Farmer who kept over 450 animals in squalor jailed and banned for life

The animal charity discovered animals living in appalling conditions at Croftfield Farm in Dawgates Lane, Skegby, near Sutton-in-Ashfield when its officers attended with Nottinghamshire Police, who were executing a warrant on November 1, 2023. Virtually all of the animals had not received veterinary care and several had to be put to sleep to end their suffering.

After a prosecution by the RSPCA - one of the largest animal cases the charity has dealt with - the owner of the farm, Lee Hayes, was handed a 12-month prison sentence and a life-time animal ban by District Judge Grace Leong, who said the evidence presented of the defendant's "deliberate and sustained" neglect of hundreds of animals was "harrowing".

RSPCA officers were helped by over 100 staff from seven other charities; The Donkey Sanctuary, Redwings, World Horse Welfare, Bransby Horses, British Horse Society, Dogs Trust and Beauties' Legacy. The large-scale rescue, codenamed Operation Teal, saw the seizure of 455 animals of 19 different species, including around 70 horses and donkeys, over 50 dogs and puppies and over 170 guinea pigs.  Ferrets, rabbits and small rodents were also rescued along with cats, poultry, exotics, birds, reptiles and one llama.

Hayes (D.O.B 25/1/1973), of Croftfield Farm, Dawgates Lane, Sutton-in-Ashfield, pleaded guilty to 25 offences under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and was sentenced at Mansfield Magistrates' Court on Thursday, September 18. The defendant's girlfriend, Tammy Heath (D.O.B 5/3/1992), of Moorland Close, Skegby, pleaded guilty to two animal welfare offences relating to failing to meet the needs of two dogs and at the same hearing she received a 13-week prison sentence, which was suspended for 12 months. She was banned from keeping canines for five years and will have to complete 200 hours of unpaid work.

Hayes had claimed that circumstances at the farm had "all got a little out of hand", but the district judge said the defendant ignored advice to make welfare improvements, including that from staff of the Donkey Sanctuary who had visited the farm in 2016, and the RSPCA.

The district judge told Hayes, "When the RSPCA and police came, they found no improvements. All the animals were still living in abhorrent conditions and severely neglected, which included unsanitary, overcrowded accommodation; dogs living in faeces and urine; goats with overgrown hooves, equines with thrush; and cats with fleas and flu.

"A lot of this could easily have been prevented, but you wantonly neglected hundreds of animals of a wide range of species. You lack insight into the care of animals and you present a high risk of offending again as far as the welfare of animals is concerned."

The case came to light after the founder of the missing dogs' charity Beauties' Legacy, Lisa Dean, visited the farm in 2023 to investigate claims about a stolen dog and Nottinghamshire Police raised concerns about the conditions. PC Jack Grace was overcome by a foul smell as he entered a barn "housing many dogs who were whining and some who were eating their own faeces". He reported Hayes to the RSPCA.

RSPCA prosecutor Phil Brown said a warrant was served on 1 November 2023, when RSPCA Inspector Laura Baker and her team arrived and found many animals living in filthy hutches, sheds, outbuildings and barns, as well as two fields.

Among the most severely neglected animals was an elderly German Shepherd dog, tethered to a small kennel and struggling to walk. Hayes admitted the dog had not seen a vet and he "expected it to die that winter". The officers also found a cocker spaniel, who later needed hernia surgery and puppies caked in faeces and with urine burns.

Donkeys and horses were suffering from rotting feet without attention from a vet or a farrier. Some were underweight and others had not received any treatment for parasites and proper dental care. Seven of the donkeys with chronic hoof issues are now in long-term care with The Donkey Sanctuary.

Over half the 59 equines seized were of poor body condition, with one donkey being so lame that she was put to sleep to end her suffering. The floors of barns and enclosures were deep in faeces and stinking, mouldy forage. Most of the mares had mixed with stallions and were falling pregnant, adding to the growing numbers of equines.

Equine vet Suzanne Green said: "The severely overgrown hooves of the horses should have been seen by a vet and farrier and many of the donkeys and horses were underweight. There was an extensive failure to provide basic preventative health care."

The rescuers found five dogs tethered to outdoor kennels without any bedding and there were over 40 dogs living in kennels in a darkened barn. Three cats were locked in a filthy stable and five kittens with cat flu were in the back of a pick-up truck. The German shepherd tethered to a kennel was suffering from arthritis and the kindest thing to do was to put her to sleep. 

