A farmer from Nottinghamshire has been sentenced to 12 months in prison and has been banned from keeping animals for life after he neglected 455 animals, including over 40 dogs, 107 birds, 59 equines and more than 170 guinea pigs.
Described by the RSPCA as one of the largest cases it has ever dealt with, the charity successfully brought prosecution against 53-year-old Lee Hayes of Croftfield Farm in Skegby, near Sutton-in-Ashfield. He was sentenced on Thursday 18 September after pleading guilty to 25 offences under the Animal Welfare Act 2006. District Judge Grace Leong described the neglect as “deliberate and sustained” and called it “harrowing”.
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Nottinghamshire Police first attended the site in 2023 after Lisa Dean, founder of missing dogs’ charity Beauties’ Legacy, visited the farm to investigate claims of a stolen dog. PC Jack Grace reported Hayes to the RSPCA after being overcome by a foul smell as he entered a barn “housing many dogs who were whining and some eating their own faeces”.
A warrant was served on 1 November 2023 and a team from the RSPCA, led by Inspector Laura Baker, found animals living in squalor housed in filthy hutches, sheds, outbuildings and barns, as well as two fields. During the large-scale rescue, codenamed Operation Teal, 455 animals of 19 different species, including exotics, were seized. Virtually all the animals had not received veterinary care, and several had to be put to sleep to end their suffering.
“The conditions we found all these animals living in were absolutely appalling,” said Baker. “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 I will never forget, her leg was swinging and the smell of infection from her was the worst thing ever - she’d been attacked by a dog some days before and just left suffering with multiple fractures.”
Elderly dog struggled to walk
One of the most severely neglected animals was an elderly German Shepherd dog who was found tethered to a small kennel and struggling to walk. She was found to be suffering with arthritis in her hips and was put to sleep. Hayes admitted the dog had not seen a vet and he “expected it to die that winter”.
A cocker spaniel, who later needed hernia surgery, and puppies caked in faeces and with urine scolds to their pads, were also discovered. A further five dogs were tethered to outdoor kennels without any bedding, while over 40 dogs were living in kennels in a dark barn. One dog was suffering with a painful pressure sore on the hock, while another had a bad eye inflammation. Three cats were locked in a filthy stable and five kittens with cat flu were trapped in the back of a pick-up truck.
“The environment the dogs were in did not have much natural light and the smell of ammonia was strong,” said vet Olivia Speight. “There wasn’t proper bedding in the kennels and there was a high level of contamination by faeces and urine. This property was not listed as a registered breeding establishment, but its set-up was more similar to one than a pet home."
Donkeys and horses with rotting feet, over half of which were underweight, were also living on the farm. One donkey mare was so lame that she was put to sleep. All were standing in deep faeces and mouldy forage, with mares mixing with stallions. They required treatment for parasites and proper dental care.
“There was an extensive failure to provide the most basic preventative health care requirements,” said equine welfare vet Suzanne Green. “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.”
Piles of dead birds
Rescuers also found underweight birds and ducklings whose bodies and feet were stained with faeces. Ferrets and rabbits were living in maggot-strewn cages and enclosures, while mice, pigmy squirrels, and hamsters were kept in overcrowded cages inside the farmhouse. A Congo grey parrot was so stressed it had 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.
Lame and emaciated cows, plus 24 goats, were seized due to having overgrown feet and disease. Underweight birds and hens packed into small enclosures without water were also rescued. The bird cages and a walk-in aviary were filthy, said an RSPCA statement, and dead birds were found piled in a hutch.
Guinea pigs were living in filthy enclosures with rotting organic matter alongside dead baby guinea pigs. Some were suffering from wounds inflicted by males fighting due to inappropriate mixing of unneutered animals. Three underweight tortoises required emergency medical attention while Java sparrows, a finch and canaries were discovered in a heavily soiled cage.
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High risk of re-offending
In court, Judge Leong told Hayes, “a lot of this could easily have been prevented, but you neglected hundreds of animals of a wide range of species. You lack insight in the care of animals, and you present a high risk of offending again as far as the welfare of animals is concerned”.
The farmer claimed that the situation had “all got a little out of hand”, but Judge Leong said he had ignored advice to make welfare improvements, including advice from The Donkey Sanctuary, who had visited the farm in 2016, and the RSPCA.
“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.”
Hayes solicitor, John Wilford, said in mitigation that poor weather had worsened conditions on the farm.
“Over a period of time, he became overwhelmed by the situation he found himself in, he has not acted maliciously,” said the solicitor. “All the animals he acquired came from people that knew he would take them on. He did not have the ability to say ‘no’. He should have accepted help, as he did realise that a number of animals needed treatment.”
Hayes’ girlfriend, Tammy Heath, 33, also pleaded guilty to two animal welfare offences relating to failing to meet the needs of two dogs. At the same hearing, she received a 13-week prison sentence suspended for 12 months and was banned from keeping canines for five years. She will also have to complete 200 hours of unpaid work.
Her solicitor, also Wilford, 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. She has learnt from her mistakes.”
Seeking costs in court
The district judge granted the RSPCA’s application for costs in the sum of £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.
“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,” said RSPCA Inspector Baker. “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.”
The RSPCA was assisted by seven other charities: The Donkey Sanctuary, Redwings, World Horse Welfare, Bransby Horses, British Horse Society, Dogs Trust and Beauties’ Legacy. Many of the rescued animals have already been rehomed. However, around 200 animals remain on the farm. A deprivation order requires Hayes to set out what animals he still has control over and gives him or his associates six weeks to rehome them.
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