A MAN from Stroud has been banned for keeping equines for seven years after magistrates in Stroud found him guilty of failing to meet the welfare needs of a donkey.

Paul Mitchell, 65, of Swallow Court in Gloucester, was also ordered to do 120 hours of unpaid work and to pay £3,600 in costs at the hearing on Monday, December 2.

Thistle the Donkey was found in December 2012 in a waterlogged field in Coombe Hill without any shelter.

The court heard that representatives from the RSPCA and The Donkey Sanctuary gave advice to Mitchell but when nothing was changed, a vet was contacted.

Adrian Langley, an inspector for RSPCA, said: “Thistle was in entirely unsuitable conditions. The rain was persistent and Thistle had nowhere to go to shelter from the weather or escape the mud.

“I am pleased that this donkey is now being cared for by the Donkey Sanctuary and has a warm and dry environment with all the attention he needs.”

Mitchell has lodged an appeal against conviction and sentence.