Man sentenced after emaciated ewe found covered in maggots

Bolton Upon Dearne man Paul Desbro (58) was also sentenced to a 12-month community order to carry out 250 hours of unpaid work.

Sheffield Magistrates’ Court heard today that an RSPCA investigation began when animal rescue officer Liz Braidley attended a smallholding in Mexborough Road in Bolton Upon Dearne, in May last year following reports of a collapsed sheep.

When she arrived at the paddock, she found two sheep looking skinny and underweight and a third ewe collapsed against the fence. She was emaciated, with her bones clearly visible, there were also large sections of her fleece missing and the skin underneath was red and sore and covered in scabs. Her wounds were also swarmed with flies, fly eggs and maggots.

Ms Braidley said: “She was trying to turn her head to groom herself and was clearly irritated by the flies around her which were relentlessly landing on her. At this point, I knew I needed further assistance so I contacted my colleagues, the police and a vet. I was then approached by a man claiming to be the friend of the sheep’s owner and explained that they were aware of her flystrike and had clipped some of her fleece, but when I asked if they had contacted a vet the man said no and stated ‘We will have to call the knacker man tomorrow’.”

The RSPCA found the owner and the police seized three sheep but the ewe was so poorly she had to be put to sleep by a vet to end her suffering.

RSPCA Inspector Jennie Ronksley, who investigated, added: “This was a sad case involving the neglect of multiple sheep including an emaciated ewe who was so severely burdened with flystrike that her skin was absolutely crawling with maggots and clearly needed veterinary attention.”

Desbro, of Hall Broome Gardens, was charged with causing unnecessary suffering to the ewe and two other sheep by failing to provide adequate nutrition and not providing veterinary treatment to the ewe which was affected by myiasis (flystrike).

He was also ordered to pay a £114 victim surcharge and £2,000 in costs. He was disqualified from keeping livestock for ten years and cannot appeal this for a minimum of five years. A deprivation order was also made for the two living sheep and their lambs.

Sentencing remarks referred to it as a “deeply concerning case” and described the photographs and video footage as being “disturbing”.

In mitigation, the court heard that Desbro entered an early guilty plea, that he shared the responsibility of the livestock kept on the smallholding with two other friends and was not experienced in keeping sheep so was ignorant of their welfare needs rather than malicious. He was described as giving “well-meaning but incompetent care”.

It was also said he had no previous convictions and was a family man.