Woman fights pet abuse conviction

A WOMAN found guilty of starving her horse to death has appealed her conviction, claiming it was ridiculous someone who loved animals could hurt one.

Anne Power was sentenced in June over the death of her horse Pip on her property in Riverhead, north of Auckland.

The court found Pip – a 32-yearold gelding – had been recklessly ill-treated and was left in severe pain for months, eventually starving to death.

The court ordered Power to forfeit all her animals to SPCA Auckland and banned her from owning any more for 10 years, but Power has appealed against her conviction and sentence.

Power failed to appear in the High Court at Auckland yesterday, but her lawyer Dan Gardiner said she had spent more than $33,000 on vet bills in five years.

‘‘It defies common sense to believe a person who is prepared to spend that amount of money on her animals would be reckless, or unconscious, or deliberately blind . . . in relation to the care of this horse.’’

John Billington, QC, said the judge had ruled correctly on the evidence in a terrible case where a horse had starved to death after becoming unable to feed itself.

Justice Pamela Andrews reserved her decision.

In June Justice Mark Woodford granted Power permission to keep a menagerie of at least 140 animals still on her property pending the appeal.

The judge noted the primary concern was the welfare of the animals and there was no evidence they were in poor condition.

Power’s prosecution and conviction related only to Pip and the SPCA still retained the power to seize any animal if it was being illtreated.