Jailed, boss of animal sanctuary who stored dead dogs in freezer
AN ANIMAL sanctuary boss who neglected the dogs she was supposed to be looking after and stockpiled dead animals in a freezer was jailed yesterday.
Zara Brown, 29, charged owners to take their dogs in to her care at her Ayrshire Ark refuge.
But she failed to give the animals adequate food and water and abandoned them in a derelict primary school.
Ayr Sheriff Court heard that when Scottish SPCA inspectors searched the premises, they found a dead dog on the floor and seven dead dogs and a cat shoved in a chest freezer.
Brown showed no emotion when her catalogue of neglect was revealed at a hearing last week. She remained composed yesterday as she was jailed for seven months and banned from keeping animals for life.
The mother of four ran her refuge from the former St Xavier’s Primary in Patna, Ayrshire.
The dogs had to clamber over mountains of rubbish, debris and building materials and had no clean areas to go to.
She had pleaded guilty to neglecting eight dogs so badly she caused them unnecessary suffering, and failing to provide adequate nutrition and water for them between November and December last year. Sentence was then deferred for background reports.
Procurator fiscal depute Jason Bell said an investigation began in December after a tip-off from a member of the public that a dog was lying dead in the premises.
Mr Bell said: ‘There was a large dog in one of the former classrooms that appeared to be lifeless.
‘It was very underweight. They looked to rouse the dog by banging on the windows but it was apparent the dog was clearly dead. They observed a further dog in the cloakroom area, it appeared to be standing in its own faeces.
‘The inspector was very concerned for the animals within.’
He added: ‘The smell of faeces and urine was overpowering, causing the witnesses to gag.’
Defence solicitor Euan Cameron asked for leniency for Brown, saying her children would suffer if she was jailed.
‘She is conscious the offences are of the utmost gravity and understands why her conduct and actions have initiated such revulsion and disgust in the minds of those who have heard about the offences,’ he said.
But passing sentence, Sheriff Mhairi MacTaggart said: ‘These offences are individually very serious.
‘However, the totality of them, in my view, amounts to offending of the utmost gravity.’
Around 40 animal rights campaigners were at court to see Brown sentenced and there was a large police presence after an incident at the previous hearing that saw a pet’s owner try to get at Brown in the dock.
After the case, Scottish SPCA inspector Leanne McPake said: ‘This case was particularly harrowing and will stay with us for a long time.
‘The conditions in which the dogs were forced to live were woefully inadequate.
‘We hope this sentence will act as a deterrent to others.’