Suspended prison sentence for woman who caused death and suffering of over 40 horses and dogs

Home / News / Suspended prison sentence for woman who caused death and suffering of over 40 horses and dogs

**WARNING: THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS DISTRESSING IMAGES.**

A mother and daughter were sentenced at Durham Crown Court earlier this month after dead and dying horses and dogs were discovered at a farm in County Durham.

Kerry Anne Pickershill, 48, and her daughter Ellie Newby, 25, who lived at the farm in Marwood near Barnard Castle, were prosecuted by the RSPCA and appeared in court on Friday 13 February.

Pickersgill had pleaded guilty at a hearing in October 2024 to 15 offences relating to 22 horses and 21 dogs. She also pleaded guilty to one count in relation to breaching a previous ban on keeping animals as she had previously been disqualified from keeping all animals for life in May 2015.

Judge Peter Makepiece KC gave Pickersgill a two-year custodial sentence, suspended for two years. She was also ordered to complete 25 Rehabilitation Activity Requirement Days, 100 hours of unpaid work and a six-month mental health treatment order.

Newby admitted two offences in relation to two dogs and was given a 12-month community order with 150 hours of unpaid work and was disqualified from keeping dogs for five years.

Background

On 12 February 2025, a local authority animal welfare officer visited the farm in response to a call about sheep. During their visit they discovered dead horses, horses in very poor health and they also had welfare concerns for many dogs who were being kept in sheds, stables and trailers, so they requested assistance from the RSPCA.

Carcasses of at least two horses were found in a dumping area at the top of the drive where there was evidence of a fire having been lit.

“As I approached the mound I saw the skeletal remains of an equine. The rib cage was clearly obvious and a foreleg under some branches,” said RSPCA Inspector Ian Smith in his written evidence.

Decomposing flesh

“As we walked round the pile I came across bones from various parts of an equine’s body and a head. These had been there for some considerable time as flesh had decomposed,” continued Inspector Smith.

“I was then taken to a stable which had no lighting but I was still able to see a chestnut foal and its dead mother lying in the corner. This stable was filthy and deep in faeces. There was no fresh bedding for this live youngster but someone had dropped some hay onto the faeces and given water.

“[A large shed next to the stable] contained seven horses, some of which were covered with a rug and looked in poor condition. This shed was split in two and in the other section there were two young equines lying dead on the floor, a skewbald and a bay which still had a rug on it.

“The conditions were very poor, filthy and soaking wet with no clean bedding whatsoever. It was clear that the animals at this establishment could not stay like this.”

Squalid conditions

RSPCA Inspector Heidi Cleaver told the court in her written evidence that the dogs were living among mouldy faeces and debris in damp stables, sheds and trailers.

“All of them were being kept in wholly unsuitable living conditions. The floors were littered with days’ worth of dog mess; there was nowhere clean and dry for them to rest and no access to clean and fresh water. The smell of ammonia inside some of the closed sheds and horse boxes was quite overwhelming,” said Inspector Cleaver.

Many of the dogs were kept in the dark and were extremely underweight with protruding bones. They had matted and stained fur which contained mouldy faeces.

Rescued

Sixteen horses were transferred to a private equine facility for veterinary treatment. Six of them were owned by other people and were on loan to the defendants. Eight additional horses were in such poor condition the vet recommended they were put to sleep to prevent further suffering.

Many of the horses had severely overgrown hooves and needed dental treatment. Several had lice and worm infestations and their coats were stained in faeces.

Pickersgill and Newby agreed to sign over the dogs, which included Spaniels, Cockapoos, Poodle crosses and Old English Sheepdogs. Some of them had to be carried out of the sheds and stables by RSPCA officers.

The dogs were suffering from a number of health issues and had matted coats, fur loss, dental disease, inflamed ears and infected eyes. Many of them had tender paws, which the vet said was likely due to standing in a damp and ammonia-heavy environment.

Four of them were described as emaciated by the vet and given the lowest possible body condition score of one out of nine.

Vet report

In her written evidence, the vet said none of the horses had been provided with a suitable environment, with the majority being kept in squalid and unsanitary conditions, deep in faeces.

All of them had insufficient food and the majority were underweight, with body condition scores ranging from emaciated to moderate. One horse seen with a foal at foot would have taken a “minimum of 12 weeks” to deteriorate to that condition, said the vet, while others were so hungry they were seen eating their own faeces.

The only water on site was brown and dirty, with some of the horses having no provision at all.

“It is clear from the number of both gravely and obviously sick animals and deceased carcases on site that the owner/person responsible for them was not providing veterinary attention,” said the vet.

“The horses were in varying degrees of stages of the same issues, with lack of adequate diet and endoparasite treatment predominating. Ultimately, if left untreated and in the same conditions, they were all on the same conveyor belt of deterioration in health.

“When animals died, it is clear they were left in the same stables they were contained in, despite other horses being in there.”

New chapter

The vast majority of the animals were nursed back to health and rehomed by the RSPCA’s Great Ayton Animal Centre in North Yorkshire and Felledge Animal Centre in County Durham.

The surviving horses are being cared for by World Horse Welfare and have made good progress. A Shetland pony also rescued from the farm has since been rehomed by the RSPCA’s Felledge Equine Centre.

The horses are recovering well at World Horse Welfare. Credit: World Horse Welfare.

Regret

Pickersgill was said to have expressed regret about what had happened and the impact it had had on the animals and her family, apportioned the blame to herself for “putting herself in this predicament.”

Newby, who had no previous convictions, was said to be under the influence of her mother. The court was told she had “significant problems” and had led a solitary existence.

‘Shocked’

Speaking after sentencing, Inspector Cleaver said: “Everyone who worked at the scene for many hours was left shocked by what they encountered. The images of starving horses standing alongside dead ones, and scores of nervous dogs living in near darkness, will stay with us all for a long time.”

“A large number of animals suffered greatly and for some it was sadly too late. Thanks to staff at our Felledge and Great Ayton animal centres, the majority of the dogs were rehabilitated and rehomed.

“Our thanks also go to our colleagues at World Horse Welfare for the incredible work they have done to get the surviving horses back to good health, and to the vets, the dog behaviourist and the police officers who worked with us on site until late in the evening.”