Spindles Farm verdict announced (From This Is Local London)

Spindles Farm verdict announced

12:18pm Friday 8th May 2009 in

• Skip social links
• Print
• Email
•  

FIVE members of the same family have been convicted of what has been described as “the worst case of animal cruelty” ever seen.

More than thirty carcasses were found at Spindles Farm in Chalk Lane, Hyde Heath, by RSPCA inspectors in January 2008 – with some remains found in pens alongside live animals.

Horses, donkeys and ponies were found at Spindles Farm in pens “three or four inches deep” in slurry and faeces, having “no dry areas” to lie down, Bicester Magistrates' Court was told today.

District Judge Andrew Vickers today found five people guilty of offences under the Animal Welfare Act following a 50-day trial at the court.

The farm's owner James Gray, 44, and his 16-year-old son, also James, were convicted of nine counts of causing unnecessary suffering to animals and two charges of failing to protect animals from pain, injury, suffering and disease.

The judge today lifted a court order banning James junior from being named.

Julie Gray, 41, and her two daughters Jodie, 26, and Cordelia, 20, were cleared of the charges of causing unnecessary suffering but convicted of failing to protect animals from pain, injury, suffering and disease.

An additional charge of causing unnecessary suffering was dropped due to a lack of evidence.

Judge Vickers said there was evidence Spindles Farm was being run as a joint enterprise by the family, despite James Gray senior's testimony in court he was solely responsible for running it.

But it emerged wife Julie was named as the secretary for Gray's Horses Limited, the company registered at Spindles Farm.

James senior also said his son and two daughters were responsible for running the farm in his absence when he applied to have the seized animals returned to him before a criminal prosecution was brought against him.

During the course of the trial, evidence was heard from two expert witnesses.

But Judge Vickers said he was “unable to rely” on this evidence as it could not be corroborated.

The court heard today James senior has a previous conviction for causing unnecessary suffering after failing to call a vet when a piebald colt needed treatment in 2006.

All five gave no comment interviews when questioned by police at the early stages of the criminal investigation.

But Judge Vickers said because of the nature of the offences the court could “draw an adverse inference” from the Gray family's failure to answer questions from the police.

All five will be sentenced at Aylesbury Magistrates' Court on June 12.

Judge Vickers said the offences committed by James senior were serious enough to have “crossed the custody threshold” and did not rule not imprisonment.

He said: “The final sentence will be decided when full mitigation is made and the pre-sentence report is made.”

He indicated custodial sentences were unlikely for James junior, Julie, Jodie and Cordelia.