SERIAL ANIMAL ABUSER WILLIAM CASSIE FROM INVERURIE FACES JUSTICE AFTER HORRIFIC WELFARE FAILURES

William Cassie, a man born around 1956 and residing at Portstown Farm in Keithhall, Inverurie, has been at the center of a disturbing animal cruelty case that has shocked the local community and animal welfare advocates alike.

Details of the case reveal that Cassie’s neglectful treatment of animals spanned multiple locations, including Mill of Kinmuck near Ellon, Lower Wanford Farm in Alvah near Banff, his residence at Portstown in Keithhall, and Mains of Montcoffer in Macduff. The incidents occurred between August 16 and December 17, 2018, during which authorities conducted raids and seized numerous animals.

During these raids in December 2018, authorities uncovered a heartbreaking scene: cows and dogs suffering from severe neglect. Many animals were found either dead or in such poor health that they had to be euthanized to end their suffering. The conditions in which these animals were kept were described as appalling, with some animals emaciated, ill, and desperately crying out for food.

On December 4, 2020, Cassie was convicted on four charges related to his failure to care for the animals under his responsibility. Initially, he faced twelve charges when his trial began earlier in 2020, but two charges were dropped, and he was found not guilty of six others. The evidence presented at Aberdeen Sheriff Court painted a grim picture of neglect and cruelty.

Sheriff Margaret Hodge, presiding over the case, highlighted the neglect of a cow suffering from severe pneumonia, which had been left untreated for approximately three weeks. The court also found that Cassie had failed to properly care for another cow kept in deplorable conditions; this animal was so ill that it had to be euthanized. A post-mortem examination revealed that the cow weighed only around 45 stone, less than half the weight of a healthy adult of its species.

Further, Cassie was convicted of neglecting a calf that was found to be malnourished and “roaring for food,” isolated in a dark shed away from its mother. The court also noted that he kept dogs and cattle in hazardous environments filled with faeces, rusty metal, scrap machinery, and even a collapsed building, all of which posed serious risks to the animals’ health and safety.

Defense lawyer George Mathers argued that Cassie, who is 64 years old, wished to continue farming and was not considering retirement. However, the Scottish SPCA’s chief inspector, Alison Simpson, expressed disappointment with the sentence, stating that it did not adequately reflect the severity of the neglect.

Simpson emphasized that the Scottish SPCA had previously worked with local authorities to investigate Cassie’s care of animals and had successfully prosecuted him for equine neglect in 2018. She questioned his fitness to care for any animals, given his history of welfare failures.

As part of his sentencing, Cassie was fined £3,000 and received a 12-month ban from owning or keeping cattle. This penalty is in addition to a five-year ban on keeping equines, which is set to expire in August 2023. The case has once again brought to light the importance of animal welfare and the ongoing need for vigilance and enforcement to prevent such cruelty from recurring in Inverurie and surrounding areas.