Men accused of transporting pony in skip on the A17 Terrington St Clement to face trial
Two men who are accused of putting a pony in a skip in Lynn and driving to Birmingham will face trial.
Liam Richardson, 36, and Connor Hamer, 30, appeared at Lynn Magistrates’ Court on Thursday.
The pair both denied the offence of causing unnecessary treatment to a Shetland pony on February 23.
Hamer also denied the offences of moving an equine without the possession of an ID document or smart card and using a vehicle with an insecure load.
However, Richardson pleaded guilty to driving a white Iveco van with an insecure load and while under the influence of drugs.
Prosecutor Sarah Fiddy said that on February 23 at around 5pm, uniformed police officers were driving along the A17 in Terrington St Clement in an unmarked police car when they noticed that the van Richardson and Hamer were in was uninsured.
Officers found the van parked in McDonalds in West Lynn and spotted Richardson and Hamer.
A drugs test was carried out on Richardson which came back with a reading of 244mcg of benzoylecgonine, a variant of cocaine, in his system. The legal limit to drive is 50mcg.
“This offence is aggravated by a passenger in the car, an unsecured load and a pony in a skip in the back,” said Ms Fiddy.
Mitigating for Richardson, George Sorrell said that the pair had found the pony when collecting an item from Lynn and that it was being kept in dog kennels.
Mr Sorrell said that Richardson “didn’t want to leave the animal in that condition” so decided to put it in the lorry.
“It was a high-sided commercial vehicle, it was clearly not the right thing to transport a pony in. But the animal was neglected, that could explain why he was drug-driving with an animal in the vehicle,” the solicitor said.
Richardson was disqualified from driving for 18 months and was fined £200.
He was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £80 and court costs of £105.
Richardson, of Blackburn Street in Greater Manchester, and Hamer, of Moss Lane in Cheshire, will both face trial on May 1 2024 at Lynn Magistrates’ Court and have been released on unconditional bail.
