An Ennis Judge has said that he cannot ignore the severe cruelty that has occurred in an animal cruelty case in Clare.
Judge Patrick Durcan made his comment at Ennis District Court concerning 80 year old bachelor farmer, Thomas O’Neill’s plea of guilty to five separate animal neglect charges.
A number of Dept of Agriculture inspections on the farm last year detected eight horse carcasses and a total of 46 horses running wild on two parcels of land owned by 80 year-old Thomas O’Neill, with a number being emaciated.
At Ennis District Court, Judge Patrick Durcan said that inspectors had comes across “the most appalling aspects of animal cruelty in their visit to the farm in january last year”.
Judge Durcan said the State has incurred expenses of €14,419 in the case and ordered that a charge in that amount be attached to the lands in question for the benefit of the state.
80-year-old farmer Thomas O’Neill of Caherea, Lissycasey, who has no previous convictions, required the aid of a walking stick to move around the courtroom yesterday.
His solicitor Daragh Hassett said that it was his client’s instruction to sell the lands to his nephew, that he wasn’t able to look after the animals, and was “incapable of asking for help in looking after the animals”.
Judge Durcan adjourned the case to June 14th.
