Mikaelson Pleads Guilty to Attempted Animal-Sex Offence

Thomas Mikaelson, 19, pleaded guilty at Leeds Crown Court on September 30 to attempting to allow sexual penetration by a living animal in a case involving Cheeky, a Shetland pony at Gledhill Farm in Almondbury, West Yorkshire. He remains on bail and is due to be sentenced on November 17, 2026; the court has not yet imposed a penalty. The charge relates to an alleged incident on August 24, 2025. Mikaelson admitted the attempt, but the plea does not establish that sexual penetration took place. Reporting on the hearing did not detail the pony’s condition or say whether it was injured. Mikaelson denied a separate charge of recklessly trespassing to commit a relevant sexual offence. Prosecutors asked for that charge to lie on file, and it was left there. The allegation is not a conviction or a finding of guilt, and the court did not establish that Mikaelson broke into the farm. Judge Phillips ordered the Probation Service to prepare a presentence report assessing Mikaelson’s circumstances and potential future risk. The judge cautioned that the adjournment to allow the report did not indicate what sentence would be imposed. No penalty has been determined.