A MAN found guilty of an attempted sexual act with a horse has received a three-year probation order. In the Magistrate’s Court, Leeroy Le Gallais, 44, of Flat 5, Lyndsey House, Collings Road, St Peter Port, had denied committing the offence with a gelding in a stable at Les Landelles, Castel, in October.

Advocate Chris Green said his client had already spent three months in custody, which would have amounted to four-and-a-half months’ imprisonment with remission.

‘My client has had to sustain a fair amount of embarrassment because of the nature of this incident which was reported in the ‘Guernsey’ Press,’ he said.

‘The small nature of the Guernsey community has only compounded that.’

Although it was clear from the evidence that the horse had been distressed, there was no physical injury to it, counsel added.

His client had also lost his job and his accommodation since going on remand and he had no previous record for offences of a sexual nature.

Advocate Green drew the court’s attention to two cases in the UK, one of which, in 1984, had resulted in a man being sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison for an attempted act with a Pyrenean mountain bitch. The Court of Appeal later downgraded the sentence to a probation order.

He said the Probation Service was suggesting that a probation order be placed on the defendant for a period of three years.

Assistant-Magistrate Philip Robey told the defendant he had been convicted of an extremely rare offence.

‘Indeed, I could find no previous cases in Guernsey,’ he said.

‘The offence will be a repugnant one to all right-thinking people.’

Despite compelling evidence against Le Gallais, Mr Robey said the defendant had still chosen to plead not guilty and that was not to his credit.

He added that a probation order would have three-fold benefits: it would enable the defendant to address issues he had; be supervised while in the community; and be brought back before the court if he failed to comply with the supervision.

Le Gallais agreed to the probation order.