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| Anne the elephant circus abuse: Bobby Roberts guilty | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A circus owner has been found guilty of three counts of causing unnecessary suffering to a performing elephant. | A circus owner has been found guilty of three counts of causing unnecessary suffering to a performing elephant. |
| Bobby Roberts, 69, was found guilty of mistreating 58-year-old elephant Anne and was given a three-year conditional discharge. | |
| Roberts was also convicted of failing to prevent an employee from repeatedly beating the animal. | |
| His wife Moira, 75, was found not guilty of the same charges at Northampton Crown Court. | His wife Moira, 75, was found not guilty of the same charges at Northampton Crown Court. |
| The court had been shown secretly-filmed footage of the animal being struck with a pitchfork by a groom. | The court had been shown secretly-filmed footage of the animal being struck with a pitchfork by a groom. |
| The video was recorded by welfare group Animal Defenders International (ADI) between 21 January and 15 February 2011. | |
| It showed the Asian elephant being kicked and struck with a pitchfork several times by the groom, Nicolai Nitu, at the Bobby Roberts' Super Circus' winter quarters in Polebrook, Northamptonshire. | |
| Chained | |
| Roberts, from Oundle, Northamptonshire, told the court he would never have condoned the behaviour of Nitu, who is believed to have returned home to Romania. | |
| He said: "I can't tell you what I would have done. The police would have been involved. | |
| "Still now when I think about it, it goes through me, I just can't believe it." | |
| Roberts also failed to ensure the elephant's needs were met by not giving her medication for her arthritis. | |
| In the footage, the elderly animal could be seen chained by one foot and one hind leg in a barn. | |
| The legs of the elephant could also be seen to buckle several times. | |
| Roberts claimed he was unaware that Anne had been constantly chained and that the groom had not followed his instructions. | |
| He admitted the elephant would be chained up at times but said his instructions were that she be let loose behind an electric fence in a cordoned-off area. | |
| But the court rejected his claims and found him guilty of all charges. |