EXETER MAN GARRY PRIDDLE SENTENCED AFTER TORTOISES DIE IN HIS CARE
A man has been sentenced to a 12-month community order and banned from keeping tortoises for 10 years after failing to properly look after and later dumping 10 Aldabra tortoises which died in his care.Gary Priddle, 56, of Grecian Way, Exeter, pleaded guilty to one charge under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and one under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 when he appeared before Exeter Magistrates’ Court on Thursday 30 May.
The court heard that in January, staff at the Killerton Estate, near Exeter, contacted police to report the discovery eight deceased giant tortoises in Ashclyst Forest.
During the course of enquiries, two more were found in the Fairmile area.
Following a police appeal, information was received from members of the public that led to Priddle being identified as the owner of the tortoises.
He attended voluntary attendance police interviews in February and April in which he admitted being the owner of the tortoises.
During these interviews, Priddle explained that he had not attended to the tortoises for a six-day period between Saturday 23 December and Friday 29 December and when he visited them, he found that the heating lights had stopped working and the tortoises had died.
Joint visits to Priddle’s home address were carried out by Devon and Cornwall Police and the RSPCA and found that he was still in possession of a large number of adult and baby Herman tortoises.
All of these have since been rehomed.
Priddle was summonsed to appear at Exeter Magistrates’ Court to face one charge of depositing 10 deceased Aldabra tortoises in East Devon under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and a second charge of not checking on the daily welfare and heating system relating to their care which failed and led to the animals’ deaths, contrary the Animal Welfare Act 2006.
He was sentenced to a 12-month Community Order, fines amounting to £199, ordered to do 50 hours of unpaid work and a 10-year disqualification order preventing him from owning/looking after/keeping tortoises.
