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19th March 2023
01:34pm GMT
A pervert caught having sex with a former mayor's horse in a field has been jailed for eight months.
Phillip Henry, 34, violated the animal and was "giggling" with his trousers around his ankles when he was found by an employee at a private stables in Dover, Kent.
Henry fled after being discovered, but was later arrested after his DNA was found in a sample taken from the female pony, which was between eight and nine years old.
Betty the cob pony - a breed which can weigh upwards of 50 stone - belongs to former Mayor and Dover Town Councillor Neil Rix.
The defendant initially denied a charge of bestiality - claiming he instead inadvertently dispatched his semen in the field where the pony was kept - but admitted the "vile" sexual act when he appeared in court.
Henry pleaded guilty to having sex with a living animal, which carries a maximum sentence of two years.
He will also remain on the sex offenders list, and admitted possession of cannabis after the drug was found at his home.
When a judge jailed Henry for eight months, he could be heard saying: "Oh, that's not good."
At Canterbury Crown Court, Henry argued he was suffering from stress and bereavement during the horse's "appalling" ordeal.
Opening the case, prosecutor Don Ramble told the court: “On April 16, 2021, at about 4.30pm in the afternoon, Sarah Irons was working at Longhill Livery in Dover.
“She noticed that one of the horses was missing, and when she looked around the field, it was then that she saw the defendant, [who was] not known to her.
“He was standing behind the horse that was missing from the others, and so Miss Irons went over to investigate, and not long after she saw clearly what was happening.
“The defendant was wearing yellow high-visibility trousers, and these were down by his ankles. He was thrusting back and forth from behind the horse. She did not run away - she instead screamed at the defendant.
When Henry noticed he had been seen, he "casually pulled up his trousers, still exposing himself," before and Miss Irons "bravely gave chase."
Ramble continued: “He then began running away. She pursued him through a nearby field but he was too fast and he managed to escape.
“She then notified the owner of the horse, a Mr Neil Rix, who had the wherewithal to immediately call his vet to attend - specifically so swabs could be taken.”
Forensic results recovered from the horse’s vagina contained the defendant’s DNA, Ramble added.
Police went to his home on July 10 of that year where they also recovered 13.3 grams of cannabis.
The court heard no harm came to Betty, while the method Henry used to restrain the cob remains unknown.
With a DNA match, officers soon arrested Henry, who admitted cannabis possession but made no comment in interview about abusing the horse.
Henry initially claimed he dispatched his DNA in the field, and that the horse then inadvertently sat in it.
It prompted Judge Simon James to express strong views on the matter and excuse himself from future hearings.
Meanwhile, a psychiatric report ordered by the court found there were no causes for concern.
Jailing Henry today, Judge Douglas Marks Moore branded his actions "beyond contemplation - reprehensible, appalling, disgusting”.
He added: "In my judgement there is sometimes an offence of such a nature that courts must mark society's disapproval and abhorrence.
"And in my view this is such a case."
Rix, Dover's former mayor, described Henry as "sick," and said he should be castrated.
He had bought Betty for his grandchildren six years ago and described how he found out about the incident after a distressing phone call from the stable-hand.
He added: "She phoned me and she was hysterical. She said she checked on the ponies, like we do a couple of times each day, when she saw him.
"As she got right up to him she realised his pants were around his ankles and he was giggling. She screamed at him and he pulled away looking mortified.
"He ran and she chased him and we got the police involved. I told her to get the horse straight into the stable and called the vet, who was there within 20 minutes.
"I said to the vet 'I don't care how much it costs, I want a proper DNA sample taken'."
After Judge Moore passed sentence on Friday, Henry, who wore a blue shirt in court, could be heard saying: "Oh, that's not good - I love you mum."
The court heard Henry has previous sexual convictions, KentOnline reports.
In 2015 he was handed a police caution after being caught making indecent images of children, including three category A - the most serious kind.
In 2017, he sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl and a 15-year-old girl, both in school uniforms, within weeks of each other.
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