Stud farmer faces jail term for keeping animals in ‘unacceptable conditions’

A stud farmer who posed as a vet and kept horses and dogs in such poor conditions some had to be put down has been told he is facing jail.Bernard Wentink, 54, kept animals in “completely unacceptable” conditions at his home in Coalburn, Lanark, and in rented buildings in Lesmahagow and Cumbernauld.Scottish SPCA investigators found horses kept in stables in complete darkness and “standing in deep wet faeces”, while others were found in a muddy field with barely any food and no drinking water.The animals had conditions including dental disease, dermatitis, lice and swelling of the limbs, and some were malnourished.Read MoreThe skeletal remains of a horse were also discovered in the field, which inquiries later showed had belonged to Wentink.Investigators searching his home found eight dogs in cages, suffering from “unnecessary pain, discomfort and exposure to disease” due to the “unsanitary conditions”.Four dogs were found in an outdoor enclosure amid large amounts of faeces and with no access to food or water.Examinations found “widespread untreated disease and neglect” with some animals displaying “psychological distress”.SPCA officers searched Wentink’s properties on October 31 2023, and seized 13 dogs and numerous horses.Wentink appeared at Airdrie Sheriff Court on Tuesday (Andrew Milligan/PA)PA ArchiveDespite receiving veterinary attention, three Rottweiler dogs and a black mare had to be put down on welfare grounds.On September 15 this year Wentink pleaded guilty to seven breaches of the Animal Health and Welfare Act and one of the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966.He had been due to be sentenced at Airdrie Sheriff Court on Tuesday but Sheriff Derek Livingston deferred this until December 1 to allow more time to prepare.He told Wentink he is likely to face jail.“Uppermost in my mind is imprisonment, but I will be looking at all other alternatives,” he said.The sheriff added that he would take into account the fact Wentink is a first-time offender.Leaving court after the hearing, Wentink was asked by journalists whether he was sorry for what he had done.Reading out the crown’s narrative in court, fiscal depute Katie Allen said the poor condition of the animals in Wentink’s care would have been “obvious to any reasonable owner”.“Many of the dogs displayed fearful and stereotypical behaviours consistent with poor welfare and prolonged confinement,” she told the court.“The combination of unsanitary accommodation, inadequate parasite control, lack of veterinary treatment, inadequate provision of food and water and a failure to provide an environment suitable for the animals’ behavioural and welfare needs resulted in unnecessary suffering and placed the dogs at a significant risk of injury, disease and ill health.”She laid out a number of “welfare concerns” for the horses.“These included overgrown hooves requiring farrier attention, untreated dental disease, teeth in sharp enamel points and dental overgrowths, thrush, dermatitis, alopecia, faecal staining and swelling of the limbs.”She said one horse found in an old cattle shed with “wet deep faeces throughout” was “heavily pregnant” and suffering from “malnutrition, painful untreated rain scald, an infected leg wound, (and) a worm burden”.She added that Wentink had carried out veterinary procedures on horses as part of his stud business for more than 15 years, despite not having the qualifications to do so.Wentink will be sentenced at Airdrie Sheriff Court on December 1.