Man Found Guilty Of Neglecting Wimbledon Pony

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Flash had to be put to sleep because of malnutrition

A man has been found guilty of animal cruelty after Flash the pony was found neglected in a ramshackle shelter in Wimbledon.

Trelby Penfold had been charged with animal neglect after Flash was seized by Merton Police from the shelter off Brickfield Road in January. He was so malnourished that he had to be put to sleep.

Police first came across Flash in August 2016 when they found him tethered tightly to a tree, concealed by bushes. He could not move and rocked slowly in distress.

Worried residents told the PCSOs they had also seen the pony tied to a lamppost in the pouring rain, without food or water.

The officers continued to visit Flash, bringing apples and carrots from home to help the starving pony. Finding him tethered to a tree time and time again, they loosened the restraints to give the horse some freedom as he was clearly in distress by the confined space.

At the beginning the pony gobbled down the food, as where he was tied there was no grass and only mud as sustenance.

Early in 2017, the PCSOs found Flash was missing. Concerned for his welfare they asked around and through local knowledge found him off Brickfield Road, again tied up too tightly with no food or water within reach.

His health had now deteriorated, so police and the RSPCA took action to take him to a place of safety. But his malnutrition was so advanced that he could not be saved and had to be put to sleep.

Merton Police said today that Flash's owner Trelby Penfold had been found guilty in court of animal cruelty.

November 9, 2017