Saturday November 24, 2012, 10:23 am
A judge at Northampton Crown Court convicted Bobby Roberts after the court was shown secretly-filmed footage of a groom hitting 58-year-old elephant Anne with a pitchfork.

The video, which was recorded by the group Animal Defenders International in 2011, showed the groom kicking and hitting the Asian elephant, which was seen chained by a foot and a hind leg in a barn.

The 69-year-old Roberts told the court during a five-day trial that he would never have condoned the behavior of the groom, who is believed to have returned to his home in Romania.

He was given a three-year conditional discharge Friday.


OOOOOOOOhhhhhhhhhhh am I MAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Saturday November 24, 2012, 11:21 am
sad news :-(

Saturday November 24, 2012, 12:00 pm
Noted. However, I couldn't watch the video. It's so sad that the elephant was abused but I'm glad the person was caught and ssomeone was charged. Thanks so much, BarbCat.

Saturday November 24, 2012, 12:13 pm
Should have found the groom and thrown the book at him, even though he, (Roberts) 'thinks' he's in Romania. As for him being the owner of this circus, he should have known what was going on with his animals, and the harm this guy was doing. He's only on a three-year conditional discharge, which I figure is our 'probation'. Anne and the other animals should be taken and sent to a sanctuary, where they can live their lives in Peace, comfort/and/love.!! Thank you, Barb for this.

Saturday November 24, 2012, 12:13 pm
noted with sadnes, thnx barb for the news, poor anne, i do not wanted to see the vedeo. a least the find out about this bastard !!! the punishment was nathing!!!! he need to be in jail!!!! but he was cought, my heart goes to poor anne. she is older now, she need more then never love and protectio. ciao

Saturday November 24, 2012, 12:34 pm
It is a shame that after all the many years of torment, neglect and abuse that this owner put his elephants thru that all he got was 3 yrs. but we also need to be grateful that he got anything the way the law is these days. At least he got something which is a whole lot better than getting off scott free.

Saturday November 24, 2012, 1:23 pm
Im enraged right now and I didnt even watch the video..thats why Im trying to take a break from care2..

at least the sob got SOMETHING and Im sure he knows exactly where the monster is..

People NEED to get the word out about circuses! My little local paper had a front page story/advertisement for a circus and I wrote to the author explaining why he should be doing a story on what happens behind the scenes instead of advertising the "amazing performances of Asian elephants and Siberian tigers."!...

the response? nothing

Im coming to accept that sadly, as long as there are humans and money, animals will always be their prey for profit.

I just hope Jesus comes SOON!!!!

Saturday November 24, 2012, 1:34 pm
tried to post on FB, not sure why it didnt work...

Saturday November 24, 2012, 3:48 pm
Noted with great sadness. A three year conditional discharge is sickening. I hope they took all the animals away, to be put in sanctuaries. This Roberts had the responsibility to know what & how his staff was treating the animals.
Poor Anne - It is so sad that she wasn't able to kick back!
Thank you for making me aware of this Barb.

Saturday November 24, 2012, 4:30 pm
The people who pass out the sentences seem to think that the animals aren't worth much, they need the pitchfork. Shut all the circuses down, put the animals in a lovely safe and gentle place to live the rest of their lives in joy. I cannot watch the video, I have seen the one of Ringling Bros. abusing the elephants. Thank you. I dream of the day when all the animals are free and living in joy and love.

Saturday November 24, 2012, 5:05 pm
Until the Law starts taking Animal Abuse seriously, what can we expect? I wish the judges were treated the way people treat Animals, then I'd bet they'd change their tunes real fast...Shame on this judge...

Saturday November 24, 2012, 6:16 pm
Bobby Roberts was right there in the video watching the groom beat poor Anne and some of the other animals!! He knew what was going on and did NOTHING to stop it. Shame, shame on him!!!

Circuses are nothing but torture chambers for animals. I HATE them!!

I hope Anne can get sent to a sanutary to be free of this horredous life she is living in now!!!

Saturday November 24, 2012, 8:28 pm
I absolutely cannot see straight right now, in fact all I am seeing is red! I would very much like to find this man myself but I will not say what I would like to do to him as it would probably land me in prison. Thanks for the post Barb.

Saturday November 24, 2012, 10:19 pm
I can't watch videos like this one. It's so terrible! This monster should be hanged!

Sunday November 25, 2012, 12:08 am
Shocking and really horrible. I hope Anne will find a better life eventually. Thank you, BarbCat for posting it.

Sunday November 25, 2012, 2:38 am
:-?

Sunday November 25, 2012, 5:08 am
I couldnt open the video, but very sad. i wish they would ban all circus shows. theyre not entertaining and its so mean.

