Gray's defence team call on top vet in horse trial

Mar 11 2009

A family accused of starving horses and donkeys to death at a dilapidated farm did not intentionally mistreat their animals, a top vet told a judge on Wednesday.

John Parker, a former President of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, said James Gray, a horse trader, may have simply misunderstood the seriousness of a parasite infestation affecting his animals.

Gray, 45, and his wife Julie, 41, and daughters Jodie, 26, and Cordelia, 20, all face 12 charges of animal cruelty after RSPCA officers uncovered piles of horse skeletons and stables full of frail equines when they raided their farm in January last year.

A 15-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, faces the same charges.

Grey-haired Mr Parker told a District Judge sitting at Bicester Magistrates' Court on Wednesday that from examining the evidence including pictures of the desperately ill animals, he believed they were suffering from Cyathostomiasis or Encysted Red Worm.

"To worm them every 10 weeks is probably what they did," he said.

Mr Gray would often move his animals on much quicker than that.

"From what I gather he uses constantly the same product which would not affect resistant larvae and that is why I think he does not understand the problem."