CRUELTY TO HORSES.
OWNER SENT TO GAOL. u AN AUSTRALIAN CASE. A case of cruelty to animals 'which resulted in gaol for the offender -was heard in the Ashfield Police Court recently, says a Sydney paper, when" Limbery Hooper, an inspector of , the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, proceeded against William : Cunningham, for cruelly 111-treating a .horse, of which ;he was the owner and driver, by working it at Five Dock on April 6 while it was| not free from sores calculated to cause pain. There was a second information in ; respect -of another horse of which 'Cunningham was ; the owner, but driven by a man named Brown, on the same date. t ; The inspector stated that -he saw defendant driving the : first horse in a cart in Lithgow Street, Five Dock. ; ■ He; had the harness removed and found, sores 4in. by 3£in. on each shoulder; the withers on both sides were • raw; and there ? were; also girth sores about 2£in. in diameter. He examined the collar and found it covered with congealed blood, also wet j blood from that morning's driving, and a i thick coating of dirt. ;. On being asked i why he was working the horse when; it had such sores, the defendant replied: "Men have 'to j work with sores; why not horses." The other horse, which Brown was driving, had a sore about 2£in. by 2in. on' its back. ' Both knees were broken, and the off knee Vwas : swollen to double its size, with inflammation. The wounds had not been washed or attended. to, and the dirt had got into them. The! inspector added that: they : were -two of i the worst cases he had ever seen in the district. 1 In reply to the magistrate, the defendant said he did not wish to say anything. He could only contradict the' inspector and he thought the less he ' said the better." ; v * , The Magistrate: But why? I will listen to anything you have to say. ' Personally, I. think it a case " for imprisonment. You know you are liable to three months' imprisonment. . v ?Defendant: I hope I don't have to go to gaol, as I don't think it is right, because it is not as bad as the inspector makes out. I would rather pay than, have to go to gaol. The Inspector: I may state that I had another case against the defendant, but the horse died. It was alleged that the horse had.been beaten with a hay batten by the defendant, or his employee, and died from broken ribs. Magistrate: I think these are very bad cases, and I feel I would not be doing my duty if I inflicted a fine. The defendant i is sentenced to six weeks' imprisonment in each, case, sentences to be concurrent.
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Bibliographic details
New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18380, 21 April 1923, Page 13
Word Count
469CRUELTY TO HORSES. New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18380, 21 April 1923, Page 13
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