ROBERT HUNTER OF LEEDS SENTENCED IN CONNECTION WITH ABUSE AT APPLEBY HORSE FAIR
| Red Rose Database
Chapel Allerton Animal Abuser
Robert Michael Hunter, a horse trader from Leeds, was convicted in 2019 for neglect related to a pony found severely exhausted and dehydrated at Appleby Horse Fair. Hunter, of Scott Hall Road, Chapel Allerton, LS7, was banned from keeping equines after inspectors from the RSPCA intervened. On June 6, 2018, the pony was seen struggling, breathing heavily, and dripping with sweat, with the animal in distress again the following day. Only after negotiations and police involvement did Hunter allow a veterinary assessment.
The vet described the pony as being severely exhausted, dehydrated, and having a dangerously high heart rate. The veterinarian stated, "Without veterinary treatment, the horse would have been at serious risk of collapse and death due to the severity of exhaustion seen." The horse received treatment and has since recovered fully.
Hunter faced prosecution and initially denied three charges but later admitted to causing unnecessary suffering to the horse through overwork and neglecting routine dentistry for the past six months. He also acknowledged neglecting the horse’s worming and dental needs over a two-year period up until June 2018. Describing himself as an "experienced horseman" and a married father of four, Hunter claimed, "I would never ever cause that horse any unnecessary suffering that I’d have known of."
District Judge Gerald Chalk sentenced Hunter to 90 days in jail, stating, "Put simply, that horse had been severely overworked and was suffering from dehydration. That, in my view, is either deliberate ill treatment or neglect by you, and a high level of suffering was caused to that animal." Additionally, Hunter was banned from owning or keeping any equine animals for six years, with the ban set to expire in March 2025.
This case was reported by Heart FM News and BBC News.
The vet described the pony as being severely exhausted, dehydrated, and having a dangerously high heart rate. The veterinarian stated, "Without veterinary treatment, the horse would have been at serious risk of collapse and death due to the severity of exhaustion seen." The horse received treatment and has since recovered fully.
Hunter faced prosecution and initially denied three charges but later admitted to causing unnecessary suffering to the horse through overwork and neglecting routine dentistry for the past six months. He also acknowledged neglecting the horse’s worming and dental needs over a two-year period up until June 2018. Describing himself as an "experienced horseman" and a married father of four, Hunter claimed, "I would never ever cause that horse any unnecessary suffering that I’d have known of."
District Judge Gerald Chalk sentenced Hunter to 90 days in jail, stating, "Put simply, that horse had been severely overworked and was suffering from dehydration. That, in my view, is either deliberate ill treatment or neglect by you, and a high level of suffering was caused to that animal." Additionally, Hunter was banned from owning or keeping any equine animals for six years, with the ban set to expire in March 2025.
This case was reported by Heart FM News and BBC News.