Man, 70, caused his horse to suffer
Wednesday 16th September 2009, 12:29PM BST.
A Shropshire man has been banned from keeping horses for five years and ordered to pay more than £12,000 after being found guilty of causing unnecessary suffering to his horse.
Tom Evans, 70, of Wheatcommon Lane, Richards Castle, Ludlow, pleaded not guilty to causing suffering to his mare Molly.
A trial at Telford Magistrates Court yesterday found Mr Evans guilty of the offence.
In November last year RSPCA inspector Debbie Large visited Mr Evans’s property to find a severely lame mare. Molly was suffering from chronic lameness and was unable to put any weight on her left forelimb, RSPCA officials said.
They added that vets concluded that Molly could have been suffering for up to three months.
In mitigation, Mr Evans said Molly had only been lame for five days and that she was getting better. He said he was treating her lameness himself.
As well as the five-year ban, Telford magistrates also ordered Mr Evans to pay full costs of £12,140 and gave ownership of Molly over to the RSPCA.
Speaking after sentencing, Inspector Large said: “The strong message from this court case is that if your animal requires veterinary treatment then it must be sought.
“Treating your animal’s ailment yourself is not an option and does not stand up as a suitable excuse in court for not seeking professional help for your pet.”
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