Milton Keynes woman banned from keeping animals for 10 years after welfare offences
Gillian Wallace convicted for failing to care for horses and causing unnecessary suffering
Gillian Wallace of Leyburn Court, Milton Keynes, has been banned from keeping all animals for 10 years following her conviction for multiple animal welfare offences prosecutable by the RSPCA.
The convictions included two counts of causing unnecessary suffering to horses with rug rub wounds and failure to meet the welfare needs of six horses.
The failures involved poor nutrition, lack of exercise, inadequate veterinary care, poor parasite control, and keeping the horses in unclean, wet conditions.
Following a part-heard trial at Milton Keynes Magistrates' Court concluding on 7th October, Wallace was sentenced to a 12-month community order involving 180 hours of unpaid work and required to contribute £5,000 towards prosecution costs.
The case stemmed from an RSPCA investigation initiated in 2021 at a stable yard in Buckinghamshire, where Wallace's horses were found in poor condition and suffering from a lack of food.
During sentencing, the District Judge noted the inadequate state of fields, fences, and the horses themselves, emphasizing the insufficient hay and lack of appropriate care for wounds from horse rugs.
A vet identified inadequate diet as the key to their poor condition, with some horses affected by lice and scabbing.
Another defendant, Cheryl Shepperd, from Steeple Clayton, was fined £120 for failing to address horse Storm's poor condition, demonstrating remorse.
Ownership of Wallace's horses has now transferred to the RSPCA.