A 43-year-old man has avoided prison time after being convicted of sexually assaulting a Shetland pony in a shocking incident that left the animal’s owner devastated and a judge visibly disturbed.
Damion Ogeare was caught red-handed on CCTV entering a stable on the property of Christine Woolley in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, on the evening of January 24 last year. Prosecutors told Winchester Crown Court that Ogeare made a “beeline” for the stables before reappearing around ten minutes later without his trousers.
Ogeare used a dog lead to restrain the pony, a mare named Cassieopia, during the incident. The same lead was later recovered at the scene of this disturbing crime.
Prosecutor Tom Wright noted that concerns had previously been raised in the local area, including another incident where a dog lead was found atop a local resident’s cow.
The Pony’s owner Christine Woolley said the attack had left her emotionally drained and distrustful.
“Since the day I know it happened I have been unable to sleep until about 3am,” she told the court. “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 also believes Mr Ogeare’s actions were premeditated as she would say “I also have no doubt that these acts are not only intentional, but also planned out. Damion clearly scoped out the area in which he wanted to target”.
Despite the severity of the offence, Ogeare was only handed an 18-month community order with 30 rehabilitation activity days.
Ogeare was also ordered to pay £299.52 in court costs and was given a restraining order banning him from contacting Mrs. Woolley or visiting her property.
The order will remain in place until further notice.
His defender, Holly Fagan admitted the lack of mitigation. “There doesn’t seem much point in trying to rationalise something like this,” she said, explaining that Ogeare had been experiencing acute loneliness and isolation at the time. “He’s expressed a great deal of remorse and feels a deep sense of regret.”
Police would arrest Ogeare after identifying him from the CCTV footage. DNA evidence recovered from the pony confirmed his involvement. A search of his residence uncovered items linked to the attack, including a baseball cap and the dog lead used to restrain the animal. Ogeare pleaded guilty to one count of sexual penetration of a living animal.
