LISTOWEL MAN FACING 89 CHARGES UNDER ANIMAL WELFARE ACT

A LISTOWEL man is facing 89 separate charges under the provisions of the Animal Welfare Act arising from an inspection of his farm carried out by gardaí last December in which they say they discovered a large number of animals in ‘appalling conditions without food or water’.

Thomas Doyle, Fourhane, Listowel, is charged with 89 separate counts under the Animal Health and Welfare Act of 2013 arising from an inspection of his farm carried out by gardaí on December 29 of last year.

The case came before Judge James O’Connor at Listowel District Court on Thursday, where gardaí outlined what they say is the evidence they uncovered in the inspection prior to the Judge making a decision on whether to accept jurisdiction or not.

Judge O’Connor ultimately declined jurisdiction in the matter, sending the case forward to the Circuit Court.

Gardaí told the court that Det Gda Shane O’Driscoll called to the farm at 12.40pm on December 29, 2015, in response to a call from a member of the public concerned about the welfare of animals on the property.

Among some of the discoveries gardaí say they made was a pony and goat trapped in a horsebox with a dead foal for days without food or water; a collie that had wound itself on a chain around an ESB pole for days, with only dirty ground water to drink; a pig left on sodden bedding in a horsebox; a cockerel left in a timber hutch without food or water and on sodden bedding and two goats trapped in another horsebox for days one of which was suffering so badly from an ingrowing horn that it had to be put down.

Gardaí said other charges related to a jack russell chained to a kennel; a ferret in a hutch on wet and dirty bedding that was ‘licking water off the mesh of the hutch’; two miniature pigs left without food or water; a caravan containing cages of smaller pets including one in which there were two canaries - one dead, one alive - another in which there were two rats on wet bedding with no food or water.

The scene was discovered in the middle of Storm Frank. Along with KSPCA officers gardaí fed the animals. They said a vet forced to put down a goat due to its ingrowing horn the following day. Gda O’Driscoll said he made contact with Mr Doyle, who said he had been away from the farm since December 23.

Mr Doyle is charged with 22 counts of failing to safeguard animal health and welfare under section 11 of the act; 22 counts of permitting suffering (section 12); 22 counts of failing to supply clean water and food (section 13) and 22 counts of leaving animals unattended without provision for their welfare (section 14).

Solicitor Pat Enright told the court his client had arranged for another person to feed and water the animals while he was away from the farm. Mr Enright said his 38-year-old client - whom he described as being ‘eccentric in some ways’ had started off with a couple of animals initially, but that people started leaving unwanted animals with him.

“It reached the situation where every penny he was earning was going on animal feed...his abilities were surpassed,” Mr Enright explained, adding: “He went away for Christmas but had an arrangement for someone to look after them, but I don’t think there was an appreciation by him or that man of what was involved.” He said Mr Doyle co-operated fully with gardaí, doing ‘everything that could be done’. He still keeps a pony and a couple of rabbits at the farm.

Judge O’Connor described it as a ‘very bad case’, declining jurisdiction in the matter to allow for the preparation of a book of evidence by December 1 next before the case goes to the Circuit Court. Mr Enright indicated his client would be pleading guilty before the higher court.