Three men admit abusing pigs on farm

Footage of the men hitting and prodding pigs with pitchforks was filmed by animal welfare charity Animal Equality UK

Three men have admitted abusing pigs on a farm in North Lincolnshire.

An animal welfare charity used a hidden camera to film the men hitting the animals and prodding them with a pitchfork at Fir Tree Farm in Goxhill.

Gavin Hardy, 39, of Greengate Lane, South Killingholme, pleaded guilty at Grimsby Magistrates' Court to causing unnecessary suffering to animals.

Troy Wagstaff, 30, of Chantry Lane, Grimsby, and Artirs Grogprkevs, 32, of Goxhill, pleaded guilty last month.

The men were released on unconditional bail and will be sentenced next month.

Judge Daniel Curtis warned them they were "at serious risk of losing their liberty".

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The footage from charity Animal Equality UK was passed on to the police and the RSPCA.

The owners of the farm sacked the men after an investigation, describing their actions as "abhorrent behaviour that does not represent our business".

Speaking after the hearing, Dr Toni Shephard, UK director of Animal Equality, said the defendants had shown an "absolute lack of compassion" for the "vulnerable" animals.

She added: "This is some of the worst abuse that we have seen - it was relentless."