Thomas Mikaelson remains on bail while a probation report is prepared ahead of his November sentencing at Leeds Crown Court.
LEEDS, England — A 19-year-old man has pleaded guilty to an attempted sexual offense involving a Shetland pony at a West Yorkshire farm and is scheduled to return to court Nov. 17 for sentencing.
Thomas Mikaelson, of Huddersfield, entered the guilty plea Sept. 30 at Leeds Crown Court to attempting to allow sexual penetration by a living animal. The charge relates to an Aug. 24, 2025, incident involving a Shetland pony named Cheeky at Gledhill Farm in Almondbury, near Huddersfield. The plea concerns an attempted offense, and published accounts of the hearing did not establish that the act was completed.
Mikaelson also pleaded not guilty to a separate charge of recklessly trespassing to commit a relevant sexual offense. Prosecutor Robert Galley told the court that the Crown accepted the pleas and asked that the second charge lie on file. That allegation was therefore not determined as a conviction at the Sept. 30 hearing.
Judge Simon Phillips KC adjourned the case so the Probation Service could prepare a pre-sentence report. The judge said the assessment would address Mikaelson’s circumstances and the risk he may pose to the public. Phillips cautioned that ordering the report should not be interpreted as an indication of the sentence that will ultimately be imposed.
Mikaelson was released on bail and instructed to return to Leeds Crown Court for sentencing Nov. 17. A custodial sentence remains possible, according to reports of the hearing, but the court has not decided whether he will receive imprisonment or another penalty.
The farmer connected with Gledhill Farm submitted a victim impact statement. Phillips said the farmer should have an opportunity to attend the sentencing hearing because the incident had affected the farm and people involved with its operation in more than one respect.
Published reports did not provide a confirmed account of any physical injury to Cheeky. Mikaelson’s guilty plea establishes his admission to the attempted offense charged but does not establish that sexual penetration occurred. No motive for the conduct was disclosed in the reports reviewed for this story.
The law covering sexual conduct involving animals in England and Wales was amended shortly before Mikaelson entered his plea. Section 69 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 previously addressed intercourse with an animal and provided for a maximum sentence of two years on conviction on indictment. Changes that took effect Sept. 29, 2026, broadened the provision under the title “Sexual activity with an animal,” while retaining a maximum two-year sentence on indictment.
The conduct at issue in Mikaelson’s case dates to August 2025, before the newer wording took effect. Court reports described the charge using the earlier statutory language concerning an attempt to allow penetration by a living animal. The sentencing court will determine the penalty for the offense to which Mikaelson pleaded guilty based on the applicable law and information properly before it.
Mikaelson is due back at Leeds Crown Court on Nov. 17. Until then, he remains on bail while the Probation Service prepares its report, and no sentence has been imposed.
Author note: Last updated October 5, 2026.