Toni Veitch, who ran BankEnd Rescue in Selby, is one who was a staunch supporter of those who were importing horses from the French abattoir queues. She was given ‘rescued’ horses by the Essex dealer who herself neglected many.

We were shown photographs of the state of several of the horses whose condition brought this court case to bear, and I have rarely seen worse states of neglect.

There are photos at the foot of the thread, don’t scroll down if you are easily horrifed.

Such a shame she only has a suspended sentence. But hopefully a lifetime ban on keeping horses will be precisely that.

http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/10924843.Ex_veterinary_nurse_given_life_ban_on_keeping_horses/?ref=mrLL

The text reads –

A FORMER veterinary nurse has been banned from keeping horses for life and given a suspended prison sentence for causing unnecessary suffering to animals.

York magistrates commended the RSPCA and police for their work in bringing Toni Veitch, 42, of Camblesforth, and her partner Graham Robson to justice.

Phil Brown, prosecuting, said the charity had had to put down several horses cared for by Veitch and had issued several animal welfare notices against her before prosecuting her over the death of a bay gelding called Flame and the condition of a second bay gelding called Fizz.

Through her barrister Rachael Landin, Veitch said she had looked after horses properly for years, the neglect of the two geldings was “out of character” and had occurred when she had been depressed and had suffered family bereavements.

But senior magistrate Ian Fithian-Franks told her: “Your culpability was high, especially as you had previously been a veterinary nurse with experience of caring for the welfare of animals.”

He said she had declared Flame was “as fit as a fiddle when clearly this was not so”. A vet had decided the gelding was in such poor condition he had to be put down and had been suffering for two to three weeks with lice, an infection and septicaemia.

Gifted Flame

Veitch, of Brigg Lane, Camblesforth, pleaded guilty to two charges of animal neglect towards Flame on land off Hirst Road, Carlton, and two charges of animal neglect towards Fizz at West Bank, Carlton.

In addition to the lifetime horse ban, she received a ten-week prison sentence, suspended for 12 months on condition she did 12 months supervision including a rehabilitiation course, and observe a nightly 11-hour curfew for ten weeks.

Robson, 41, of Church Walk, Morpeth, pleaded guilty to two animal neglect charges involving Flame and was ordered to do 80 hours’ unpaid work. Both were each ordered to pay £500 prosecution costs.

For Robson, Nicholas Darwin said he had only fed the horse once a day in the dark and had told Veitch it did not look well.

The court heard that before these incidents, the RSPCA had found maggots in the foot of another horse that was so ill it had to be put down, as did several other horses, and Veitch had had too many horses for the land she operated.

The RSPCA had issued a “number of animal welfare assessments” on other animals before the events that led to the prosecution.

Bond

Last year, magistrates convicted the couple of four more animal neglect charges each and heard that a horse called James had had to be put down when the RSPCA found problems affecting Flames and Fizz.

The convictions were later set aside because of a procedural error and the relevant charges were dropped when the couple entered guilty pleas in December.

James Junior

Please be vigilant. This woman is in the Morpeth area. If you see her with horses, please report to your local RSPCA or police officers.