News stories
Charity relief at horse cruelty verdict
The original verdict in the Amersham animal cruelty case was upheld on Thursday at Aylesbury Crown Court.
We wanted to let you, our valued supporters, know as soon as we did: the original verdict in the Amersham animal cruelty case (brought by the RSPCA) was upheld on 6th May 2010.
All five defendants were appealing against charges of neglect and cruelty under the Animal Welfare Act 2006. Two of the charges were dismissed earlier in the appeal hearing, and the juvenile male was acquitted of a further two this week. The rest were upheld by presiding judge Christopher Tyrer following 33 days of evidence.
The appeal against sentence will take place on May 12th, also at Aylesbury Crown Court at 10am
It’s lovely weather this week at Redwings; our 61 horses Amersham horses, ponies and donkeys are peacefully grazing in the sunshine. They are of course unaware of this week's events but this news does mean that, following sentencing next week and pending any further appeals, they may soon be signed over into our permanent care. After more than two years since their rescue, their futures will finally be secured.
We have been caring for 21 horses, ponies and donkeys (together with six foals born after the rescue) since January 2008 when they were rescued from Spindle Farm in Buckinghamshire. During 2009, our Silver Jubilee year, we took in another 32 from RSPCA boarding yards plus two from another charity making the total here Redwings 61. Among the rescued animals are Esther the chocolate brown donkey foal and Timothy, another donkey foal born just days after mum Mary’s arrival. You can help us to continue caring for these special animals here >>>>>>>>>>
Redwings Head of Welfare and Senior Vet Nicolas de Brauwere led the rescue effort and was praised in court for the 'compelling evidence' he gave in court. He said: “We are delighted with this result, not to mention incredibly relieved. As events unfolded on the 9th January 2008 we found more and more evidence of untold suffering that shocked us and compelled us to act. We always believed that the evidence would support this verdict’s verdict.”
He continued: “Even though two days of rescue had already preceded our involvement we were confronted with scenes of suffering animals, animal remains, terrible living conditions and an overwhelming atmosphere of death and disease. Many of the animals were critically debilitated and ill. It took all our skills and the tireless efforts of our staff to treat and slowly nurture these animals back into health.
“This case exposed the best and worst of our horse industry. The dark side of the horse trade was rightly exposed thanks to the fantastic collaboration by all the charities who answered the call for help. We all hope never to see suffering on that scale again and we have learned many valuable lessons from this experience so we can work to ensure that we never do."
We know you will see this news as a step in the right direction. We’re delighted with the result, not to mention relieved. What greeted us on that cold January morning over two years ago was very upsetting and left many of our staff traumatised. We hope we never see suffering on that scale again. It was a dark day for animal lovers.
But this is a much brighter day, and we’ll celebrate later by sharing a carrot with one or two of our four-legged friends. At the time of the rescue we were overwhelmed by your kindness and we are still to this day seeing the extent of your thoughts and generosity. Thank you so much.
Read case studies from some of the rescues here >>>>>>>>>>>>>
Please donate to help us continue their care >>>>>>>>>>>
Esther as she looks now
