Further questions arise over Northfield Animal Haven’s owner Kelly Cable. Aberdeen Voice can reveal Cable’s past includes a guilty plea for several years of claiming benefits illegally.
A charity that seeks donations must be wholly above board. Northfield Animal Haven is certainly pushing the envelope as they:
- Advertise widely that they ‘save all farm animals’ – in truth the owners are also involved in breeding farm animals for sale as meat, claiming ‘everyone knows’ that is how they operate, and claiming that since they don’t slaughter the animals they sell personally, it doesn’t count;
- Run a GoFundMe campaign to save 6 Shetland ponies in imminent danger – but claim the owner will only allow Northfield to take the animals – which could have been rescued by now;
- Use the image of ‘Gooseberry’ on this GoFundMe appeal – a white Shetland colt that was dealt with by another animal shelter and needs no assistance;
- Have similarly used photos of other animals they were not involved with – in at least one instance claiming they were involved directly
Suzanne Kelly reports.
Misappropriated picture of cow NAH claimed they were attempting to save.
Aberdeen Voice can reveal that Kelly Cable entered a guilty plea for obtaining benefits she was not entitled to. This involved falsifying employment data, falsifying income and not disclosing where she lived. The value of the Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit ran to approximately £3,600.
The fraud spanned 2006 to 2009; misleading information was supplied on at least half a dozen occasions. (As an aside, the next time anyone complains they don’t get enough benefits, or that refugees are getting help, remember that benefit fraud is stealing from the taxpayer and from those in serious need).
Kelly and her then partner borrowed £10,000 for a house purchase, and both signed to repay their share of the loan.
As per Aberdeen Voice’s earlier article, Kelly refused to pay her half, claiming it was not her signature on the loan agreement. A handwriting expert declared that Kelly had signed. The money remains unpaid; the grandparents she borrowed some of the money from have since passed away.
Kelly was also bankrupt; she disputes the date of a document Aberdeen Voice has on this bankruptcy; we await her clarification.
Kelly was irate in one of her communications to the Voice, asking how she could get a mortgage if she had been bankrupt. How indeed someone can get a mortgage who has been bankrupt, who has been found guilty of benefit fraud, and who has a brain tumour is a fair question.
Perhaps the 180 hours of community service Cable did atoned for this fraud. However, when the misleading appeals for funds, the misleading use of animals belonging to others, the unpaid past loan, the bankruptcy are added to this, a picture emerges of someone who may not entirely have been rehabilitated.
While Aberdeen Voice is investigating this operation, Kelly Cable has claimed to receive death threats, claimed to have a brain tumour (presumably the one she had some years back, which she mentions in a handwritten note), and claims to be running a perfectly honest, above-board animal rescue.
Aberdeen Voice initially questioned where these six Shetland ponies are, who owns them, and why the charity is using photographs of animals they have no contact with in its advertising. We would now like to ask whether or not there are actually six Shetland ponies out there in danger of being sold for meat, whose owner will not let anyone but Northfield do the rescue.
Aberdeen Voice would like to ask the Haven if it understands why some people feel they have been misled.
Aberdeen Voice will turn its information over to the relevant authorities, citing particular concerns about finances and misleading advertising. Future developments will be reported.
As a parting thought, here is a Tweet from Northfield, claiming they have proved they are real.
The photo is actually from a 2011 Northern Ireland rescue, and is not related to Northfield saving ‘ponies and their babies’.
Saving ewes and their babies doesn’t make the grade however, whatever the Northfield sign and other appeals say. As to proof the organisation is real, this falls just a bit flat.
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Just trying to get my head round the mass of information you have supplied Suzanne.
2006 – 2009 – Kelly Cable was committing benefit fraud to the tune of £3,600.00 for which she was found guilty and ordered to do 180 hours community service. Her response – that she paid the money back and only pleaded guilty to avoid losing the farm. (Why would you pay the money back if you were not guilty?)
Following this she borrowed further money for a house purchase and when denying that she had ever got it a handwriting expert proved her claims false.
