Suspended sentence for animal cruelty

VETERAN horseman Keith Toulmin has been found guilty of animal cruelty following an RSPCA investigation.

The Tasmanian trainer was convicted on three charges, comprising of cruelty to animals, failing to comply with an instruction and aggravated cruelty.

In finding Toulmin guilty, the magistrate handed down a two-month prison sentence, which has been suspended for a year.

It’s been reported 15 horses in Toulmin’s care were left to starve as the 68-year-old could no longer afford to feed for the animals, which were left at his property when his son, Craig, moved away from Tasmania.

In 2014 Craig was fined and given a suspended prison sentence for cooking meth in Victoria. Craig pleaded guilty to trafficking a commercial quantity of methylamphetamine.

As for the 15 horses, four had to put down, some have been re-homed, while some are still under RSPCA care.

Toulmin has also been banned from having custody of horses or livestock for the next five years.