Essex: Jodie Marsh's bid to keep wild animals rejected

Jodie Marsh, 45, claimed Uttlesford Council was "completely corrupt" and had a "vendetta against" her after an application for a dangerous wild animal licence was rejected by the authority’s licensing and environmental health committee on July 15.

Her rescue centre, Fripps Farm, in Lindsell, north of Braintree and Great Dunmow, has received strong criticism and opposition from the community.

Ex-glamour model Jodie Marsh at Fripps Farm (Image: Nicky Johnston)

The hearing was told that on two occasions Ms Marsh took a baby meerkat she was hand-rearing to a pub, insisting it could not be left alone at the time. The committee was also told on one occasion Ms Marsh took an owl to the pub. 

The council’s panel raised concerns about the incidents with the meerkat and the owl as well as noise from the lemurs and the resulting impact on the community.

Councillor Richard Freeman, chairman of the meeting, raised concerns about the animals being taken to the pub, and said: "The panel is concerned that Jodie Marsh has a perception that the animals in her existing care, and by extension the animals applied for under the licence, are her personal pets.

"This perception has the capacity to run counter to the needs of the animals and may result in poor judgements as to the balance between the appropriate care and attention and the desire to promote the community interest company." 

"The panel has on balance concluded that they are not satisfied that the applicant, as controlled by its principal officer Jodie Marsh, is a suitable person to hold a licence."

Ms Marsh said she is preparing to take her application to court, and accused the council of general "wrongdoing" - citing delayed postal votes and missed bin collections.

She said: "I believe Uttlesford Council is completely corrupt, there is so much wrongdoing within the council.

"The council was told before today if we didn’t get the licence, we’d go to the magistrates court and appeal it, they knew that would happen.

"Uttlesford Council wants to waste more public money on fighting me over eight lemurs, who are going to do no damage to anyone or anything.

"This is a vendetta against me, it absolutely is.

"On top of that, they are acting like these lemurs are coming out of a jungle into my garden, they are not.

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"They are in someone’s private garden right now and all he wants to do is rehome them because he doesn’t want them any more and hasn’t got time for them."

A spokesman for Uttlesford District Council said: "The panel carefully considered the information available to it and determined that it was not appropriate to grant the licence for the reasons given in the decision notice.

"This decision was based purely on the relevant information and the legislation.

"Given the applicant has a right to appeal the decision to the magistrates courts, it would not be appropriate for us to comment further."