Derbyshire man assaulted owner of stables where he kept his horse in row over money

Dennis Mccauley Cass was at the premises at Shady Farm, Lower Birchwood, Somercotes, Alfreton, when the incident occurred on April 1, Chesterfield Magistrates’ Court heard on Wednesday, October 14.

Prosecuting, Katherine Wiggan said that the pair were arguing over money and Cass caught her on the head with his mobile phone while waving it around.

She said: “He told her she was a bitch and he had his mobile phone in his hand and it hit her in the face. He continued to scream at her and he grabbed a metal bar from a saddle rack and started hitting a door with it. He called her a bitch again and continued to be abusive.

“In interview, he admitted the offence and said that he had lost it. He said that he wanted to get into the tack room because some of his possessions were in there.”

Cass, 25, of Abbott Court, Stringer Drive, Somercotes, admitted assault and criminal damage when he appeared before the court.

He also admitted breaching a conditional discharge imposed in October 2019, imposed after he sent an abusive text to his sister who was looking after one of his dogs at the time.

Mitigating, Asif Munir said Cass had been unhappy with the service the stables had provided and was in the process of moving the horse somewhere else. He had paid the owner £500 to settle up but she had demanded an additional £75.

“He has a four-year-old horse called Creed and it is his pride and joy and it had been stabled at the livery for the past 18 months.

“He was waving the phone around and it caught her in the face. There was about £4,000 worth of his property and he was trying to remove it and he wouldn’t let him into the tack room. He has then left the premises and his possessions are still there.”

The case was adjourned until November 9 for pre-sentence reports to be prepared.

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