Jodie Marsh insists lemurs must be 'urgently' rehomed to her as she appeals against council’s lemur licence decision
A former glamour model insisted she must rehome lemurs as a matter of “urgency” in court, as she began her appeal after an Essex council threw out her application to keep the animals at a private animal sanctuary.
Jodie Marsh appeared at Chelmsford Magistrates Court on Thursday, September 12, when she insisted to the court the current owner of the animals wants her to care for them. It comes after Uttlesford Council refused her application for a dangerous wild animal license at the council’s licensing and environmental health committee in July. Her rescue centre, Fripps Farm, in Lindsell, is north of Braintree and Great Dunmow.
During the hearing, the court was told how it would require an experts report into allegations about how Ms Marsh handled a goose, as well as questions about the report, a statement from the ex-model and documents the council’s committee had when making its decision.
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Speaking at the hearing, Jodie Marsh was asked how urgent it was the animals are rehomed. She told the court: “They are at a private home and the guy does not want them and he’s not got time for them and he doesn’t want them to go to a zoo. They are not used to being on display and he wants me to take them, he’s not got the time or money to keep looking after them.
“I have talked to the owner of Monkey World, which is basically a zoo, and they do not have space for them and they have a waiting list for all primates. There is a sense of urgency, this has been going on for a year now. I’ve been paying the council insurance for the lemurs and the council made me pay a lot of money towards this.”
District Judge Christopher Williams told the court it would take around six weeks for an expert's report to be produced, there would then be a period of time for questions for the expert and that the next hearing would be in early January.
Representing Ms Marsh, barrister Paul Oakley explained that both parties agree it is a “contested appeal” and that his client may wish to respond to the expert’s report with a witness statement. Speaking for Uttlesford Council, solicitor Ian Hunt, said the council would want to respond to the expert’s report and any statements made by Ms Marsh.