THEY lived a very good life in a grade one listed mansion near York – but today The Press can reveal the extraordinary downfall of Pamela Palmer and her son, Joseph.

When RSPCA inspectors visited the estate at Sheriff Hutton Hall, they found dead sheep in the coach house, dead cattle in an old swimming pool, and other animals in such pain that they had to be put down.

Meanwhile, the £4.5 million property, originally built in the early 1600s as a hunting lodge by King James I before being remodelled in 1732, has been repossessed and is now under new ownership.

Mrs Palmer has been declared bankrupt and is now living in a semi-detached cottage in a village near Winchester.

The RSPCA was called by bank staff who went to the hall after repossessing it, and the case was then brought to court. Joseph Palmer, 30, now of The Croft in Sheriff Hutton, failed to turn up, but was convicted in his absence on seven counts of animal cruelty. York Magistrates were told five dead sheep and lambs, found in the coach house attached to the main building, had been so starved of food before their death they had resorted to eating anything they could, including soil on the ground.

RSPCA chief inspector Beth Clements said the two officers called to the hall in April were surprised by the extent of what they found.

“There were a number of farm buildings and a number of animals in those buildings – some alive and some dead,” she said.

“Five dead sheep were found in an outbuilding. It looked as though they had been put in there to die, according to officers. They were covered in rubbish and a lot of the buildings were very dilapidated.

“I know the officer was quite surprised by the state of the animals; some of them had been dead for quite some time so it was difficult to say how they died.”

A Hereford bull with arthritis and a Hereford cow with a foot abscess were said to be in so much pain through neglect they were put down at the scene.

The inspectors seized the sick and dead animals and questioned the family, but were unable to establish the cause of the animals’ condition.

After being convicted in his absence, Mr Palmer was later arrested on a warrant and brought before the court. He tried to reopen the case and get the conviction reversed, but magistrates refused his application.

He was released on bail and is awaiting sentencing and will next appear on March 24.

Mrs Palmer, 62, now of Old Stockbridge Road, Sutton Scotney, Winchester, was also charged with seven offences of animal cruelty. She did not attend court, but a doctor sent a letter saying she could not travel for three months because she had undergone two hip replacements. Her case was adjourned until March 24.

York estate agents Savills, which marketed the property with a guide price of £4.5 million, said it had now been sold privately and was undergoing major restoration.

Official receiver Martyn Pickthall said a bankruptcy order against Mrs Palmer had been granted at York County Court on December 1.

Before being bought by the Palmer family, the hall, which overlooks a lake, was the northern branch of the East 15 acting school, and pop singer Robbie Williams is reputed to have stayed there in those days while training and unknown.