Vegan ‘rescued’ lamb from farm solely to decorate it in a nappy and virtually starve it to dying

Louise Murguia has been banned from owning or keeping sheep indefinitely after she took a lamb from a farm because it appeared to have a broken leg before keeping it confined in her house for three weeks

A vegan activist who kidnapped a lamb from a farm has been prosecuted for animal cruelty – after dressing it in a nappy and almost starving the creature to death.

Louise Murguia took the lamb from farmer Stuart Ludwell of Hile Farm, Sturminster Newton in Dorset because she thought it was injured. The 49-year-old brought it home where she shampooed it to remove the identifying number on its fleece and fed it cow’s milk and a formula feed she bought from Amazon.

She kept the animal confined in her house for three weeks before police turned up and found the malnourished lamb. Bournemouth Crown Court heard the animal weighed almost half what it should and needed more than a week of intensive treatment to ensure it survived when it was eventually returned to Mr Ludwell.

The court heard one of Mr Ludwell’s ewes had died suddenly the night before the theft, leaving two lambs orphaned that would need to be hand reared.

As it was dark at the time he decided to wait until the following morning to retrieve them so as not to distress the other ewes and newborns. But when he returned to the field with his wife and two children, they could only find one of the lambs and assumed the other must have been taken by a fox.

It was not until three weeks later he received a tip off that the lamb had in fact been taken by Murguia who lives nearby and walks her dog in the area. She later told police she had taken the lamb because it appeared to have a broken leg and she thought it wouldn’t survive the night.

But she did not seek medical treatment for it and simply made a splint for its leg herself. When it was recovered by police, the stolen lamb weighed just 5.8kg, while its twin brother, who was hand reared by the Ludwell family, weighed 9.95kg.

Mr Ludwell said in his victim impact statement: “I was relieved it was alive, but shocked by its poor condition – it’s sibling was nearly double the size and it could barely stand. It took over a week of intensive medical care to ensure the lamb’s survival and a significant amount of money and time. The entire ordeal has left me angry – stealing a lamb under the guise of welfare only to keep it in solitary confinement.”

Murguia has now been banned from keeping sheep indefinitely after she was convicted of theft and causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal.

Luisa Rose, prosecuting, said: “Officers attended the address, she did not answer, but was located in her bedroom with the missing lamb, which was in a nappy.” Murguia, of Sturminster Newton, admitted one offence of theft and one of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal.

Ben Thompson, defending, told Bournemouth Crown Court Murguia had difficulty accepting what she did was wrong. He said: “She took it home to care for it and cared for it in the best way she could. It was well intentioned but incompetent care. Unwise and ultimately illegal.”

Recorder Nicholas Haggan KC sentenced Murguia to a 12-month community order with a six-month alcohol treatment requirement and six rehabilitation activity days. He also made an indefinite restraining order preventing Murguia from contacting Mr Ludwell, going to his farm or feeding any livestock within two miles of it and banned her from keeping or owning sheep indefinitely.

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