Teenagers face charges over ponies shot in paddock
Two teenagers are to appear at crown court to face charges over the deaths of two Shetland ponies in Whitchurch, Shropshire.
The boys, aged 13 and 18, who legally cannot be named, are alleged to have shot ponies Bill and Ben in a field at Edgeley House and Court care home on 3 May.
The boys face charges of possession of firearms, criminal damage and cruelty to animals.
Magistrates at Shrewsbury on Friday, 20 June adjourned the case until 4 July when the boys will be committed to crown court.
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A self-confessed newshound, farmer’s daughter and journalist of many years' experience, Charlotte worked on regional papers before joining H&H in 2007. A regular rider, she visited Ireland in 2010 to investigate the fate of Irish horses through the recession, to much acclaim, and reported from the FEI General Assembly in Rio de Janeiro in 2011. She left Horse & Hound in March 2013.