The Norwegian Food Safety Authority was tipped off that the three did not take care of their horses, and went for an inspection in June last year.
During the inspection, inappropriate conditions were uncovered. In the enclosures where the horses were, there were large accumulations of dung. In several places there were planks and fences with nails sticking out.
Ugly wounds
Some of the horses also had open flesh wounds. In one of them, the wound had become inflamed and larvae had started to grow there.
During the trial, the woman admitted that she had not called a vet, but that she had mentioned the injuries to the other two defendants.
The horses also lacked clean water and shelter from the sun.
The horses lacked clean water.
– The court also points out that the drinking vessels, consisting of bathtubs and discarded white goods, contained so much old grass, impurities and even wildlife, that it is obvious that the drinking facilities had been very deficient over time, the judgment states.
An expert who testified during the trial also said that several of the horses had very poor hoof care, which led to several of the horses having deformed hooves.
Asked to be acquitted
All three pleaded not guilty during the trial in Telemark district court. The woman and the men’s defenders all submitted claims for acquittal.
The three defendants had different roles in the horse farm, but the court has concluded that they were jointly responsible for the horses. They are therefore sentenced equally and must serve 60 hours of community service each.
The court points out that the level of punishment for breaches of the Animal Protection Act has been toughened compared to previous practice, but has nevertheless settled on the defendants not being sentenced to prison.
– The court has, without a significant doubt, come to the conclusion that one can follow the prosecutor’s claim in the case, and thus not impose an unconditional prison sentence, the judgment states.
The three will also have NOK 5,000 confiscated each and must also pay a total of NOK 21,000 in court costs.
All three convicts have taken time to reflect.
Lawyer Vegard Bahus, who represents one of the men, tells NRK that he will now thoroughly review the verdict with his client. The same applies to the other two.
– A decision is then made as to whether the judgment should be appealed or not, says Bahus.
2023-09-12 11:20:19
#Convicted #mistreatment #horses
