Katrina Sullivan, of Laurel Grove, Bognor Regis and Jamie Middleton, of Felpham Road in Bognor Regis, pleaded guilty to two offences under the Animal Welfare Act 2006, and appeared for sentencing at Worthing Magistrates Court on October 14.
The pair of them have been banned from keeping animals for the next ten years, the RSPCA has confirmed, and Sullivan was sentenced to 12 weeks in prison, suspended for two years. Middleton was handed a 14-week prison sentence, suspended for two years.
The court heard how an 18-month old Piebald Cob filly called Sassy and a three-year-old Bay Welsh Arab gelding called Apollo were left in paddocks in terrible conditions, with one suffering from a parasitic body condition. Sullivan failed to get proper treatment for them, and the health of both animals rapidly deteriorated.
RSPCA officer Rebecca Carter visited the field, off Brooks Lane in Bognor Regis, on October 25 last year, where she met a field officer from the World Horse Welfare Charity. There, they found Sassy in a stable, where she appeared gravely unwell; reports say she was emaciated, and suffering from a tail wound which was infested with maggots.
Apollo was found in another stable, with legs so badly swollen he could no longer stand. His rear end was covered in diarrhoea, and he was so malnourished his spine, ribs and hip bones were all visible.
Inspector Carter said in a statement presented to the court: “Sassy was wearing two rugs but despite this I was able to see that she was in a very poor bodily condition with a thin neck and protruding scapula and sunken abdominal area.
“I could feel her protruding spine, ribs and pelvis area. She appeared to have lost all of the muscle in her hind limbs and her tail and rear legs were covered in foul-smelling diarrhoea.”
Sassy’s owner told them she had found the animal lying down in a field four days previously, but could not get medical help because her regular vet was absent on holiday and other vets didn’t come out because she ‘had no money to pay upfront and failed credit checks.’
Sullivan’s daughter left Apollo in the care of her mother, and was unaware of any problems with the horse.
They also found two other horses in a paddock nearby, both in a reasonable condition. All four horses were turned over to World Horse Welfare. Sassy passed away while the charity officers were in the paddock and, despite receiving intensive treatment, Apollo passed away three days later in a veterinary hospital.
A post-mortem showed that an emaciated Sassy weighed only 83 kilograms, with a serious parasite infection in her gastrointestinal tract, which accelerated weight loss that may have also been caused by a lack of food.
In mitigation, the court heard how Sullivan was remorseful – she left the animals in the care of her partner, Middleton, who suffered from mental health problems. It was said that he ‘tried his best’, but his efforts were ultimately ‘incompetent.’
Magistrates told both defendants that they had ‘dreadfully mistreated’ the horses, but agreed to suspend their custodial sentences. Both defendants were told to pay court costs of £350 and a victim surcharge of £154 each.