The Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ISPCA ) has welcomed the 23 month jail sentence handed down to a Kilkenny farmer for animal cruelty this week.
Simon O’Dwyer, 64, was sentenced to 23 months in jail and received a lifetime ban from owning animals at Kilkenny District Court on Tuesday.
He earlier pleaded guilty to four counts of cruelty to animals and three counts of failing to dispose of carcasses on lands farmed by him in a case Judge William Harnett described as appalling.
O’Dwyer, of Garrue, Mullinavat, Co Kilkenny, is currently serving a four month sentence for related offences, the sentences handed down this week will run concurrently.
“This is one of the worst cases of equine neglect and cruelty the ISPCA has dealt with in recent years,” said ISPCA chairperson Barbara Bent.
“Large numbers of horses have suffered abuse and starvation on this farm for years, and have been left without water on many occasions. We are hopeful that this case will act as a strong deterrent to those people who wilfully cause harm to animals.
“During this particular case three dead horses were found stacked in the hayshed behind the bales, and one small filly was left out in the snow to die of neglect. Another horse was seized with a most serious hoof condition, caused by long neglect of a puncture wound while a black stallion was found dead in the yard with severe scour.”
The court had heard that O’Dwyer was breeding stallions and other horses on his farm and the operation had got out of hand two years ago.
Gda Shane Elliffe told the court that more than 100 animals were suffering daily on the farm from lack of food, shelter and water and the Department of Agriculture seized 61 horses and 46 cattle from the land in December.
Ms Bent commended Gda Elliffe, UCD, and the World Horse Welfare Project, the Thomastown gardaí and the Department of Agriculture for their roles in bringing the ‘dreadful case to a positive conclusion’.
“The increased cruelty and neglect of horses represents a worrying trend and we are calling on members of the public to be vigilant and to report any neglect or cruelty to animals to the ISPCA on our helpline 1890515515 or to our local member societies,” she added.