Sunday November 25, 2012, 5:26 am
--------------------------------------------------------------
Northamptonshire Magistrates’ Court sitting at Northamptonshire Crown Court
23 November 2012
Before:
District Judge (Magistrates’ Court) David Chinery
Regina
-v-
Bobby Roberts
Sentencing remarks
Bobby Roberts, I have convicted you of three charges under the Animal Welfare Act in circumstances which I hope I have made plain do not represent your normal level of care for the animals under your control.
You are a man who has not previously been convicted of any offence and it is to your credit that you have cared for and managed animals for the greater part of your seventy years without criticism from any quarter.
When I consider the question of sentence I bear in mind a number of factors. As you know only too well there are vast swathes of the public who have publicly voiced their views on what should happen to you. I regard this as deplorable and I hope that in the remarks which I made earlier I have done my best to try and set the record straight. My approach is first of all to look at the sentencing guidelines to which I must have regard.
I agree with your counsel that this offending is at the lower end of the scale. No cruelty was administered by your own hand. The chaining I regard as serious but the real cruelty it seems to me was inflicted by your groom, a man whom you had entrusted with the care of Anne, behind your back and without your knowledge.
There are aggravating features identified by the sentencing council namely the fact that Anne was an animal kept for your livelihood and you were in a position of responsibility. Against that there are factors which indicate less culpability, particularly your lack of knowledge.
As a result of what has happened your business is effectively at an end. You have lost everything which you have built up over the last five decades. I am told that you have no funds at all.
The starting point as identified by the sentencing guidelines is a fine. I feel able to depart from the guidelines for the following reasons. Firstly you have an exemplary record of animal husbandry; secondly you have suffered enough punishment over the last eighteen months; thirdly it is unlikely that you will ever be seen in the Criminal Justice system again.
For those reasons I propose to discharge you on condition that you commit no offence for the
next three years. The effect of this is that if you commit no offence in the next three years you
will hear no more of this offence. Conversely, if you do re-offend then you may be sentenced in a
different way for these offences.
I have regard to your financial circumstances and impose no order for costs. In making that
decision I am in no way critical of the Crown Prosecution Service.
I have to consider whether you should be disqualified from keeping animals in future; I agree
with your counsel that in the light of your past record and your continued involvement with the
circus business that it would be disproportionate for me to make such an order and I decline to
do so.

Sunday November 25, 2012, 5:30 am
The animals that are used in these horrid circus shows are starved and beaten down until their spirits are broken.Baby animals ripped from their mothers,baby animals taken when their wild mothers are murdered supply the circus with their victims.Stupid people pay a lot of money to watch broken animals perform unnatural tricks,then these poor animals go back to their small cages,elephants in chains and people think it is ok.So very sad.

Sunday November 25, 2012, 5:54 am
It's so revolting...I couldn't watch the whole video :-(

Sunday November 25, 2012, 6:43 am
Horrible,I cant watch these animal abuse videos they make me mad & very sad for the animals.

Sunday November 25, 2012, 7:28 am
inhumane....wild animals should stay in the wild.....

Sunday November 25, 2012, 10:03 am
Lock him up!

Sunday November 25, 2012, 10:04 am
Grrrrrrr!!! :-( I'd like to trap, torture, train and exploit these assholes and then send them back their own little barren cages, no straw, no food, no water, chain them up and whip them some more...I'd even throw in a bull hook, just for good measure....I wonder if I could get them to bow....

Sunday November 25, 2012, 10:12 am
Couldn't watch the video;( The picture is enough! I am so sorry for Anne and all the circus animals all over the world. Three years are not enough! Yes, wild animals should stay in the wild!
Thanks Barb for sharing!

Sunday November 25, 2012, 10:19 am
I just can't watch the video it would break my heart and that i can't get my hands on the man/people wjo allow this to happen Dam mankind for being so inhumane to the creatures that depend on us for their welfare H e should have got life better yet had the same abuse administered to him to see how it feels

Sunday November 25, 2012, 10:30 am
Lets do the same to him and see how he likes it. Its noted.

Sunday November 25, 2012, 11:38 am
Extremely sad to watch helpless Anne. This is pure slavery. Could not watch till end.
Where is she now?

Sunday November 25, 2012, 12:36 pm
Do the same to this pathetic animal abusing piece of crap.Go a little futher and exterminate this trailer trash

Sunday November 25, 2012, 12:46 pm
The elephant Anne was sent to a nearby safari park within a few weeks of this video being released. Once there, she was filmed doing 'elly' things such as playing in sand, water and roaming her new outdoor enclosure. In time, she is going to be intergrated into a small herd of elephants so she will finally have a family of her own. The low-life scum-bag seen abusing the elephant has supposedly fled back to Romania. As for the owner of the circus, he stated the he loved Anne like she was a member of his family. All I can say is, heaven help his family if that's how they are treated. Worthless liar, worthless human being, boycott his circus and let him suffer for a change!!! Should have been jailed, not just given probabtion.

Sunday November 25, 2012, 1:55 pm
It is a coward's way to hurt a helpless being.

It is equally despicable to allow another to hurt a helpless being.

It is stupidity to allow an underling to be unsupervised and or unobserved
when crime is a potential.

Sunday November 25, 2012, 2:46 pm
All zoos, circuses, livestock auctions, pet stores, slaughterhouses should be REQUIRED to have video cameras- any a**hole found mistreating animals should be immediately fired and prosecuted- NO instances of animal abuse should be tolerated anywhere!

Sunday November 25, 2012, 3:11 pm
FREEDOM is the BIRTH RIGHT of ALL BEINGS.

Sunday November 25, 2012, 3:22 pm
Such a terrible thing to do , hope he will never be near an elephant again !!

Sunday November 25, 2012, 3:40 pm
Sure he didn't know the animals were being abused BS!!! I would like to beat all of them just like they did the helpless animals Burn in hell all of you

Sunday November 25, 2012, 5:35 pm
I WISH I COULD GET MY HANDS ON ALL THE PERPS, INCLUDING THE OWNER, THAT DID THIS TO THAT INNOCENT, BEAUTIFUL ELEPHANT.!!!!! AND TO CHAIN THEM UP LIKE THAT.!!!!! HELL WILL NOT BE HOT ENOUGH FOR THESE CRIMINAL PERPS.!!!!! WHAT INHUMAN, INHUMANE, MOSTLY INSANE FOOLS.!!!!! TOO BAD THE ELEPHANT DID NOT STOMP HIM TO DEATH.!!!!! THE PERP WOULD HAAVE GOT WHAT HE DESERVED.!!!!!!!

Tuesday November 27, 2012, 4:39 pm
Noted.. Tks Barb.. No sentence is ever long enough.... Perps like this should be euthinzed period..

Wednesday November 28, 2012, 1:29 am
This video really breaks my heart :((