Harry Potter owl owners in legal soup
By ANITuesday, November 23, 2010
LONDON - The couple who supplied owls for a Harry Potter flick have landed in a legal trouble.
Veronica Mepham, 70, and husband Reinhard, 64, who run an animal sanctuary, have appeared in court on 36 cruelty charges.
They are accused of causing unnecessary suffering to 18 animals including guinea pigs, a goat, a rabbit and a hen.
They supplied a tawny owl called Cuddles for Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
The couple, who run Rescuers Wildlife Sanctuary in Benfleet, Essex, face 18 charges each, including failing to put sick animals down.
The couple did not enter pleas. Southend magistrates heard that negotiations were taking place and the RSPCA was prepared to drop the case if the couple retired and re-homed the animals.
“We love animals, we would never be cruel to them,” the Daily Express quoted Mepham as saying. (ANI)
