A WARRANT has been issued for the arrest of a Cardigan man convicted of a string of animal cruelty charges.

Toby William Holland, of Maengwyn, Blaenporth, Cardigan, failed to appear at Aberystwyth Justice Centre where he faced 17 charges.

He had pleaded not guilty at an earlier hearing and was remanded on bail to stand trial on Monday, February 3. In his absence, he was found guilty by magistrates who issued an arrest warrant without bail.

Among the offences for which the 48-year-old was charged was causing unnecessary suffering to 19 pigs at Maengwyn, breaching animal by-product regulations, failing to comply with enforcement notices and impeding or obstructing animal health officer in the execution of their duties.