On Friday, Medway Magistrates' Court tried and sentenced three men on separate animal cruelty charges for the torture and death of multiple animals. Jimmy Price was sentenced for stabbing a deer in the neck. Jimmy and his brother, Danny Price, were also found guilty of starving dogs and horses, leading to the death of one horse. Another man, Samuel Powell, was found guilty for starving multiple horses he was in possession of.

In March 2019, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) raided the Forstal Farm in Loose, Kent, which led to the discovery of the abuse of animals. During the raid, a staved bay horse was found dead lying next to a bale of hay. The dead horse belonged to Danny. In the same raid, the officers also found four emaciated horses that belonged to Powell.

A further investigation led to the discovery of two starved dogs under Jimmy's care. Jimmy, a convicted thief, was also charged for torturing a deer to death. The investigators found a video of Jimmy, a trophy hunter, cruelly slaughtering a helpless deer.

Phoebe in the puppy farm
men arrested for animal cruelty RSPCA

The court was shown the video where the small deer is seen struggling as Jimmy repeatedly stabbed it in the neck with a blunt knife. Jimmy and his friends intentionally tortured the deer to death instead of killing it in a more ethical manner.

The dogs and the horses found starving under the care of the brothers belonged to their father who had passed away. Neither Jimmy nor Danny were interested in caring for the animals. Danny told the court that he was in the process of selling the horse and he believed that it was the responsibility of the new owner to care for it.

Powell had already lost the custody of a mare and a foal before the raid in March. Powell has a previous conviction for animal cruelty after he forced a foal to haul carts at a horse fair. A Shetland Pony owned by Powell was also found with a deep cut on its nose.

Powell told the court that he "saved lives" as he claimed that he bought the weak animals in that condition to rehabilitate them. RSPCA told the court that the animals were in a weak state because of Powell's neglect.

The 25-year-old Jimmy was sentenced for causing unnecessary suffering to animals. Jimmy will spend half of his seven-and-a-half-month term in prison. Furthermore, he will not be allowed to own dogs for five years and has to pay a £5,115 to the court.

Danny was found guilty of neglect leading to the death of the bay horse. The 29-year-old has to serve a 12-month community order, do 150 hours of unpaid work and pay the fine of £1,585.

Powell was found guilty of causing unnecessary suffering to horses as The Daily Mail reported. The 34-year-old will serve a 26-week jail term. Along with having to pay a £5,000 fine, Powell will not be able to own horses for five years.