HORRIFIED RSPCA officers had to peel animal corpses from their hutches after discovering 31 dead pets in a garden shed, a court heard.

Medway magistrates were told how inspectors, tipped off by an anonymous phone call, found bodies of neglected rabbits, guinea pigs and hamsters in and under hutches, in plastic containers and bags inside a 10ft by 20ft shed in Adelaide Road, Gillingham

The grisly discovery was made by RSPCA inspector Jo Hirst when she called to investigate allegations of animal cruetly at the home of Susan Tytheridge, 47, on August 3, 2006.

Among the multitude of dead pets that had been abandoned without food or water, were five live rabbits including one that was just four weeks old. They were all in a poor condition when examined by a vet and only two survived.

Insp Hirst said after the case: “It was horrendous to find this shed fall of dead and dying animals. There is no excuse for somebody just to walk away and leave animals without food and water and nobody looking after them.”

RSPCA inspector Ben Strangwood told the court how he and his colleagues had to wear face masks and take regular breaks as they collected the bodies to bag and tag them.

The dead animals were emaciated and the majority had overgrown teeth and nails. Hutches were smothered in faeces and there was no bedding, food or clean water for the animals.

The court heard that a further 29 rabbits that Tytheridge’s sisters Brenda Sayers and Shirely Young had saved from the shed were recovered by officers on August 7, 2006.

Tytheridge had told both sisters the rabbits and hutches had gone from the shed but Mrs Young decided to check it because she thought she’d heard scratching while in the back garden on July 28. She and Mrs Sayer rescued the 29 rabbits and made the anonymous call tipping off the RSPCA.

Tytheridge, whose house was being repossed at the time, pleaded not guilty to 11 charges of causing unnecessary suffering to animals, and said she sold the animals, hutches and shed to Jack Parks, from Sittingbourne, for £200.

Having closed her animal breeding business, she claimed she gave Mr Parks keys to the premises on June 23, 2006 and that they had both agreed he would care for the animals until he had removed them all. Tytheridge said she never checked the animals after that because Mr Parks had assured her he was caring for them.

But neighbour Joanne Wright claimed she saw Tytheridge enter the shed in July. She’d also seen flies around the shed in May and noticed a horrible smell.

Mr Parks was never found.

Chairman of the bench Reginald Hughes said: “We find it incredible that you claim to have given your house keys to a person not known to you.”

Tytheridge was found guilty on ten of the charges and the case was adjourned until February 21 for pre-sentence reports.