Trilby Bee Sun Apr 22, 2012 11:58 pm
Zola, poor you, this has been going on now for a year (as I recall?) and they are obviously within the time limit to prosecute as their solicitors will know if they had left it too late. You should take legal advice about the consequences of going public. You may not have committed a crime as far as I or other sane people consider, however, I was dragged to court FIVE times and yes, I do have a criminal record now, not that I give a monkey's. And any legal representation you take on has to be a CRIMINAL lawyer. That's just the way it is, that is the category into which it falls.
As moonstone says, you seem not to have much to lose. What also enrages me is how much of their ill-gotten donations they are spending on your case. They are hoping to get the whole lot back from
you in costs of course.
If you DO attend court, and if you plead NOT GUILTY which everyone told me I should then that just angers the magistrates even more and you will get a far worse sentence, plus every court appearance goes on your bill (if you lose). To go to trial would cost megabucks. If you do not have the means to pay they will take a charge on your house if you own it etc etc. A recent case in the paper, past few weeks, a dog groomer left a dog in a homemade "drying cabinet" whereupon it suffered such dreadful burns it was pts. She only got a conditional discharge. But other people whose animals are old and look a bit worse for wear at the age of 20 or 25, people who have looked after those animals lovingly for donkey's years get a ten year ban, 200 hours community service, thousands in costs. As far as that woman is concerned, you can bet she is still in the dog grooming business.
I can't see that you have much to lose Zola, and am so sorry to hear your health is suffering. One thing is for sure, the RSPCA
hatebad publicity and they have MANY non-supporters now. I know of no-one who would donate to the rspca so I really don't know where they get all their cash from; but they do then they spend it on hounding ladies like you. I am not sure what the implications are of going public before a case; but in your position I would find out from your solicitor and get on with it. Apart from the cost, how much TIME have they spent on your case which the COULD have spent helping strays which, shamefully, they no longer do.
Good luck.