Flaviemys purvisi
Very Well-Known Member
By Samar Maguire
11 MAY 2018
Sarah Pickup was given a lifetime disqualification from keeping animals, after dogs, cats and reptiles were found in an 'appalling' condition
A woman who kept animals in "appalling conditions" and mistreated dogs, cats and lizards has been banned from ever keeping animals again.
Sarah Pickup, 39, of Dennis Road, Cambridge, was given a lifetime disqualification from keeping all animals after pleading guilty to six offences under the Animal Welfare Act at Cambridge Magistrates' Court last month.
Prosecutor Janita Patel told the court that the case came to light after the RSPCA was contacted in August last year, after concerns for the animals at the property by a person who had been asked to look after the animals while Pickup was on holiday.
Reptiles were found dead in the woman's home
Shocking conditions
The person was shocked by the conditions in the house and discovered numerous dead reptiles, some of which had been put in plastic bags - while the live reptiles were living in poor conditions.
They also found a Cavalier King Charles spaniel with a buster collar on and a swollen infected ear.
Pickup's offences in full
- Causing unnecessary suffering to a Cavalier King Charles spaniel called Freddie by failing to seek veterinary care and attention for his ear condition
- Failing to meet his needs for adequate flea control
- Failing to meet the needs of a cat called Flower, 21 leopard geckos, one chameleon, one plated lizard, one blue-tongued skink, two axolotls, one gecko, and one corn snake, by failing to provide them with a suitable environment
- Failing to meet the needs of a chameleon
- Causing it unnecessary suffering by failing to investigate and address the cause of its poor bodily condition and weight loss
- Failing to meet the needs of 15 leopard geckos and one axolotl by failing to provide an appropriate environment
As well as the disqualification, Pickup was given a 12-week suspended sentence for 12 months, ordered to pay £300 in costs, £115 victim surcharge and to attend 40 hours of rehabilitation with the probation service.
Reptiles were left in "appalling" conditions
'A terrible smell'
RSPCA inspector Alex Coghlan, who investigated the incident, said: "The conditions at the home were appalling. There was a terrible smell coming from the home and there were dead reptiles just dumped in plastic bags in the garden.
"Many of the live reptiles were being housed in inappropriate conditions, with no water, light or heat, yet the vivariums which did have heaters were just not plugged in or the bulbs had gone out.
"It was heartbreaking to see so many animals just left in such awful conditions.
"Exotic animals need specialist care and sadly these animals had not been looked after appropriately."
All animals have been signed over into the care of the RSPCA and the reptiles are being kept at a specialist facility, where they will be rehomed at a later date.
Sadly one leopard gecko had to be put to sleep to prevent them suffering further as nothing more could be done to save them.
In mitigation, the defendant said that the reptiles belonged to someone else, and that she had been struggling to cope.
