The trial of an Armstrong man accused of animal cruelty continued Thursday in a Vernon court room.
Gary Roberts was charged with causing unnecessary pain or suffering to an animal, failing to provide the necessaries for an animal and uttering threats after 16 of his horses were seized by the SPCA in December 2014.
A veterinarian who was present when the SPCA executed their search warrant and seized Roberts’ horses testified.
Dr. Britt Mills said it was difficult to decide which animals to seize because, although some of the estimated 110 horses in Roberts’ herd had adequate body condition scores, “many if not all of the horses were in distress.”
“We were only able to take the 16 with body condition scores of one, which was very difficult,” Mills said.
Mills said the number of horses the SPCA could seize was limited because it only had the resources to foster and pick-up so many horses that day.
“Having to see horses [with a] body condition score of one is very difficult because they are so emaciated,” she said.
Mills said the horse that collapsed later had to be euthanized.
Accused takes the stand
Roberts testified that at various earlier points, the condition of the vast majority of his large herd had been good.
But, he said, in December 2014, when the SPCA executed its search warrant, rain and freezing temperatures had made the farm icy.
He claims those conditions made it more challenging for him to take care of the horses.
Roberts also testified that the wet and icy conditions made it more difficult for the horses to stay warm, and because it was difficult for the horses to cross the ice, the animals became isolated in different areas of the property.
He described working long hours to try and care for the estimated 110 animals, but admitted he was fearful some might die.
Roberts also said that he had moved 12 horses to another property the previous fall, and that their condition had “dropped off” when they returned to his farm in late November.
Testimony about alleged threat
Earlier in the day, BC SPCA constable Kathy Woodward testified about a threat Roberts is alleged to have made when she told him the SPCA would be seizing some of his horses.
“Mr. Roberts said, ‘The SPCA is not taking any of my horses,’” Woodward said.
“He advised us that he had guns and I told him that that’s why we have the police here. Mr. Roberts said, ‘Then they better have their guns ready, because I’ll be going down with my horses.’”
Woodward described Roberts as very angry and yelling.
Roberts challenged the version of events described by Woodward and another SPCA constable.
He said that he was tired and frustrated that day after staying up till 3:00 a.m. the night before caring for the horses in the icy conditions.
“I don’t recall this threat about the RCMP part,” Roberts said on the stand.
“I remember saying something to the effect that I was going to go down with those horses. Whether I used the word gun, I can’t recall.”
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