CONVICTED (2022) | smallholders Nicholas Shearmon, born 21 July 1966,, and Diane Shearmon, born 19 July 1981, of Spiders Paddock, Rusty Lane, Seend, Melksham SN12 6NS for a string of animal cruelty charges in relation to cattle. On November 19, 2019, officers from Wiltshire Council’s animal health team and vets from the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) visited the couple’s smallholding. They discovered three of their 12 cows had died. Many of the remaining cows were weak and in poor condition. One weakened cow became stuck in a muddy pool and had to be freed by Shearmon. The court heard that on another visit on November 27, 2019, an animal health officer instructed the Shearmons to call a vet within 48 hours to a cow which appeared to have laboured breathing. A vet was not called and an officer from the animal health team subsequently attended the holding. The cow was found in a collapsed state and required urgent veterinary attention. This animal was eventually euthanised by the couple’s private vet. The offenders pleaded guilty to the following charges in court: Causing unnecessary suffering to three cows, which at post-mortem were found to be chronically malnourished and having a lungworm infection Causing unnecessary suffering by failing to seek veterinary attention for a cow which was anaemic, dehydrated and extremely thin Failing to isolate ill or injured animals in appropriate accommodation Failing to care appropriately for a cow which appeared ill or injured by failing to seek veterinary advice Failing to protect nine cows from risks to their health by preventing access to a muddy bog/pond containing debris Failing to report the movement of four cattle Failing to hold three carcases in such a manner that no animal or bird had access to them Sentencing | 100 hours of unpaid community work; ordered to pay £8,000 costs plus victim surcharge of £190. Banned from keeping, owning, dealing in or transporting cattle for 10 years. Wiltshire Live