BANKRUPTCY and divorce have been the result of two years fighting against charges of animal cruelty for horse trader James Gray, it emerged today.

The owner of Spindles Farm in Hyde Heath, where more than 30 horses, donkeys and ponies were found dead and over 100 more were found emaciated, is now subject to a bankruptcy order, Aylesbury Crown Court heard.

He has an unpaid electricity bill of £7,567 and was today ordered to pay the RSPCA £400,000 in costs following an unsuccessful appeal against nine charges under the Animal Welfare Act.

The court also heard that Gray's wife, Julie, had applied to have their marriage dissolved.

Mike Fullerton, Gray's defence barrister, told the court that Gray Horses Ltd, the company he had set up in October 2007, had been struck off by Companies House.

Mr Fullerton said this had caused him “additional pressure” during the course of the appeal hearing – as had vandalism to the farm and hate mail which had been sent.

Spindles Farm is currently up for sale.

In mitigation, Mr Fullerton said the disqualification period given to his client at the end of the trial had been “manifestly excessive” and asked for it to be cut.

He said: “In my submission, he is entitled to be rehabilitated. He is entitled to pursue what has essentially been his life and he should be entitled to go back to business and go back to the only trade he has pursued.”

Following a trial last year where Gray was found guilty of 11 offences under the Animal Welfare Act and was given a lifetime ban from keeping equines. He was told he could only apply to a court to have that order revoked after at least ten years.

But the ban remained in place following today's sentencing after a failed appeal.

Two of the charges he had originally been convicted of were dropped during the course of the appeal.

The court heard Gray's eldest daughter Jodie was also having financial problems.

Her barrister, Nigel Weller, said she had been served with two mortgage arrears and a possession order had been made after she could not keep up with payments on a house bought with her husband for £348,000 two years ago.

The couple have since separated, the court heard.

Mr Weller said Jodie had four children and was their “primary carer”.