A MAN described as a “danger to animals” has been jailed after being found with a sheep, two hens, two pigeons and four dead turkeys in his vehicle while being banned from keeping animals.

Michael Andrew Hawkswell, 40, from Ralph Garth, Tockwith, North Yorkshire, was handed a six month jail term at Harrogate Magistrates Court on Tuesday (January 31) after breaching a court order designed to protect animals from him.

The order disqualified him from owning or keeping animals, but on August 28, 2016, his vehicle was stopped by a North Yorkshire Police roads policing officer on the A65 near Skipton.

He was found with cardboard boxes containing a total of 14 chickens and one duck.

On December 11 officers on a routine patrol again stopped Hawkswell in a vehicle, near Bagby, Thirsk on the A19. This time they found a sheep, two hens, two pigeons and four dead turkeys.

On both occasions, Hawkswell was arrested and subsequently charged.

He has served previous prison sentences for animal-related crime, including animal cruelty.

In 2010 he was jailed for six months and banned from keeping animals for ten years after his livestock were found in squalid and dangerous conditions. At the time he was already serving a ban on keeping animals after previous convictions for cruelty to livestock.

Sergeant Kevin Kelly, from North Yorkshire Police’s Rural Taskforce, said: “Hawkswell is a danger to animals.

“As we became aware of him breaching his animal disqualification order, we raised his profile among officers in North Yorkshire Police and worked closely with the RSPCA, leading to the arrests and subsequent jail sentence.

“We take rural, wildlife and animal-related crime extremely seriously, and are leading the way nationally in how such offences are dealt with. This result is testament to our commitment. While Hawkswell or anyone else continues to breach an animal disqualification order, we will continue to bring them to justice.”

He was given a six months prison sentence and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £115.