A man and a woman have faced a court after they left animals including snakes, spiders, tortoises and fish behind when they moved out of their home. The couple had claimed they had fled the property because of death threats.
Further, they said they had returned on alternating days to check on their animals, which they described as their "children". But they were found out when the RSPCA was tipped off.
RSPCA inspectors stepped in, seizing the animals, which included two Royal Pythons with skin conditions. Facing a magistrates' court, Emma Bayliss and Aaron Johnson admitted two offences of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal. They were each handed a 12-month community order, fined £120 each and banned from keeping animals for ten years when they appeared on Thursday, reports BirminghamLive.
