Hillside Investigate Habitual Neglect

David Grant was first reported to Hillside Animal Sanctuary in 2013 when concerned Derbyshire locals reported he was keeping animals in appalling conditions. Hillside’s investigators drove 200 miles to visit Grant’s smallholding in Bakewell and filmed ponies and donkeys with severely overgrown feet. On a return visit we found one donkey, instead of having proper farriery attention, had simply had her hooves hacked off, and her foal lay dead beside her.

In 2013 we made further reports to authorities about the neglect of the animals, but the owner, who had previously been banned from keeping livestock for animal suffering, received only an improvement notice. When we returned to the farm later we found a pony laying dead and his emaciated companion standing over him. We again reported the farm to the RSPCA, which only resulted in two ponies being removed and signed over to the Society. Unbelievably, even though the owner had previously been issued with an improvement notice following our earlier investigation, the vet that the RSPCA called would not support a cruelty case and so Grant was free to continue his neglect.

In February 2018 we again received further complaints that Grant was keeping animals in terrible conditions. Once again we visited the Derbyshire smallholding and filmed terribly neglected sheep, many lame and some left suffering with broken legs. This time we reported our findings to the Derbyshire Rural rime team who, together with Derbyshire Trading Standards, brought charges against David Grant. We were relieved to find out that, on Friday 13th July 2018 David Grant was successfully convicted and received a lifetime ban from keeping farm animals along with a suspended prison sentence.
Hillside Animal Sanctuary’s Farm Animal Investigation Team have received many reports of appalling conditions for animals at David Grant’s smallholding over the last five years and we have filmed emaciated, dead and dying ponies, donkeys and sheep amongst other animals kept there. In each instance we have reported our findings to the authorities to no avail until we contacted Derbyshire's Rural Crime Team who, along with Trading Standards, pressed ahead to obtain a successful conviction of David Grant.