A ‘disgusting’ pervert who sneaked into a stable and had sex with a Shetland pony has avoided jail.
Damion Ogeare, 43, was captured on CCTV making a ‘beeline’ towards the equine stables before emerging some 10 minutes later – without any trousers on.
A court heard the man had arrived at the outdoor building armed with a dog lead which he used to restrain the mare, named Cassieopia.
Pony owner Christine Woolley said she believed Ogeare had ‘scoped’ out the area in advance of carrying out the ‘degrading’ assault.
The homeowner told the court the incident has left her feeling ‘exhausted’, ‘angry’ and ‘frustrated’.
Ogeare has now been handed a community order by a judge who said any right-thinking member of the public would be ‘disgusted’ by his actions.
‘Judges in court are used to most things but sometimes certain crimes stop even a hardened judge in their tracks, and this is one of those offences,’ Recorder Gordon Bebb said.
Winchester Crown Court, Hampshire, heard the incident took place on January 24 last year at a home in Trowbridge, Wiltshire.
Damion Ogeare, 43, was captured on CCTV making a ‘beeline’ towards the equine stables before emerging some 10 minutes later – without any trousers on.
Tom Wright, prosecuting, said: ‘CCTV showed the defendant making a beeline for a pony stable at an address in Trowbridge, a residential address with an equestrian facility.
‘It was the property of Christine Woolley.’
Mr Wright said the animal owner received an alert from her CCTV camera at around 6.30pm.
The footage showed Ogeare enter the stable and reappear some 10 minutes later, the court heard.
When he reemerged, the sexual deviant wasn’t wearing any trousers.
The prosecutor said this gave Mrs Woolley ‘grave concerns’ over what may have happened to her livestock.
It was heard that Ogeare’s face could clearly be made out in the CCTV footage and he was arrested by police later on in the year.
Mr Wright said DNA taken from the Shetland pony ‘connected’ Ogeare with the offence.
His address was searched and police found a baseball cap and a dog lead.
A court heard the man had arrived at the outdoor building armed with a dog lead which he used to restrain the mare, named Cassieopia (stock image)
The prosecutor said: ‘It had been found discarded at the address.
‘The lead had evidently been used to restrain the animal, no doubt, at the time in question.’
The court heard there had been ‘concerns’ when Ogeare had assaulted other animals in the area, as one local reported finding a dog lead on top of his cow.
Mrs Wooley spoke of the impact the incident has had on her.
She said: ‘I am exhausted from this incident.
‘Since the day I know it happened I have been unable to sleep until about 3am.
‘I have been feeling very angry and very frustrated, my horses are almost a part of me.
‘To have one assaulted in such a degrading manner has completely ruined my trust in society.’
She continued: ‘This sort of behaviour is is completely unacceptable
Ogeare has now been handed a community order by a judge who said any right-thinking member of the public would be ‘disgusted’ by his actions
‘I also have no doubt that that these acts are not only intentional, but also planned out.
‘Damion clearly scoped out the area in which he wanted to target.’
Mrs Woolley urged the judge to consider handing Ogeare a custodial sentence.
Holly Fagan, defending, said there is little to say to mitigate the offence other than the fact there was no injury caused to the pony.
‘There doesn’t seem much point in trying to rationalise something like this,’ she said.
‘He was going through a period of acute loneliness and isolation.
‘He’s expressed a great deal or remorse.’
Ms Fagan said he felt a ‘deep sense of regret’ over the events which took place and wanted to apologise to Mrs Woolley.
‘Clearly, it’s a beloved animal that’s been violated and he’s very apologetic for all the distress caused,’ she added.
Ogeare pleaded guilty to one count of sexual penetration of a living animal.
Recorder Gordon Bebb handed Ogeare an 18-month community order with 30 days of rehabilitation activity requirements.
The judge said: ‘I know that any right thinking member of the public would be completely disgusted by what you did.’
Recorder Bebb also ordered Ogeare to pay £299.52 in costs, and handed him a restraining order meaning he must not contact Mrs Woolley or attend her address.
‘You have to stay well away from that area, do you understand,’ he added.
‘That will remain in place until further order.’
