Angela Russell, 44, and Robert Russell, 25, were today sentenced to 26 weeks at Oxford Magistrates’ Court, after they were convicted of 16 charges under the Animal Welfare Act.
The court heard a long list of abuse and suffering which had been inflicted on animals including dogs, rabbits, puppies, horses, ponies and goats at Crunchy’s Animal Rescue Centre at Longworth, near Abingdon, Oxfordshire.
A shih-tsu blinded by an eye condition had to be put down and a dead horse was found hidden under an old pick-up roof, in what the court accepted was an attempt to conceal it before its secret burial nearby.
While sentencing District Judge Timothy Pattinson said: 'The images which showed the suffering and appalling conditions endured by those animals will be remembered by everyone who saw them for a very long time.
'I’m thinking in particular of the horses crippled by overgrown hooves, the horse trying to eat out of a wheelie bin, the Staffordshire bull terrier in a cage which was almost obscured by an enormous pile of faeces and the golden retriever, Winston, delivered to you in perfect health, which was almost killed by you as a result of starvation and neglect.
'If not for this prosecution by the RSPCA those animals would be continuing to suffer and, I suspect, die.'
Mother and son were also banned from keeping animals for the rest of their lives.
The RSPCA had issued warnings to the Russells, who ran the centre as a registered charity, as early as April 2010, urging an improvement in conditions on the plot.
But when animal welfare officers raided the site they found 'a horse eating from a wheelie bin', 'dogs in cages of their own faeces' and 'horses with hooves that hadn't been cut in three years', according to RSPCA Inspector Kirsty Withnall.
On the day the site was raided, Robert Russell was found digging a grave for a horse which had died on the property.
Once exposed, the family, particularly Mrs Russell, made a series of allegation against the RSPCA, and senior inspector Kirsty Withnall.
She even alleged the charity had arrived with the faeces and urine and covered the site in it to discredit her.
Mr Pattinson said he found those claims to be malicious.
He told the family there were aggravating factors to their crimes.
'All of you inflicted this suffering in the name of a charity - a rescue centre, a sanctuary. Nothing could be further from the truth. You ignored advice and warnings given by the RSPCA. You received donations from the public, including a vehicle. In my view that money did not go towards looking after those animals.'
(Daily Mail UK - July 24, 2013)
