Stud farmer faces jail after horses and dogs kept in 'completely unacceptable' conditions

The court heard that animals were kept at Wentink's home in Coalburn, Lanark, and in rented buildings in Lesmahagow and Cumbernauld. Scottish SPCA investigators searching the properties on October 31, 2023, found horses in stables in complete darkness and "standing in deep wet faeces", while others were in a muddy field with barely any food and no drinking water. The skeletal remains of a horse later traced to Wentink were also found in the field.

Scottish SPCA officers seized 13 dogs and numerous horses. Three Rottweiler dogs and a black mare were put down on welfare grounds despite receiving veterinary attention. Eight dogs were found in cages in Wentink's home, which investigators said left them suffering "unnecessary pain, discomfort and exposure to disease" because of the "unsanitary conditions", and four more were in an outdoor enclosure with large amounts of faeces and no access to food or water. Examinations found "widespread untreated disease and neglect", with some animals showing signs of "psychological distress".

Reading the Crown's narrative, fiscal depute Katie Allen said the poor condition of the animals would have been "obvious to any reasonable owner". She told the court: "Many of the dogs displayed fearful and stereotypical behaviours consistent with poor welfare and prolonged confinement." She said the combination of unsanitary accommodation, inadequate parasite control, lack of veterinary treatment, inadequate provision of food and water and failure to provide an environment suitable for the animals' behavioural and welfare needs resulted in unnecessary suffering and placed the dogs at a significant risk of injury, disease and ill health.

For the horses, she listed "welfare concerns" including overgrown hooves needing farrier attention, untreated dental disease, teeth with sharp enamel points and dental overgrowths, thrush, dermatitis, alopecia, faecal staining and swelling of the limbs. One heavily pregnant horse found in an old cattle shed with "wet deep faeces throughout" was suffering from malnutrition, painful untreated rain scald, an infected leg wound and a worm burden, she said. She added that Wentink had carried out veterinary procedures on horses as part of his stud business for more than 15 years without the qualifications to do so.

Sheriff Livingston told Wentink that imprisonment was at the forefront of his thinking but that he would examine alternatives, and would take into account that Wentink is a first-time offender. "Uppermost in my mind is imprisonment, but I will be looking at all other alternatives," he said. Leaving court, Wentink was asked by journalists whether he was sorry for what he had done and replied: "Yes."