Court upholds lifetime ban for rescue centre owner who allowed horses to suffer

A rescue centre owner who was banned from keeping animals for a life after two horses in her care had to be put down has had her sentence upheld following an appeal.

Lynn Haydon-Williams, 65, of Redgate, Hyde, Greater Manchester, was given the lifetime ban after she was found guilty of 13 animal welfare offences relating to horses, goats and a coatimundi (a member of the raccoon family) and sentenced on 28 March 2024. She was given a six-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, and ordered to carry out 240 hours of unpaid work.

Haydon-Williams lodged an appeal against her convictions and sentence. On 3 July 2025 a judge at Manchester Crown Court quashed two of the convictions; failing to provide a suitable environment and keeping an animal listed as an invasive alien species, relating to the coatimundi.

The other 11 convictions were upheld; five relating to horses, three relating to goats, three relating to pigs and a charge relating to a hedgehog and tortoises. Haydon-Williams failed to get veterinary treatment for a gelding named Casper who was suffering from laminitis, and did not get dental treatment for Casper, a mare called Gemma and stallion called Deio. She failed to get the necessary treatment for Gemma’s sarcoids and did not address the cause of her lameness, and she did not meet Deio’s needs.

An RSPCA spokesperson said the charity identified several welfare issues at Haywill Animal Rescue and Therapy Centre’s sites at Glossop in Derbyshire and Broadbottom in Tameside, Greater Manchester during visits in 2020 and 2021.

“On several visits to the sites the charity’s officers found horses in poor conditions, one who was suffering with multiple tumours, and lame goats. There were also overweight pigs with hoof problems and arthritic coatimundi,” said the spokesperson.

At the previous hearing, the court heard that the RSPCA advised Haydon-Williams to seek veterinary care during visits to both sites.

On one occasion in May 2021, RSPCA Inspector Jessica Araujo found “goats with overgrown feet struggling to walk normally and grossly obese pigs”.

“Haydon-Williams was told that veterinary advice was that the horse covered with skin tumours should have been put down to end their suffering. But the equine, called Gemma, was not euthanised until after the RSPCA and Derbyshire Police secured a warrant to enter the centre in September 2022 when 10 goats, three horses, a pig and a coati were all removed,” said the RSPCA spokesperson.

“Another horse, called Casper, who was suffering with a severe foot condition was also put down as well as a pig suffering with overgrown feet. An emaciated pygmy goat and the coatimundi passed away later.”

In mitigation at the previous trial it was said that Haydon-Williams did “good work for many people for a long time” at the centre, but Covid had impacted on her finances lessening her ability to look after the animals.

The judge ruled Haydon-Williams’ sentence should remain, stating that it was “entirely appropriate”.

“Despite the poor condition of the animals we have no doubt that the defendant is someone who cares deeply about animals, including these animals,” the judge said.

Haydon-Williams was ordered to pay an additional £600 towards the costs of her appeal. The surviving animals, a horse and 10 goats, were rehomed by the RSPCA.

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