10 year Ban from Keeping any Animal for Owner of Pony convicted at Lisburn Magistrates Court

August 21, 2019

Mrs Phyllis Burns of Rosapena Walk, Belfast, was convicted at Lisburn Magistrates Court of two charges under the Welfare of Animals Act (Northern Ireland) 2011. She was found guilty of causing unnecessary suffering to a stallion pony that she owned and also failing to meet the needs of the animal.  

The charges date back to May 2015 and breach Section 4 and Section 9 of the Welfare of Animals Act (NI) 2011.  On 29th May 2015 the Animal Welfare service attended a livery yard on the Colinglen Road in Dunmurry where the Pony was found to be suffering from a broken leg.  The vet who attended at the request of the Animal Welfare Officer stated that it appeared as if the leg had been broken for some length of time due to muscle wastage of that leg and the fact that the hoof on the non-weight bearing leg was much longer than the other hooves worn down by the movement of the Pony in a concrete-floored stable. The Vet went further to explain that the dressing on the leg was not the work of a veterinary qualified person and, in any case, it was located further down the leg than the injury was and was not serving any purpose. The Vet noted the animal should have received veterinary treatment long before this point and had never received veterinary attention.  The council contracted vet concluded “it was apparent the pony had been left to suffer for some time with no veterinary attention.”

Mrs Burns received a 10 year ban from keeping or having any involvement with any animals; she was handed a custodial sentence of five months (suspended for two years) and was also ordered to pay costs totaling £600.