She was declared bankrupt (presumably this was the reason why the loan was never repaid) yet somehow managed to get a mortgage on her farm. Rather surprising considering her criminal record and brain tumour that anybody would give her a mortgage.
2011 Kelly opens an animal sanctuary at her Northfield farm. Seemingly she also raises and sells sheep to pay for this worthwhile endeavour. Although I cannot understand how the income of around £1,000.00 per year (she claims) is a viable business or capable of producing sufficient funds to run such an establishment.
She also claims incorrectly ‘I am a registered non profit organisation, which has the same rules and laws with being a registered charity only difference is we don’t have an sco number, accounts etc all have to be done legally same as a charity’.
Since then she has run a variety of campaigns to raise money for her sanctuary. However the pictures she uses on almost all of her fund raisers are false and. Some of the stories associated with the ‘rescues’ are completely fabricated, the example of the cows which she claimed “They dumped them in a shed I’ve been feeding them since Friday” were actually of a rescue in the USA 4 years previously although she clearly stated “RIP to the cows dumped in a shed, I couldn’t save them I tried to get more time and raise enough f… ‘
Her latest campaign to rescue 2 mares and 4 foals is centred round an undisclosed source who intended turning them into dog food, but when offered sanctuary by 2 other well known and respected rescues, refused to allow them to go to anybody but herself. (I find it a bit odd that if she was going to have them as dog food she should suddenly get picky about where they go)
Since then the pictures she had posted of the ponies is discovered to be false and are in fact other peoples ponies who to say the least are not happy about this at all, not surprisingly. However, she has consistently refused to say where the ponies are, give any updates as to their wellbeing (other than they are in a safe place) or provide any photos of the ponies in question despite being in their care for several weeks.
It now transpires that amongst other disabilities she has a brain tumour, claims to be receiving a number of death threats which (conveniently) include threats to the ponies should they arrive at their so called haven, hence the need for secrecy.
Do I have that in the right order and is it just me or do I seem to feel there is a certain repetition to her behaviour?
Oh, and just for extra, it appears from her father Eric, that you ‘and your cohorts’ have now broken her spirit forcing closure, and have revealed all this because you are on a vegan campaign because they sell 15/20 sheep per year. Seemingly it is also up to you and the other sanctuaries to feed and find homes for all the animals they care for.
My first suggestion to Eric Cable would be for him to contact the two rescues who offered to take the six Shetlands and see if they are still willing to help. As for him stating who will ‘step up to the plate’ I rather think the emphasis is on them to find homes for their rescued animals. They are still responsible for their wellbeing. They have claimed to have as many as 200 animals in their care, but which are farm animals and exactly how many are actual rescues is very unclear, however, I look forward to hearing that the six Shetlands are amongst the first to achieve sanctuary.
I hope I have this in the correct order, but please feel free to inform me of any errors I may have inadvertently made.
Just as a matter of interest have you received any visit from the police or solicitors letters yet?
Dear Pete, Thank you for putting it all in order. And your understanding matches my own. If their lawyer (who has not contacted me) would permit them to explain any errors I have made, I will be the first to correct them and apologise.
Since you mention Eric, he is making some charmingly amusing remarks on Facebook. On a thread about me/these articles, he says he’d like to get an AK-47 (tongue in cheek). Whatever am I to make of that.
For my part, all the information uncovered is now with Police Scotland, which will decide if there is anything untowards going on. I’ll report back – if able.
PS – not pressing you Pete, but I wonder whether you are closer to forming an opinion as to who is the more credible, Kelly Cable or me. 🙂
It has been claimed you are an Alkie and a liar and run a vendetta with cohorts of vegans bent on the ruination of this animal welfare group…..but on balance I am 100% certain of your credibility. You have answered every question put to you with back up information, quotes and facts. I have yet to see any credible answer to the questions put to Northfield other than counter allegations or a cry of ‘poor us, we are getting bullied’
I would ask yet again for proof of these ponies existence?
