3 June 2015

Auckland woman banned from owning animals

An Auckland woman has been ordered to hand over all her animals to SPCA and banned from owning animals for 10 years after being found guilty of recklessly ill-treating a horse leading to his death.

Anne Power was sentenced in the Auckland District Court following the case involving a horse that was found dead, with his body in a severely emaciated state.

She has been ordered to forfeit all her animals to SPCA Auckland, disqualified from owning or exercising control over animals for 10 years, pay reparation of $4710.05 and pay legal costs of $1512 to SPCA Auckland.

In sentencing Judge Nevin Dawson noted that Power was fully aware of her obligations towards the care of the horse and demonstrated an abuse of the role she had in caring for the animal which amounted to ‘wilful blindness.’ The judge noted that in his view the degree of suffering was ‘sickening.’

This brings to close a case that began when an SPCA Inspector visited an 11 acre property in Riverhead on 11 September 2013 following a complaint. The Inspector found a dead horse, a 32-year-old gelding named Pip, which belonged to Power.

The Court found that Power recklessly ill-treated Pip with the result that he slowly starved to death and would have been in severe pain for months prior to his death.

After hearing evidence from a number of experts, the Court noted that any reasonable horse owner would have done more to check and monitor Pip’s condition on a regular basis, and had this happened, it would have been apparent that urgent veterinary attention was required.

“According to expert evidence, Pip suffered from severe conditions that could have been easily prevented,” says Bob Kerridge, SPCA Auckland Executive Director. “He was found with ailments including dental, lung, nasal and stomach problems, which would have caused chronic pain that no animal should have to experience.

“This is a very sad case of animal neglect and the SPCA's view is that an experienced horse owner should have seen the signs and acted upon Pip’s severely emaciated and starved condition, which included rain scald and loss of hair to all four fetlocks. This is fully endorsed by the comments of the judge in summation and the excellent sentence imposed.

“This was a slow and painful end to this horse’s life and one which with the proper care could have been avoided. The SPCA's position is this is totally unacceptable," says Mr Kerridge.

“I would like to pay tribute to the dedicated Inspector who has worked towards this outcome from the first inspection, right through to gathering the evidence to help achieve this guilty conviction and sentencing. This case epitomises the painstaking work required by the inspectors of the Society in ensuring justice prevails for those animals requiring our assistance.”

Pip suffered from periodontal disease and teeth decay, lung infection, nasal lesions, pneumonia and chronic parasitical worm infestation. His body showed protruding hip bones, spine and ribs, indicating severe muscle wastage due to a lack of sustenance.

After 1 September 2013, Power stopped Pip’s supplemental feeding and moved him to the bottom and top paddocks on the property. During this period, she only saw him on three to four occasions from a distance and neglected to check Pip’s condition under his horse cover.

Power failed to check Pip from up close during the 10-day period prior to his death. The Judge’s decision stated that Power’s failure to monitor Pip was reckless.

ENDS

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