julie Gray, 41, and daughters Jodie, 26, and Cordelia Gray, 20, were also found guilty of two charges under section 9 of the Act.
RSPCA inspectors discovered the cruelty when they were called to Spindle Farm in Amersham, Buckinghamshire in January last year.
Bicester Magistrates' Court heard how they found more than 100 horses, ponies and donkeys, along with the bodies of a further 32 equines, at the farm.
RSPCA Chief Inspector Rob Skinner told the court he found the 32 carcasses in different locations on the farm when he went to look round in January last year.
He said the horses looked "dejected" and "emaciated" and some animals could not feed freely as they were being bullied by others.
Some of them were burnt and dumped on a bonfire, while others were discovered lying on the ground, covered in rubbish.
Hooves and body parts were also found scattered across the farm, along with a mound of bones and skulls.
Officers from World Horse Welfare, Redwings Horse Sanctuary, vets and Thames Valley Police worked alongside the RSPCA to rescue the surviving animals.
Nick White, a field officer for international horse charity World Horse Welfare - who was one of the first on the scene - said: "There were dead horses on the ground in front of me, and to the right.
"I looked across, there was a dead horse in the stalls. It was like walking into another world.
"There were none of the normal noises I associate with a stable yard – horses moving about, eating, drinking, calling out to one another or the gentle noises that horses make when approached, expecting to be fed or cared for. They were totally silent."
Sentencing is due to take place on June 5.
(JM/BMcC)
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