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Animal welfare inspectors found scenes of horror at a farm in Cornwall where newborn lambs had died after becoming trapped in mud.

A court heard how rotting carcasses of lambs were found scattered across the farm and many of the surviving sheep were lame and stumbling on bloodied feet.

On another visit, inspectors were stunned to find a pool of fresh blood and discovered the 76-year-old farmer had sliced off lambs’ tails with a carving knife without using any anaesthetic.

Details of the shocking case were heard at Bodmin Magistrates Court where William Thomas Gerald Benney pleaded guilty to five charges.

WARNING: The above video of the inspection by Cornwall Council and Defra contains very distressing and graphic scenes of extreme animal suffering.

(Image: Cornwall Council)

The court was told Benney, of Trease Farm, Cury Cross, on the Lizard peninsula, was a proud and well-respected member of the agricultural community.

He was the third generation of his family at Trease Farm and had worked there for 60 years - from the age of 16.

He had won numerous prizes for his sheep at shows and during his career had been at times a president of Helston Fatstock Show, parish councillor and village hall committee chairman.

However, the court heard Benney had become unwell in recent years and admitted he could no longer care for the sheep.

Benney pleaded guilty to failing to prevent unnecessary suffering to his sheep, docking tails without anaesthetic, failing to treat lameness in the animals, failing to record the medicine used on the flock and failing to dispose of 35 sheep carcasses.

At one point in the hearing, Benney appeared to chuckle and was severely reprimanded by Judge Diane Baker, who said to him: “I don’t find any of this funny at all. You should listen carefully to what’s been said and not make any funny noises or shake your head.”

Later, Benney became tearful as the full evidence was ready out.

Kingsley Keat, prosecuting on behalf of Cornwall Council, said an animal welfare inspector and a Defra vet visited the farm in March where they found the bodies and skeletal remains of 35 lambs and sheep.

He said: “Many were very decomposed, indicated that they had been there a long time. They were scattered across the fields. Some of the new-born lambs appear to have got stuck in mud and died as a result.”

(Image: Cornwall Council) (Image: Cornwall Council)

He said out of 120 sheep, a quarter were found to be lame and bleeding from foot-rot. One animal had pus oozing from a swollen leg.

Mr Keat said Benney had told the inspectors he had been unable to care for the animals for two weeks as he had flu, had hurt his knee and was suffering from sheep-dip poisoning.

He said Benney had asked a friend to look after the animals but admitted she did not have any experience of caring for sheep.

Mr Keats said on a later visit in August, the inspectors found Benney had recently used a carving knife to dock the tails of lambs without anaesthetic, which is against the law.

(Image: Cornwall Council) (Image: Cornwall Council)

Defence solicitor Robert Eccleston said: “Mr Benney has been farming for 60 years and this is the only business he’s known. He initially assisted his parents and ultimately took control of the undertaking himself. For Mr Benney, being here today is a sad fall from grace.”

He added: “It’s been his advancing years and the disintegration of both his physical and mental health that have contributed substantially to him being before you today and being unable to care for his animals as he would wish.”

He said Benney suffered from a heart problem and chronic fatigue.

Judge Baker said to Benney: “If you had been a younger man, I would be sending you straight out that door to immediate custody. I do think your offending crosses the custody threshold but because of your age, your previous good character and health difficulties, I am going to suspend the period of imprisonment.”

She added: “This is one of the worst animal welfare cases I have recently dealt with. It involves a large number of animals and a long period of neglect.”

Benney was sentenced to a total of four months in prison, suspended for two years.

He was also banned from keeping sheep or cattle for ten years and must pay prosecution costs of £6,329.