Ashfield farmer who kept over 450 animals in squalor jailed and banned for life

The animal charity discovered animals living in appalling conditions at Croftfield Farm in Dawgates Lane, Skegby, near Sutton, when its officers attended with Nottinghamshire Police, who were executing a warrant on November 1, 2023. Virtually all of the animals had not received veterinary care and several had to be put to sleep to end their suffering.

After a prosecution by the RSPCA – one of the largest animal cases the charity has dealt with – the owner of the farm, Lee Hayes, was handed a 12-month prison sentence and a life-time animal ban by District Judge Grace Leong, who said the evidence presented of the defendant’s “deliberate and sustained” neglect of hundreds of animals was “harrowing”.

RSPCA officers were helped by over 100 staff from seven other charities; The Donkey Sanctuary, Redwings, World Horse Welfare, Bransby Horses, British Horse Society, Dogs Trust and Beauty’s Legacy.

The large-scale rescue, codenamed Operation Teal, saw the seizure of 455 animals of 19 different species, including around 70 horses and donkeys, over 50 dogs and puppies and over 170 guinea pigs. Ferrets, rabbits and small rodents were also rescued along with cats, poultry, exotics, birds, reptiles and one llama.

Hayes (D.O.B 25/1/1973), of Croftfield Farm, Dawgates Lane, Sutton, pleaded guilty to 25 offences under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and was sentenced at Mansfield Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, September 18.

The defendant’s girlfriend, Tammy Heath (D.O.B 5/3/1992), of Moorland Close, Skegby, pleaded guilty to two animal welfare offences relating to failing to meet the needs of two dogs and at the same hearing she received a 13-week prison sentence, which was suspended for 12 months. She was banned from keeping canines for five years and will have to complete 200 hours of unpaid work.

Hayes had claimed that circumstances at the farm had “all got a little out of hand”, but the district judge said the defendant had ignored advice to make welfare improvements, including that from staff of the Donkey Sanctuary who had visited the farm in 2016, and the RSPCA.

The case first came to light after the founder charity Beauty’s Legacy, Lisa Dean, visited the farm in 2023 to investigate claims about a stolen dog and Nottinghamshire Police raised concerns about the conditions the animals were being kept in.

PC Jack Grace was overcome by a foul smell as he entered a barn “housing many dogs who were whining and some eating their own feces”.

He reported Hayes to the RSPCA.

RSPCA prosecutor Phil Brown said a warrant was served on November 1, 2023 when RSPCA Inspector Laura Baker and her team arrived and found many animals living in squalor in filthy hutches, sheds, outbuildings and barns, as well as two fields.

Among the most severely neglected animals was an elderly German Shepherd dog, tethered to a small kennel and struggling to walk.

Over half the 59 equines seized were of poor body condition, with one donkey being so lame that she was put to sleep to end her suffering. The floors of barns and enclosures were deep in faeces and stinking, mouldy forage. Most of the mares had mixed with stallions and were falling pregnant, adding to the growing numbers of equines.

The rescuers found five dogs tethered to outdoor kennels without any bedding and there were over 40 dogs living in kennels in a darkened barn. Three cats were locked in a filthy stable and five kittens with cat flu were in the back of a pick-up truck. The German shepherd who had been tethered to a kennel was found to be suffering from arthritis in her hips and the kindest thing to do was to put her to sleep. Another dog was suffering with a painful pressure sore on the hock while another had a bad eye inflammation.

The court heard how Hayes had collected all kinds of animals at his farm. Hayes signed over a large number of the animals to the RSPCA, but the charity needed to obtain a court order to remove the farmer’s stock of equines and farm animals.

In mitigation for Hayes, John Wilford, said poor weather had worsened conditions on the farm.

“Over a period of time he became overwhelmed by the situation he found himself in, he has not acted maliciously. All the animals he acquired came from people that knew he would take them on. He did not have the ability to say ‘no’,” said the solicitor. “He should have accepted help as he did realise a number of animals the RSPCA rescue needed treatment.”

RSPCA Inspector Baker, who led the operation, said: “The conditions we found all these animals living in were absolutely appalling. The smell of manure hit as soon as you walked through the gate and the sheer volume of animals in dire circumstances was quite overwhelming.”

The district judge granted the RSPCA £664,650 in costs against Hayes and advised seeking recompense at the High Court. A £2,000 collection order was made against Heath, along with a victim surcharge of £187 for Hayes and £154 for Heath.

A deprivation order was placed on around 200 remaining animals at the farm, requiring Hayes to disclose which animals he still has and allowing six weeks for rehoming.