Steve Posted April 11, 2013 Share Posted April 11, 2013 http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/breaking-news/ex-police-trainee-denies-horse-cruelty/story-fn3dxiwe-1226618577690 Ex-police trainee denies horse cruelty ONE-TIME police trainee and prostitute Kim Hollingsworth, who is facing animal cruelty charges, has rubbished claims that she mistreated horses. Hollingsworth has pleaded not guilty to 11 charges relating to RSPCA allegations that dozens of her horses at paddocks west and south of Sydney were underweight and in poor condition. The RSPCA seized 11 horses in 2012 after inspecting the paddocks in Cobbitty, Wilton and Mulgoa. Taking the witness stand on Thursday at Sydney's Downing Centre Local Court, Hollingsworth stressed that she had always treated her horses responsibly. "I never avoided feeding them and I never avoided caring for them," she told the court. "I always tried to help the horse." Hollingsworth said she had begun to question herself since the RSPCA made the allegations. "I used to be happy and cheery ... now after all this I keep asking myself 'am I an animal abuser?'," Hollingsworth told the court. "There's just crazy stuff out there." Hollingsworth said the case had led to "hate groups" being set up to target her on social media. "I should not have had to change my whole life because of Facebook," she said. "I don't even go on those hate group pages anymore." Outside the court a small group of protesters gathered holding up signs calling for "justice for the horses". The hearing before Magistrate Peter Miszalski continues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdierikx Posted April 11, 2013 Share Posted April 11, 2013 I'd love to know what her previous work history has to do with how she cares for her horses... So what if she used to be a prostitute or a trainee cop? The case is about how the RSPCA think she was treating her horses, yes? T. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mita Posted April 12, 2013 Share Posted April 12, 2013 I'd love to know what her previous work history has to do with how she cares for her horses... So what if she used to be a prostitute or a trainee cop? The case is about how the RSPCA think she was treating her horses, yes? T. Couldn't agree more. If her previous work had been lace maker & trainee florist, it wouldn't have occurred to the media to mention them. Totally not relevant ... It's a case about her behaviour looking after her horses. Still being heard in court. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aphra Posted April 12, 2013 Share Posted April 12, 2013 It annoys me as well. It's clearly just the media enjoying a salacious angle, but it's also going to impact on her defense because there is a sub-text that as an ex-sex worker she must be a dodgy person. Clearly that's untrue and unfair, but the RSPCA press releases keep playing it up. At this point, I pretty much discount anything the RSPCA has to say and unless there is good evidence to the contrary, I assume they are untruthful. They seem to be a prime example of Lord Acton's quote "power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely". I'd love to know what her previous work history has to do with how she cares for her horses... So what if she used to be a prostitute or a trainee cop? The case is about how the RSPCA think she was treating her horses, yes? T. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WoofnHoof Posted April 12, 2013 Share Posted April 12, 2013 The article wasn't written by the RSPCA it was written by a journalist. Apparently this woman is well known to horse rescue and there have been many accusations of neglect over the years, it appears that enough evidence has been gathered now to make a case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WoofnHoof Posted April 17, 2013 Share Posted April 17, 2013 She has changed her plea http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/2013/04/17/17/35/ex-police-trainee-admits-animal-cruelty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cody Posted April 19, 2013 Share Posted April 19, 2013 The headline is shite. She isn't admitting guilt, she changed her plea on legal advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeckoTree Posted April 19, 2013 Share Posted April 19, 2013 Saw some footage of these horses a while ago, they looked ok to me. It takes a while for skinney rescue horses to get into reasonable condition I suspect, cant happen over night. Yeah I see the ex pro, ex cop ex whatever as being some kind of moral compass guide horsecrap of someones integrity too., pretty low, but people are not blind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disintegratus Posted April 19, 2013 Share Posted April 19, 2013 You have to take everything you read with a grain of salt these days, especially if it involves the RSPCA who are a bunch of bulldust-flinging hypocrites themselves without the added journalists twist. Just recently there was that case of the guy who knowingly transmitted HIV to a woman. His profession was absolutely irrelevant, however was constantly being reported as "acrobat gives HIV to woman" etc. Just as every time there's a drug bust, it was bikies who had snakes. So... one time I saw a motorbike on the road, and I have pet snakes, so I must be a drug kingpin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WoofnHoof Posted April 20, 2013 Share Posted April 20, 2013 Like I said earlier she's been a known figure in the horse world for a long time, people have been working for years to get the evidence for the RSPCA because she kept moving horses around and denying ownership of them. Regardless of what people think of the RSPCA or the media's attention grabbing tactics it has been known for some time that the woman took on more animals than she could adequately care for and refused help when it was offered, experienced horse rescuers were involved in gathering evidence and they are well able to ascertain the circumstances of the horses and how long they had been in care, I was first made aware of concerns with the condition of her horses more than two years ago, it has been an ongoing problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jed Posted May 17, 2013 Share Posted May 17, 2013 On facebook today Kim Hollingsworth Yesterday at 02:20 near Sydney, New South Wales · ..PLEASE SHARE RSPCA TV STORY: CALL OUT BY PRODUCER OF NATIONAL TV SHOW WITH MAJOR TELEVISION NETWORK : "Former RSPCA workers, horror stories, ex Inspectors or ANYONE with evidence healthy animals being put down". Please email with subject line "RSPCA STORY - KIM HOLLINGSWORTH" to [email protected] . Your email will be kept in the strictest confidence. This is posted on Facebook at the request of the Producer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minimax Posted May 17, 2013 Share Posted May 17, 2013 On facebook today Kim Hollingsworth Yesterday at 02:20 near Sydney, New South Wales · ..PLEASE SHARE RSPCA TV STORY: CALL OUT BY PRODUCER OF NATIONAL TV SHOW WITH MAJOR TELEVISION NETWORK : "Former RSPCA workers, horror stories, ex Inspectors or ANYONE with evidence healthy animals being put down". Please email with subject line "RSPCA STORY - KIM HOLLINGSWORTH" to [email protected] . Your email will be kept in the strictest confidence. This is posted on Facebook at the request of the Producer. Love that - call out by producer of TV show - your email will be kept in confidence Yes, I'm sure it will. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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