JUDITH BEDSON FROM STONE SENTENCED FOR ANIMAL CRUELTY INVOLVING STARVATION OF HORSE IN VANITY LANE

Judith Bedson, also known by her maiden name Judith Shufflebotham, a resident of Longton Road, Stone ST15, was convicted in 2017 of serious animal cruelty charges related to her neglect of a young horse named Apache. The case revealed disturbing details about her failure to provide basic care for the animal, despite having access to necessary resources.

Between April 20 and May 20, 2016, Bedson was found guilty of causing unnecessary suffering to Apache, a three-year-old piebald cob, by neglecting his nutritional needs. She was also convicted of failing to meet his basic needs during the period from January 20 to May 20, 2016. The court heard that although Bedson had been receiving regular deliveries of hay, she deliberately failed to place it in the field located in Vanity Lane, Oulton, where Apache was kept. This neglect resulted in the horse becoming severely undernourished and emaciated.

Further investigation by the RSPCA uncovered that the hay bales she had received had gone moldy, indicating a lack of proper care and attention. During her interview with an RSPCA inspector, Bedson claimed that she had only owned Apache for two weeks and that he was already thin when she acquired him. However, social media posts contradicted her statement, showing that she had owned Apache for approximately a year. She also asserted that she was attending to him at night, but there was no evidence to support this claim, as no food or feeding routines were observed or documented.

RSPCA inspector Laura Bryant expressed her concerns about the case, stating, “We were being misled from the very start, from how long she had the pony, to how often she attended to see to him and his feeding regime.” She emphasized the importance of responsible animal ownership, criticizing individuals like Bedson who neglect the time, knowledge, motivation, or financial resources necessary to care for animals properly.

Inspector Bryant further explained, “Bedson built an elaborate story based on lies to try to argue she had only just rescued Apache, to explain his terrible state. The truth was she had already owned him for a year and simply wasn’t attending to feed him daily.”

Fortunately, Apache has since recovered fully from his ordeal and is now under the care of a private boarding facility. The court sentenced Bedson to 18 weeks in prison and imposed a lifelong ban on her from keeping any animals, a measure intended to serve as a deterrent to others who might neglect or abuse animals under their care.