Farmer jailed for animal abuse after UK’S biggest rescue mission

A FARMER has been jailed after more than 200 animals were freed from vile conditions in what the RSPCA described as the UK’S biggest rescue mission.

In total 22 animals from horses to dogs had to be put down or died following their rescue from Geoffrey Ben- nett’s farm. The 68-year-old left two starving ponies suffering with disease caused by parasites and a goat that was so ill it collapsed in its pen.

All those animals were so sick they had to be put down by vets when Hurst Farm in Ripley, Surrey, was raided by police in January 2019.

Despite receiving urgent treatment, another 14 horses who had been weakened by worms and parasitic disease died. Two dogs, a goat, a chicken and one duck also died of their injuries, the RSPCA said.

Officers found herds of ponies riddled with worms and living out in fields with hazardous metal underfoot and broken fencing sticking up from the thick mud.

Inside two barns on the farmland were pens filled with donkeys, goats, alpacas, and ponies squashed in together, standing on top of months worth of waste and faeces.

Many were skinny and had been suffering from underlying health conditions, the RSPCA said.

Dozens of dogs – some heavily pregnant and others with tiny puppies in tow – were found chained and tethered in the “filthy” yard, while others were shut inside “tiny cramped cages” and makeshift kennels. After being rescued, several baby animals were born in care of the RSPCA, including 20 foals, six goat kids, one alpaca and nine puppies – but two puppies died and two ponies were stillborn.

A total of 204 animals were discovered at the site, with 131 horses, 33 dogs, donkeys, two alpacas, goats, chickens, ducks and five birds all receiving vet treatment and being sent to nearby RSPCA centres for rehabilitation.

Bennett admitted to failing to provide the stricken animals with enough nutritious food and not seeking treatment for them when they became ill.

At Guildford Crown Court, he was handed a 19-week jail sentence and was disqualified from owning animals for life, after admitting to a string of animal abuse offences.

He pleaded guilty to two Animal Welfare Act offences as well as six charges of failing to dispose of animal by-products after rescuers found bones and skeleton parts buried among the dirt and wrapped in rugs.