A PIG farmer who kept his animals in poor conditions without enough straw or shelter has succeeded in overturning two out of five court convictions for causing them suffering.

Albert Pointer, 50, of Fairfield Avenue, Fareham, has since sold his Hampshire pig-farming business after being found guilty by Fareham magistrates of five cases of causing suffering to his pigs under a prosecution brought by county council trading standards officers. He failed in a bid to have all his convictions and sentence overturned by Judge David Selwood at Portsmouth Crown Court.

Judge Selwood agreed to quash the two convictions for not giving the pigs adequate water at his former pigsties at the Gillies, Fareham, and at Shedfield.

Pointer said he gave the pigs enough water, but when trading standards visited they had drank the water in their troughs.

The farmer, who still looks after the pigs, was originally sentenced to 60 hours' community service for all the offences. The judge confirmed the sentence would remain.

The judge was shown a video taken by trading standards officers of pigs treading on each other in semi-frozen mud and slurry a foot or more deep, and licking desperately at dry water troughs.

Pointer was convicted of not providing adequate shelter and of not providing dry straw for the pigs' bedding.

The pigs' plight was reported to trading standards officials by Gosport and Fareham Animal Rights Group.

Nigel Snape, trading standards manager, said after the appeal: "My department has been vindicated by this hearing. These charges are not one-off offences, they result after giving Mr Pointer many warnings.''