CONVICTED (2017) | Lee William James, born 30/03/1986, of 49 Rayners Close, Stalybridge SK15 1TJ – abandoned snakes without food or water; 13 found dead Lee James, a director of his family’s company Imperial Cutting Formes Ltd, was found guilty of letting a number of snakes die by leaving them for weeks without food and water. The RSPCA was first alerted in January 2017 by the landlord of the unit on Gorsey Mount Street, near Stockport town centre, which James was renting to keep the animals. They were housed in vivariums, and when inspectors eventually gained access a fortnight later they were greeted by a ‘strong and unpleasant stench’ coming from inside. Horrified inspectors found 13 dead snakes in various stages of decomposition, some of which were so badly decomposed they were unrecognisable. Three dead snakes were also found in a bin bag crawling with maggots. Six live snakes were found, including a venomous viper snake, but they had no food or water and were all in ‘poor body condition,’ Anna McDonald prosecuting on behalf of the RSPCA told magistrates. The viper was seized by Stockport Council licensing officers. The other five, including two royal pythons, an Indian python and a reticulated python – the world’s longest snake – were seized by police and taken to be examined. Nearly all were found to be suffering from malnutrition and dehydration, and one, a young royal python, died in the vets’ care. James, who said he was a ‘self-taught’ keeper of snakes, told officers he was in the process of re-homing them. But he said he was under a lot of stress as his father had been diagnosed with cancer and he had been running his business whilst he was unwell. He admitted he’d last attended to the snakes before Christmas, probably in mid-December. James pleaded guilty to one charge of causing unnecessary suffering to five snakes and three charges of failing to meet the needs of 10 snakes. Sentencing: 140 hours of unpaid work; ordered to pay £1,484.92. Banned from keeping any reptiles for a period of five years (expired 2022). Manchester Evening News