23 June 2026

A 61-year-old Bullsbrook man has been fined $28,000 and banned from being in charge of an animal for 10 years after being found guilty of animal cruelty for starving six horses and leaving two of them to also suffer untreated health issues.

He was also found guilty of failing to comply with a written direction notice and for twice giving an RSPCA WA inspector false information. In addition to the fines, the offender has also been ordered to pay $98,299 in care and legal costs.

The Armadale Magistrates Court heard an RSPCA WA inspector attended a property in Kenwick in June 2024 after receiving a cruelty report about the thoroughbreds. She found them in very poor body condition; there was no food or hay available and minimal grass.

The offender was issued a written direction notice to provide the horses with proper and sufficient food which he failed to comply with.

He also gave the inspector false information during her investigation namely; saying he had moved them to a property with lots of natural grass; that they were receiving constant hay and pellets and all looked much better; and by sending what he claimed were current photos of the horses looking in reasonable body condition but that were, in fact, taken much earlier.

Further information received led RSPCA WA inspectors to attend a second Kenwick property where they found all six horses emaciated with the outline of their ribs, hips, spine and pelvis bones visible. There wasn’t any hay or feed available, and the paddock was completely dry with no roughage available.

The six horses were seized and taken to Baldivis Vet Hospital where examinations revealed varying conditions including extreme emaciation, lice infestation, a high worm burden, dehydration, overgrown hooves, and liver disease as a result of eating toxic plants, something the examining vet said horses do in high amounts when there is little alternative food available.

One of the horses was humanely euthanised when his liver disease did not respond to treatment. A second horse, who had failed to thrive in foster care, was euthanised in March this year after suffering a major seizure, possibly from the continued impact of her liver disease. The others have recovered in foster care.

In sentencing, Magistrate Mark Millington said the offender’s assertion that the horses were not underweight was “fanciful” and “bordering on delusional”, later adding, “from what I’ve seen throughout the trial is that [the offender] struggles with the truth”.
He said, “The state of the horses are a disgrace…it is disgusting.”

RSPCA WA Inspector Manager Kylie Green said this was a shocking case of neglect.
“This offender was given the knowledge and opportunity to make sure his horses were healthy, but he chose to ignore it and lied to the inspector while the horses continued to suffer. It is difficult to comprehend someone going to such lengths to hide the truth of the appalling state of their animals rather than caring for them properly.”

The offender was convicted under sections 19(1), 19(3)(d) and 19(3)(h) of the Animal Welfare Act 2002. He was found to have been cruel to the horses in that he did not provide them with proper and sufficient food and allowed two to suffer harm which could have been alleviated by taking reasonable steps. He was also charged under section 40(2) for failing to follow a direction issued by an RSPCA WA inspector and under section 76(c) for giving the inspector false information.

The maximum penalty for a conviction of animal cruelty is a $50,000 fine and five years in prison. The maximum penalty for each of the other convictions is $20,000 and one year in prison.

The RSPCA relies on the community to report incidents of suspected cruelty and neglect. Report cruelty on 1300 CRUELTY (1300 278 358) or via rspcawa.org.au.