Average Reading Time: 2 mins
To all those who watched last night’s BBC Week In Week Out investigation, I’m certain I don’t need to describe the conditions of Capricorn Animal Rescue, however this show only had an undercover reporter in there for 10 days, imagine all that has gone on outside of those 10 days and with other animals like the dogs and wildlife which the undercover reporter didn’t work with.
For those who didn’t see it, there were dead cats and kittens, cattery pens not cleaned for 3 days, animals without access to water and showing signs they’d not had any for quite some time! Please watch on BBC iPlayer at the following link;
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b084zg92
One key part of the program is where the RSPCA are filmed handing Mrs Stewart an Improvement Notice order – this is used by them to officially record orders handed out to people who are not providing animal welfare standards – to which Mrs Stewart then tells the undercover reporter a completely different story;
She said the RSPCA officers wanted to help her disprove complaints made online by former volunteers, she says “So, he said if I can take photos of everything then I can not only say I can go there but here’s the proof what you’re saying is not true. The chief inspector sent him down to get evidence to shut that lot up.” So instead of acting on the volunteers concerns she plans to sue them “Now we’ve got the RSPCA to say everything they say are lies, we’re going to go after them for defamation and libel, and they’ll all be in court”
The RSPCA however state “Mrs Stewarts claims are CATEGORICALLY UNTRUE”
This small section of the program shows the deceit faced by everyone who has dealt with this rescue and tried to fight against the abuses, while this program focuses on animal welfare there is much more beyond that regarding the charity which the Charity Commission has been advised of, Capricorn was already one of the top 10 most complained about charities in 2015, many other legal issues exist;
- Abuses of trust and power
- Phenomenal abuses of governance
- Ignoring requirements from the Charities Act
- False minutes
- Lies surrounding the employment of related parties
- Lies regarding Trustee’s old and new
- Lies about Volunteers, Membership, meetings
- False statements regarding animal ownership
- False allegations to police and public in reference to Trustees, Volunteers and Supporters
- Serious slander about Trustees, Volunteers and Supporters
- Deceitful masking of financial abuse
- Wilful Mismanagement of financial records
- Failures on a massive scale from Health and Safety to employment law
- Multiple and continued conflicts of interest not managed at all
My last email to the commission has now been ignored for 50 working days, within that time I’ve chased them by phone and email without any response. I’m sure you can now see how critical it is to have a public body step in here and properly investigate the goings on in this charity, as they are the only body with the powers needed to deal with a charity, please join us in advising the Charity Commission that an injury must be opened.
Please contact the charity commission at the following email address [email protected]
We hope that the program will make major differences not just to Capricorn but to Animal Welfare and make the Charity Commission think twice of ignoring volunteers pleas for help.
