Banned horse owner gives up on appeal

JON MACPHERSON A HORSE owner who was banned from keeping horses for five years has withdrawn his court appeal.

David Harrison found guilty earlier this year of failing to meet the adequate care and supervision needs of two part-bred Welsh Mountain bay horses at a farm off Bacup Old Road in Bacup.

RSPCA officers attended Deanhead House, Tricebarn Farm where the horses called Paisley and Kerry were kept in February.

Harrison, 69, was given a 12-month community order at Burnley Magistrates Court in August with 180 hours’ unpaid work, £500 costs and an order banning him from keeping horses for five years.

RSPCA officers also took the horses away to be re-homed.

Harrison, of Crown Road, Heywood, appealed the sentence.

However, when his case arrived at Burnley Crown Court, the appellant withdrew his appeal following advice from his barrister.

Anthony Stephenson told the court: “I have met Mr Harrison for the first time this morning and gone through with him certain aspects of what orders the court may be able to make in all regards, in respect of any appeal pertaining to costs and the like.

“It appears that quite a lot of that, if not most of it, is news to the appellant.

“He was also a little surprised to understand the gravity of the circumstances the appeal places him, both fiscally and by way of consideration of sentence.”

Accepting the appeal withdrawal, Judge Beverley Lunt told the court: “I don’t think people tell people often enough that we can increase sentences.

“He has a previous conviction for this offence in 2013 and he appealed against that as well so he has done this before.

“He took very good advice - in our judgement ●● Part-bred Welsh Mountain bay horses in Bacup owned by David Harrison. - bearing in mind the nature of this offence and his previous conviction.

“I think the magistrates were positively merciful.”

Judge Lunt ordered Harrison, of Crown Road, Heywood, to pay an extra £150 costs.