'There was no malice intended'
The uncle of the primary school teacher who kicked and punched a horse in a now-viral video has said his niece was merely "reprimanding" the animal.
Sarah Moulds, 37, was reportedly suspended from her job after the viral video showed her beating a visibly distressed horse in Leicestershire.
Sarah's uncle has now leapt to her defence and stated that she is "a fantastic person who absolutely loves her horses".
"I've seen the video but we don't know what the horse had been doing and if it was out of control," Moulds' uncle, David Kirkham, told the
Mail Online.
https://twitter.com/HertsHuntSabs/status/1457304240079228929?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1457304240079228929%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.joe.co.uk%2Fnews%2Fteacher-filmed-punching-and-kicking-horse-suspended-from-job-298963
"But we know it ran out onto the road and she told it off. There was no malice intended. She was reprimanding the horse."
He continued: "Sarah is the most stable, upright person I know and she is a good horsewoman. She is very well thought of and respected."
Similarly, an unnamed neighbour told the
Sun that Moulds is "terrified of being in her own home in case someone targets her or her kids there".
She continued: "It's awful and has got very much out of hand. She fears for her life.
"She's well known and respected in equestrian circles and her social media was bombarded with comments from very angry people after the video went viral and she's now had to close it down."
A statement from Mowbray Education Trust made after the suspension reads: "We can confirm that a member of staff has been suspended pending a formal investigation into an incident that occurred at the weekend.
"We will not be making any further comment while the investigation is in progress."
An RSPCA card has also been pinned to the woman's door in the hope she contacts them.
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