A Co Cork farmer with 20 previous convictions for animal cruelty has been sentenced to 18 months in jail after he was convicted of neglecting ponies and dogs at his farm.
Kenneth Coombes (50) had denied charges of neglecting the animals at his farm at The Carrig, Lurriga, Skibbereen in Co Cork, over a two-month period last summer.
Judge James McNulty convicted Coombes of two counts of neglecting the ponies on May 29th and June 5th, 2014, and one count of neglecting the dogs on July 1st, 2014.
The court heard the five ponies were so emaciated and neglected that Department of Agriculture officials had no option but to put the animals down. Five dogs were removed by the ISPCA.
One dog had been tethered to a table leg, another three were locked in a small cage and a fifth was found under boxes at the farmyard. All five had been left without food and water, the court heard.
“These five ponies had been subjected to appalling cruelty and these animals had been effectively starved to death,” said the judge after hearing how officials had found the ponies.
Supt Ger O’Mahony told the court that Coombes had a total of 26 previous convictions, 20 of which were for animal cruelty and related offences such as failing to properly dispose of animal carcasses.
The judge noted that eight years ago, when he sentenced Coombes for 30 days after another case of animal cruelty, he had ordered him not to keep, mind or manage animals ever again.
“The penalty required is well beyond a fine and a Community Service Order cannot adequately address the seriousness of the offence – it requires a custodial sentence,” he said.
Consecutive sentences
The judge sentenced Coombes to six months on each charge and said that given Coombes’s previous convictions for animal cruelty, it was appropriate to make the three sentences consecutive.
He backdated the sentence to November 24th when he had remanded Coombes in custody for sentence with a requirement that he engage with the psychiatriac services while in Cork Prison.
He had earlier noted that a report by psychiatrist, Dr Eugene Morgan found that Coombes was not fully engaging with him for assessment despite Dr Morgan’s best efforts.
“He displays little remorse and sees himself as the victim,” said the judge quoting from Dr Morgan’s report which recommended a full assessment be carried out prior to sentencing.
A previous sitting was told Coombes suffered from dysfunctional background and social isolation as well as arrested personal development which in turn led to a retarded maturation process.
The judge agreed with Dr Morgan on the need for a full assessment on Coombes who had previously attended for just one appointment with the psychiatric unit at Bantry General Hospital.
However Coombes’s solicitor, Ray Hennessy said deferring sentence for a full psychiatric assessment would deprive his client of the chance of lodging an immediate appeal to the Circuit Court.
Mr Hennessy said that his client wanted the matter finalised and not adjourned further so the judge sentenced Coombes to 18 months in jail and fixed recognisances for an appeal.
He made it a condition of the appeal that Coombes would attend for psychiatric assessment and he was released on bail after two people came forward and lodged cash sureties totalling €5,000.
