A MAN who tried to get a ferret and a rat to fight has been banned from keeping animals for 15 years.

A district judge told Joshua Robert Varey what he did was “disgusting” and amounted to the “torture” of a wild animal.

But the court heard the two animals had refused to fight despite being natural enemies. 

“They only kill when they have to and he had probably already been fed,” said district judge John Maxwell.

He said pitting the ferret against the rat was like pitting a sabre tooth tiger against a two-year-old child. 

Varey, 27, of Blascomay Square, Colne, pleaded guilty to being present at an animal fight and causing unnecessary suffering and breaching an animal banning order by keeping dogs.

He was sentenced to 16 weeks in prison, suspended for two years, ordered to do 100 hours unpaid work and made subject to a curfew between 6pm and 5am for eight weeks. He was ordered to pay £250 costs and £115 victim surcharge.

Chris Wyatt, prosecuting for the RSPCA, said the animal welfare organisation became aware of the incident involving the ferret and the rat because of a video posted on Facebook. The video lasted two minutes and showed a wild rat being put in a cage with a ferret.

“It appears the ferret wasn’t interested at all,” said Mr Wyatt. “Voices could be heard encouraging the animals to fight and the cage they were in was tilted causing the ferret to be tipped onto the rat. It was clearly done for the enjoyment of the spectators.”

He said two lurchers had been discovered at Varey’s home despite him being banned from keeping dogs as a result of a previous conviction for setting dogs on a badger. The RSPCA had investigated after police in Cumbria seized a mobile phone belonging to Varey after he and another man were arrested in a field when their vehicle became stuck.

“Photographs and text messages on the phone indicated he was still involved with dogs despite the ban,” said Mr Wyatt. “When the dogs were found at his home the RSPCA inspector also found lamps, trackers and locaters and a prescription for medication for a dog in Varey’s name.”

Nick Cassidy, defending, said his client’s peer group had strong links with animals and he accepted there had been occasions when he had been out with others running dogs.

He said Varey was contacted by the man who took the video to say he had caught a rat.

“He accepts he was present when they were put into the cage to fight,” said Mr Cassidy.

District Judge Maxwell said he did not like rats any more than the next man and there was nothing wrong with killing them humanely.

“To put a rat in with a ferret would have been entirely terrifying for the creature and I find it disgusting,” said district judge Maxwell.

Howard Lewin, 50, of Dickson Street, Colne, also appeared alongside Varey at court last month where he pleaded guilty to attempting to cause an animal fight, being present at an animal fight, and causing unnecessary suffering to a ferret and rat. He was sentenced to a 12-month community order.

RSPCA special investigation officer, Jason Bowles, said: “We were alerted to a really disturbing video that had been posted on Varey’s Facebook page.

“In the video, a pet ferret is pitched against a wild rat in a hutch and they are urged to fight. The men are clearly encouraging the animals to fight and are shouting at the ferret, willing it on to attack the rat.

“The rat is frantically trying to escape, climbing the bars of the hutch and looking for a way out.

“The men tip and shake the hutch to try to encourage the animals to fight. There are a few clashes but generally the terrified animals cower in separate corners.

“In the video, one of the men can be heard shouting at the rat: ‘That’s disgusting, I hate them, f***ing rodent b***ards.

“We launched an investigation into the video once it had been brought to our attention but never found the rat or the ferret so, sadly, we don’t know what happened to them.

“However, we will not stand for this sort of disgusting behaviour and cruelty towards animals. We hope this case serves to show that we take online videos showing cruelty to animals very seriously and, where offences have been committed, we will take appropriate action.”