Overview
- At Durham Crown Court, Kerry Anne Pickersgill received a two-year prison term suspended for two years, plus 25 rehabilitation activity days, 100 hours of unpaid work and a six‑month mental health treatment order.
- Ellie Newby was given a 12‑month community order with 150 hours of unpaid work and a five‑year disqualification from keeping dogs.
- RSPCA and World Horse Welfare investigators found 22 horses in filthy barns and stables, including carcasses and partially burned remains, with many live animals underweight or collapsed.
- Twenty‑one dogs were discovered in dark sheds, stables and trailers, several emaciated with matted coats, infections and ammonia‑related sores; a greyhound required tail amputation.
- Police took the animals into possession; 16 live horses were moved for urgent treatment, eight were euthanised on veterinary advice, and most survivors were rehabilitated and rehomed by the charities.