Shocking animal neglect with sheep covered in maggots sees Rotherham man banned from keeping livestock

A Rotherham man has been disqualified from keeping livestock for 10 years after neglecting a number of sheep - including one ewe which was discovered collapsed, emaciated and covered in maggots.

Paul Desbro, aged 58, of Hall Broome Gardens, Bolton Upon Dearne, Rotherham, was sentenced at Sheffield Magistrates’ Court on Friday, March 15.

This follows an RSPCA investigation which began when animal rescue officer Liz Braidley visited a smallholding in Mexborough Road, Bolton Upon Dearne, in May last year following reports of a collapsed sheep.

She found two underweight sheep and a third ewe who had collapsed against a fence. The ewe was emaciated, and there were large sections of her fleece missing with the skin underneath red and sore and covered in scabs. Her wounds were also swarmed with flies and maggots.

Liz called her colleagues for assistance, as well as the police and a vet. She said: “[The ewe] was trying to turn her head to groom herself and was clearly irritated by the flies around her which were relentlessly landing on her.”

The RSPCA found the owner and the police seized three sheep but sadly the ewe was so poorly she had to be put to sleep by a vet to end her suffering.

RSPCA Inspector Jennie Ronksley said: “This was a sad case involving the neglect of multiple sheep including an emaciated ewe who was so severely burdened with flystrike that her skin was absolutely crawling with maggots and clearly needed veterinary attention.”

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Desbro was sentenced to a 12-month community order to carry out 250 hours of unpaid work. He was also ordered to pay a £114 victim surcharge and £2,000 in costs. He was disqualified from keeping livestock for ten years and cannot appeal this for a minimum of five years. A deprivation order was also made for the two living sheep and their lambs.

Sentencing remarks referred to this as a “deeply concerning case” and called the photographs and video footage “disturbing”. 

In mitigation, the court heard that Desbro entered an early guilty plea, that he shared the responsibility of the livestock kept on the smallholding with two other friends and was not experienced in keeping sheep so was ignorant of their welfare needs rather than malicious.

He was described as giving “well-meaning but incompetent care”. He also had no previous convictions and is a family man.