A traveller who was filmed whipping a horse until it collapsed in 'an act of wanton cruelty' will still be able to keep animals after he escaped a ban.

Billy Wilson, 38, was videoed by an accomplice sitting in a trap and repeatedly beating a horse called Marble until it fell to its knees.

Wilson and 33-year-old Mark Melvyn Walker appeared at Darlington Magistrates Court to be sentenced in relation to the disturbing incident that was uploaded to Youtube.

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Disturbing: Video footage shows 38-year-old Billy Wilson repeatedly whipping a horse called Marble

The force of the repeated blows from the 38-year-old caused the distressed animal to collapse to its knees

During the beating, the clearly-distressed horse is constantly being barked at by an aggressive looking dog while farmhand Walker is seen running back and forth in front of Marble and another man heckles from behind the camera.

At a previous hearing, Kevin Campbell, for the RSPCA said of the video: 'What we are seeing here is just an act of wanton cruelty.'

The pair pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal but Jill Richardson, chair of the bench said the incident did not indicate prolonged neglect and decided against issuing a ban on keeping animals.

Sentencing the two men, Ms Richardson said: 'The video was distressing and you know you didn't do what you should have done to protect the horse.

The RSPCA described the barrage faced by the horse as a act of 'wanton cruetly'

'It was a poor decision but there is no evidence of long term, wilful neglect or cruelty to any of your animals.'

Wilson was also sentenced in relation to four other animal welfare charges.

He admitted causing unnecessary suffering to a lurcher by failing to have an infected wound checked out; keeping ferrets in a filthy cage with a dead rabbit and without water; keeping another lurcher in a cage covered in excrement and failing to ensure a West Highland Terrier who had injuries to his mouth was protected from suffering.

Billy Wilson, 38, admitted causing unnecessary suffering to an animal

Robin Ford, mitigating, said the incident with Marble had been a regrettable one-off which began by the heckling of his brother behind the camera.

He said Wilson - who apologised for his actions - was responsible for more than 100 horses and other animals whose safety and well-being was not at risk.

Mitigating in relation to the other matters, Simon Walker said the ferrets had belonged to Wilson's son, the lurcher's injury was being treated at home and that excrement was fresh and had not been cleaned due to the 7.30am timing of the raid.

Walker, from Bishop Auckland, County Durham, was sentenced to 100 hours of unpaid work, a 12 month community order and fines totalling £400.