The owner of a donkey named Paco in Tiffield, near Towcester, UK, has ended up in court due to Paco's "violent and bossy" behaviour.

 

The owner, Andrew Harding, was found guilty of breaking the Animal Welfare Act of 2006 and breaking farming regulations, as he failed to
stop Paco from terrorizing neighbouring farm animals.

Appearing at Daventry Magistrates' Court, Mr. Harding, aged 39, was found guilty of eight charges of animal neglect and of failing to stop a Spanish donkey violently biting and shaking pigs, goats and sheep.

Paco has attacked rare breed pigs, pygmy goats, and other donkeys. Paul Flowers, a neighbouring donkey owner, says the aggressive equine killed one of his donkeys, which he found dead in a field.

"I saw the pigs had bite marks on their necks. I saw one of the goats grabbed by the neck and thrown against a shed — another day I had to fight Paco to get him off a pig," said Flowers. "About two days later I found one of my donkeys dead in the field."

Harding was asked by the Trading Standards officers on several occasions to keep Paco separated from other animals.

Magistrates heard Harding had taken responsibility of Paco on a trial basis in December 2008 and kept him in his rented field, off High Street, Tiffield.

Within weeks, neighbours witnessed the violent donkey terrorising
Harding's own pigs and goats after he was left in the same field. The court
heard claims that Paco had also broken into a neighbouring field and killed
another male donkey, called Pablo.

In court, Harding said he had kept the animals as a "little hobby
farm" for his children and had learnt about keeping pigs from books
purchased on eBay.

He told the court he had not believed neighbours or trading standards officers
when they told him Paco was terrorising the other animals.

He said he wanted evidence in "black and white" and only accepted the
truth when he witnessed Paco "kneeling" on one of his Kune Kune pigs.

Presiding magistrate Sally Clubley told him he was guilty of "failing to
investigate and prevent" the donkey's attacks. She said: "You
received numerous reports from trading standards and from others about what was
going on. You were made aware of photos and DVD evidence and you received calls
from trading standards.

"You were told repeatedly to separate Paco from the smaller animals and
that the fencing you put up was inadequate. Paco and the smaller animals were
not kept separately, therefore the smaller animals were not protected from
Paco."

Prosecuting for Northamptonshire County Council Trading Standards, Vic Smith
made an application for Harding to pay £6,080 costs.

A video of Paco chasing and biting a pig was shown to the court.

Sentencing was adjourned until next month.

With files from Horse&Hound and the Northampton Chronicle and Echo.