Home / Crime and Justice / Dozens of Animals Found Starving in Horrific County Durham Farm Case
Dozens of Animals Found Starving in Horrific County Durham Farm Case
20 Feb
Summary
- Investigators found 22 starving horses and 21 neglected dogs.
- Animals lived in filthy stables with no water and dead bodies.
- Mother and daughter sentenced for causing unnecessary suffering.
A grim discovery was made on a remote farm in County Durham, where RSPCA and World Horse Welfare investigators found over 40 animals in dire neglect. Twenty-two starving horses were found, some collapsed from malnourishment, living amidst the remains of deceased equines. Twenty-one dogs were also discovered in dark, unsanitary conditions, with matted fur and sores from standing in filth.
Kerry Anne Pickersgill, 48, and her daughter Ellie Newby, 25, appeared in court and admitted to charges of causing unnecessary suffering and failing to meet the animals' needs. Pickersgill was also found to have breached a previous ban on keeping animals. The court heard harrowing accounts from RSPCA inspectors detailing the extreme filth and cruelty observed on the property.
During a court hearing in October, Pickersgill pleaded guilty to 12 counts of causing unnecessary suffering and two counts of not meeting needs. Her daughter admitted to two offenses related to dog suffering. Both were sentenced on Friday at Durham Crown Court. Many of the surviving animals are now under the care of animal rescue centers and are being rehomed.
