A pensioner who kept cats and chickens in ‘appalling’ conditions at her £1.1m mansion has been banned from keeping animals for 10 years.

Six pet cats were found living in small crates without food, water or bedding at Anik Sexton's five-bedroom home, called The Old Rectory, in the village of West Parley, Dorset.

One kitten, called Timothy, was found paralysed with a fractured spine and had to be put down.

The 70-year-old was warned by RSPCA inspectors, who visited during the national Covid lockdowns in 2020, to improve conditions of the animals in her care.

But she ignored their advice and when inspectors returned with a warrant to search her property, in September 2021, court proceedings were launched.

At Bournemouth Crown Court she was found guilty of a total of five counts of causing unnecessary suffering to animals. The hearing was told she could be forced to sell her home after a judge also ordered her to pay almost £80,000 in fines and costs.

The court heard that Timothy was in such poor condition – he also had infected wounds to his back paws – that a vet who examined him estimated he would have been in severe, continuous pain for months.

Two other cats, named Paul and Nell, were found to be underweight, with unkempt coats and severe dental disease. Blood tests confirmed they were dehydrated and malnourished.

Another three cats, named Boris, Dillon and William, were discovered in small unhygienic cages with no bedding and limited ventilation. They were displaying signs of significant stress and distress, the vet said.

The court heard Sexton had been warned not to keep the cats in crates but claimed she did so because they hadn't been neutered and she didn't have money for the operation.

Inspectors also found 13 chickens with 'bumblefoot', a painful inflammatory bacterial infection, as well as respiratory disease and other preventable conditions, living in the garden of the property.

They also had no bedding and Sexton had failed to get them treatment.

The spinster, who had no previous convictions, denied any wrongdoing. She told the court she had been taking in animals for 15 years but her menagerie had increased during the Covid pandemic.

She said she did not recognise symptoms of 'bumblefoot' and attributed the cats' poor conditions to age or breeding history.

She also claimed she was attempting to build a mobility aid for Timothy the kitten and disputed that his feet were infected.

In court her lawyers described her as providing 'well-intentioned but incompetent care'.

But Judge Jonathan Fuller told her: ‘Anybody walking around that place would see how appalling it was.’

He accepted she had not been intentionally cruel but said she had showed ‘no insight, remorse or regret’ throughout proceedings and had a ‘clear inability, or unwillingness, to recognise the need to change’.

Sexton cannot challenge the ten-year ban for at least six years.

Described as ‘capital’ rich, she was ordered to pay an £8,000 fine within 12 months or face four months in prison, as well as £71,000 costs.

The court heard she faces having to sell her home to pay the legal fees.

Further charges under the Animal Welfare Act 2006, involving the living conditions and provisions for 223 birds, nine cats and a rabbit, were withdrawn by the RSPCA following her conviction.

Afterwards, RSPCA Inspector Patrick Bailey said: ‘This was a large investigation involving a significant number of animals.

‘Prior to the legal proceedings, my colleagues and I visited Miss Sexton on a number of occasions and each spent a considerable amount of time trying to educate and encourage her to make improvements to the way she kept her animals.

‘It was distressing to see so many animals in small, dirty, unsuitable environments. We talked at length, offered help, practical advice and guidance and issued various improvement notices and warning notices requesting changes be made, yet we failed to see any significant improvement in the welfare of her animals and action needed to be taken.

‘In court, Miss Sexton admitted that she didn't have much time for the RSPCA or what my colleagues and I had to say, and that she chose to largely ignore the advice that was given to her.

’That is a real shame, because this lengthy court process could have been avoided and more importantly the lives of many animals could have been greatly improved if she would have allowed herself to be open minded to different ways of keeping animals and embrace the changes and improvements we recommended.

‘I hope the court’s finding sends a clear message that, whether intentional or not, cruelty and neglect will not be tolerated.’