Man convicted of cruelty brags about fox hunting exploits

Nigel Leonard, of Wattlebridge Road, Newtownbutler, was banned from keeping animals for three years after being convicted of 12 charges of failing to ensure the needs of his dogs were met, and a further charge of causing a hound-type dog to suffer unnecessarily.

He appealed the sentence, but this was thrown out on Tuesday by a judge at Omagh County Court. 

The Impartial Reporter can now reveal that during these lengthy legal proceedings, which stemmed from serious cruelty incidents in July 2021, Leonard has been frequently posting about his exploits as a fox hunter on The Impartial Reporter's Facebook page.

These posts caused distress to other users, and the most recent was the day of the appeal hearing this week.

On Tuesday, under a story about the USPCA calling for tougher sentencing for animal cruelty, Leonard posted an image of himself holding a dead fox, accompanied by three dogs. He also posted another image, depicting fox hunting, with the caption "against the country way of life".

The previous day, under a story about a Northern Ireland-wide weather warning, Leonard posted another photo of himself again brandishing a dead fox with three dogs.

"Foxes be in the holes", he wrote, adding fox, axe and trumpet emojis.

In October, Leonard posted under an online story featuring an image of a fox by a talented young photographer, Dannon Tierney.

There, he posted an image of himself, with two dead foxes and five dogs. This was met with sharp criticism from other commenters.

On October 8, Leonard posted under a promotional post to launch the Impartial Reporter's new farming section.

This featured a young boy and his flock of hens, to which Leonard posted an image of himself with two dead foxes with the caption: "He'll need the Hounds when the foxes start killing his chickens".

Also in October, Leonard commented under another post promoting the success of three farmers at the Fermanagh County Show. An image of himself brandishing a dead fox included the caption: "soon be lambing time".

Leonard has also posted video content on The Impartial Reporter's Facebook page. On October 24, under a story about a debate by Áine Murphy on animal welfare, Leonard posted a video showing a rural landscape with the sound of several dogs barking in the background.

Under this video, he wrote: "Anti Hunting vermin, may the sound of the Hounds never die."

The same images have been posted under other content from The Impartial Reporter in recent weeks, including a news article on Agriculture Minister Andrew Muir, and under a profile of a farmer who works with the RSPB to protect wildlife on an island on Lough Erne.

These comments have been made amid a backdrop of court proceedings against Leonard, which this week came to a close.

At a hearing at Enniskillen earlier this year, a barrister told the court how on July 15, 2021, animal welfare officers attended a field at the Tirvally Road, Macken, near Enniskillen.

There, they observed dogs, owned by Leonard, living in "tin structures".

Officers returned on July 20 with the assistance of two PSNI officers, where they experienced an "overpowering" smell.

In one kennel, six dogs were seen.

An older "hound-type dog" was observed to have prolapse protruding from its rear, which was "so big that it trailed on the ground".

The kennel door was padlocked, and a temperature of 23C was recorded inside.

In another pen, officers noted a terrier-cross dog and a hound. The area was described as "small", with only "an inch" of water provided for both dogs. The temperature inside was 23C.

Noting the poor condition of all dogs and limited water supplies, officers agreed that the animals should be removed.

Six dogs were removed from the first pen, with the smell described as "overpowering".

An officer said that they had "never experienced anything like it" in their seven-and-a-half years of service.

A total of 12 dogs were removed.

The older hound-type dog was examined by a vet on July 21, 2021, and was found to have a prolapse of 5cm. Blood tests also showed early signs of kidney failure.

Officers concluded that the dogs were being kept in "tin roof huts" during the "hottest fortnight of 2021", without "plentiful drinking water".

Officers noted that as there was no dwelling nearby, the dogs couldn't be adequately monitored. Leonard confirmed that he was the owner of the dogs.

At a sentencing hearing in May of this year, Judge Kennedy described the conditions several dogs were found in July 2021 were "appalling" and "disgusting". He sentenced Leonard to a four-month prison sentence, suspended for two years.

Leonard was also banned from keeping animals for three years, and was also ordered to pay rehoming and legal costs of £184 and £250 respectively.

However, Leonard then appealed the sentence. Hearings were postponed until Tuesday of this week, where the appeal was dismissed, and the sentence was affirmed.