THE Court of Appeal this week dismissed an appeal by convicted Carlow man James Kavanagh over a three-year prison sentence recently imposed for cruelty to 11 horses and 340 dogs.

James Kavanagh (48) pleaded guilty to 30 counts of causing or allowing animal cruelty at his property at Myshall, Raheen, Co Carlow, in April 2015.

He was sentenced on February 22nd 2019 and ordered to pay €35,000 towards the ISPCA’s costs of €59,149 in this case. Kavanagh was also disqualified from keeping horses or dogs for life. His wife Jennifer Kavanagh, who also pleaded guilty to the offences, was given a 12-month suspended prison sentence.

President of the Court of Appeal, Mr Justice George Birmingham, said that 340 dogs and 11 horses had to be removed from Kavanagh’s property over 11 days. Some 20 dogs and four horses had to euthanised. Evidence was heard in the Circuit Court by Chief Inspector of the ISPCA Conor Dowling and Garda Catriona Dennehy.

Mr Justice Birmingham, who sat with Mr Justice John Edwards and Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy, said that the sentence “fell well within the range of appropriate sentencing for offending of such seriousness” and the court dismissed Kavanagh’s appeal.

The Court of Appeal described the scene at Myshall as “truly shocking’’ involving “atrocious levels” of animal neglect and cruelty.

Gardaí witnessed rotting horses carcasses and dogs eating these amid strewn animal bones. Four horse carcasses were found in separate dog enclosures and the Book of Evidence showed no evidence of these animals being shot or given lethal injections.

Mr Justice Birmingham said all of the animals found had health problems and almost all were in pain, distressed and suffering from multiple conditions including parasitic infections. Burnt out fires were found on the property containing the remains of sheep, horses and dogs.

PONY INJURED

Separately, in an unrelated incident, the ISPCA also released details this week of a small, injured pregnant pony found in the Arklow area of Co Wicklow, with a serious neck wound. An investigation has been opened into all the circumstances of how the pony came to be injured and the wound so neglected.

The ISPCA’s Chief Inspector Conor Dowling is handling the investigation and an ISPCA spokesperson said that the pony is now recovering well in the care of the Irish Horse Welfare Trust (IHWT) at their premises in Woodenbridge, Co Wicklow.