I should also point out I believe non of the accusations made against you 🙂
It seems to me that Ms Cable should get her facts straight before letting rip, especially about AV. If she had then she would plainly have seen that AV is “not affiliated to any Political Party or the interests of any private company, lobby or third party organisation. Its focus is to give a voice to the general public in the North East and to promote inclusion in affairs affecting the region.” So that blows the whole allegation that Suzanne Kelly is out to head a vegan cohort in order to close down Northfield (in fact, vegans would like nothing more than to see animal sanctuaries thriving not shutting in order to remove animals from the horror of slaughter that Ms. Cable sells the farm lambs to). As far as Suzanne’s diet is concerned it wouldn’t surprise me in the least that there are more carnivores who write for the publication than vegetarians, so if the article had been written by a meat eater would AV then be accused of having an anti-rescue bias?
Ms. Cable has also made mention of death threats against her which also include the ponies. It would be interesting to find out who she thinks these death threats are from because no-one involved in the fight for animal rights would EVER think about hurting an animal. And that also includes humans as we are as much animals as those on four legs, we are just a different species of animal.
As for the allegation being made that Suzanne Kelly is an “alkie” because she was
SUPPOSEDLY seen stumbling out of a bar, has no-one affiliated with Northfield ever left a bar drunk? I know that in the past 25 years since I have been legally allowed to buy alcohol that I’ve left drinking establishments a little the worse for wear on occasion. Or are everyone at Northfield modern-day Puritans who have never touched alcohol and think that everyone else should be the same?
Am toying with the idea of writing a sarcastic piece about the bizarre claims made against me and the contradictory logic employed by those affiliated with NAH. By the way, when I told BrewDog staff / customers about the allegations of me being seen falling out of the bar’s doors, they have no such recollection, and we all had a little laugh. Death threats are not as much a laughing matter. But if we’re supposed to believe that the Cables want our sympathy because they have received death threats, then it’s just a bit lacking in empathy for Eric Cable to have made a remark about getting an AK-47 on a Facebook page referring to me / these articles. Perhaps joking about bumping me off is a means of venting over the death threats they say they have had – which I hope they’ve brought to the attention of Police Scotland. One thing they are in denial about: I am the author of articles chronicling what has been done – I am not the author of their misfortunes, they are. Oh, and as far as the secret Vegan extremist cult agenda is concerned; alas, I am vegetarian, not vegan.
You should read Eric cables comment on facebook properly before making false accusations.
sure. Like the time he hinted he wanted an AK-47 to solve a problem (problem discussed was Aberdeen Voice?) And for those interested in the Northfield saga, as old as this particular article is, don’t worry: I’ve been a touch busy, but further analysis can’t be far away.
Have you visited the sanctuary recently to check whether these animals are there?
Hello Gillian, I am not going to visit; thank you all the same. The animals that were shown in the photographs are definitely not there – because the photos of the Shetland ponies that were used in the appeals had nothing to do with Northfield, as proven. They did not need rehoming. Some are well homed in Wales; some are well homed in the Shetlands. Other animals NAH had shown in photos that were actually of animals on its working farm but shown on the charity appeals were likely put on dinner plates when sold at Thainstone. Other animals in photos that NAH appropriated without permission from the web are quite probably dead. Is it OK with you that someone raises lambs to be killed and uses the profits to ‘save’ other animals that they ask for donations for? Tell me how that works. PS – have you visited the people who were tricked out of thousands of pounds? They are still there – well, two sadly are not. They passed away. PS – if you are commenting on this article, it is presumed you read it and saw how photos which had absolutely nothing to do with Northfield were used by the for fundraising – is that fine with you? It’s not fine with the owners, some of whom are still thinking about legal action, as they have told me. What’s your take on that? Suzanne Kelly
PPS – congratulations ‘gillianstrachan82@hotmail.com’ you are the first ever email address that I’ve searched for on the internet without finding a single, solitary match. Did you just open an account my dear? It really is very uncommon. Either you just opened an account, or you have managed to hide your email address from the entire http://www….