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ILPH
Appalled at Leniency of Scottish Court
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Last Thursday, 18
October at Perth Sheriff Court, Scotland, a Kinross-shire man,
successfully prosecuted for causing unnecessary suffering to 4 Welsh ponies,
was
before the court for sentencing.
Ex-policeman Graeme Donaldson Philip, 34, received a 5 year ban from keeping
horses for the unnecessary suffering caused to the ponies, 200 hours of
community
service and a £500 fine for failing to dispose of the carcasses.
In June 2000 the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
(SSPCA)
had been called out to investigate a complaint about some thin ponies
in a field, "But
when our officer arrived, says Senior Inspector Bob Gowans, "he discovered
4 dead
ponies in the stables - they had literally starved to death, it was heartrending
and
extremely distressing. We were astounded at the leniency of the sentence."
The ILPH (International League for the Protection of Horses) is fully
behind the
SSPCA in its condemnation of the light sentence given to Graeme Philip.
Comments
Adam Fleming, ILPH Field Officer for South Scotland, "We are absolutely
appalled
at the leniency of this sentence, he should have received a life ban on
keeping all
animals at the very least. The amount of suffering that those 4 wee ponies
must have
endured before they died, shut up in their stables without food or water,
is beyond
belief."
He added, "This sentence sends out all the wrong messages, for this
level of cruelty
the punishment must fit the crime and a prison sentence or even a life
ban would have
been more fitting."
www.ilph.org
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