Vet Olivia Speight stated: "The environment the dogs were in did not have much natural light, there wasn't proper bedding and there was a high level of contamination by faeces and urine. This farm was not listed as a registered breeding establishment, but its set-up was more similar to one than a pet home."

The court heard how Hayes had collected all kinds of animals at his farm. There were underweight birds and ducklings whose bodies and feet were stained with faeces; ferrets and rabbits were found living in filthy, maggot-strewn cages and enclosures; mice, pigmy squirrels and hamsters were kept in overcrowded cages inside the farm house and a Congo grey parrot was so stressed it pulled out half his feathers. 

"Baby mice were being trampled on by adult mice, while two pygmy squirrels needed urgent vet care and an elderly hamster was so unwell he was put to sleep immediately," said vet Deborah Wragg.

There were also lame and emaciated cows, underweight birds and hens without water packed into small enclosures and 24 goats were seized due to overgrown feet and disease. The bird cages and a walk-in aviary were filthy and dead birds were found piled up in one small hutch.

In a vivarium infested with fruit flies were three underweight tortoises who needed emergency medical attention as they were so unwell, while Java sparrows, a finch and canaries were left in a heavily soiled cage. Of the 107 birds that were being kept on the farm, only 12 had access to clean water. Some of the 66 guinea pigs who were rescued were living in filthy enclosures and had suffered from wounds from fighting each other after being mixed inappropriately and not neutered.

Hayes signed over a large number of the animals to the RSPCA, but the charity needed to obtain a court order to remove the farmer's stock of equines and farm animals. 

In mitigation for Hayes, John Wilford said poor weather had worsened conditions

"Over a period of time, he became overwhelmed by the situation. All the animals he acquired came from people that knew he would take them on. He didn't have the ability to say ‘no' and he should have accepted help as he did realise a number of animals the RSPCA rescued needed treatment," said the solicitor. 

The district judge said of Heath's offending: "You kept your two dogs (Tia and Flicker) in filthy pens containing faeces and urine when one of the dogs was pregnant at the time."

For Heath, the defence solicitor said: "She accepts where she kept her dogs was inappropriate, but she couldn't use her father's house as there was an ‘aggressive' dog there."

RSPCA Inspector Baker, who led the operation, said: "The conditions these animals were living in were absolutely appalling. The smell of manure hit as soon as you walked through the gate and the sheer volume of animals in dire circumstances was quite overwhelming. There was a very lame cow tied up in one of the barns that was the most broken animal I had ever seen. There was also a lamb whose leg was swinging and the smell of infection from her was the worst thing ever - she'd been attacked by a dog and just left to suffer.

"There were few signs any kind of animal husbandry had taken place. Many of the dogs for example, were suffering from easily treatable conditions and the lack of veterinary care demonstrated the total disregard the defendant took to the animals' welfare.

"Keeping large numbers of animals like this at one location is never a good idea, as the resources required to give them a good life are unlikely to be found. We are grateful for the tip-off that highlighted how badly conditions had deteriorated, which meant, alongside Nottinghamshire Police, we were able to organise a large rescue with the assistance of our charity partners. 

"Over two days we split up into teams to deal with different species and all the animals were systematically health checked and then taken to safe accommodation, where many were treated for their ailments and have since made a good recovery.

"Many of these animals have already been rehomed to enjoy better lives, both by the RSPCA and with the help of our charity partners."

Hannah Bryer, Head of Welfare GB at The Donkey Sanctuary, said: "This case is another sad reminder of the suffering donkeys and other animals endure when they are not given the care they need. We worked closely with the RSPCA to secure the best possible outcome for the donkeys involved. We have offered sanctuary to those donkeys who are unable to be rehomed in the community, while helping the others to find loving and long-term homes."

Redwings Horse Sanctuary vet and Head of Welfare and Behaviour, Nic de Brauwere said: "It was a very challenging two days working with nervous and unhandled ponies and donkeys that were trapped in horrible living conditions. Being able to help them by supporting vet assessments and getting the equines onto the many horseboxes, knowing they were heading to a much brighter future, was very rewarding. One of the ponies I worked  with will be finding his forever home with us here at Redwings."

The district judge granted the RSPCA's application for costs for £664,650 against Hayes and said the charity will need to seek recompense at the High Court. She made a collection order for the recovery of £2,000 costs against Heath. Hayes will also have to pay a victim surcharge of £187 and Heath a surcharge of £154. A deprivation order on the remaining animals at the farm - understood to be around 200 - was made and that requires Hayes to set out what animals he still has under his control and gives him six weeks to rehome them.