Animal owners convicted at Lisburn Magistrates Court

October 22, 2020

Nicholas and Clare Barnes, Maghaberry, Lisburn, on the 15th September 2020 pleaded guilty of two charges causing unnecessary suffering and failing to meet the needs of their animals, eight dogs and a snake, under the Welfare of Animals Act (Northern Ireland) 2011.

On 20th October, the judge gave both Mr and Mrs Barnes a three month custodial sentence suspended for three years and banned them from keeping animals for three years.  They also both have to pay £500 in costs.

Nicholas and Clare Barnes failed to meet the needs of the animals causing them to live in unsanitary conditions. The charges date back to Dec 2018 and breach Section 4 and Section 9 of the Welfare of Animals Act (NI) 2011. 

On 12 December 2018 the council’s Animal Welfare Service attended the Barnes property. The Animal Welfare Officers found the dogs were living in travelling cages with no access to water and unable to exhibit normal behaviour. Their living environment had been severely neglected and had not been cleaned for some time.  One of the dogs had an untreated tumor and no veterinary treatment had been provided by the owner.