Pigeon-fancier guilty of cruelty

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A County Antrim man has been banned from keeping pigeons for five years after being found guilty of keeping birds in cruel conditions.

Only 29 of 130 birds kept in a loft owned by William James Greenwood of Millfield, Ballymena, were found alive by USPCA officers.

Ballymena Magistrates Court heard the animals had been locked in the loft for weeks without food or water.

Greenwood was also bound over for two years on a surety of Â£1,000.

Speaking outside the court, a USPCA spokesman said the animals had been kept in appalling conditions.

"The horrendous death of these pigeons cannot be adequately reflected in any penalty imposed," he said.