Christine Campey was caught on CCTV slipping rat poison into a horse’s feed at a livery yard, but the horse, Elle, suffered no ill effects. Campey, a former cardiology ward manager, had kept her own horses at the stable where Elle was living and had agreed to share duties occasionally with Elle’s owner, Gill Poole.

Campey initially denied the charge of attempting to administer a poisonous substance to a protected animal, but later changed her plea to guilty at a pre-trial review hearing. She was handed a conditional discharge, ordered to pay court costs, a victim surcharge, and compensation to cover the cost of moving Elle to a field opposite Gill’s home.

Gill expressed gratitude that Elle survived the incident and questioned why such a cruel act was carried out on an innocent animal. She hopes that the outcome will deter Campey from harming any animals in the future.