It later emerged that the guinea pig allegations w

It later emerged that the guinea pig allegations were made amidst a row between Mr Roach and other Bristol vets.

Some animal surgeons in the area bore ‘extreme hostility’ for undercutting their fees shortly after he opened his clinic in February last year.

And it was revealed that one of those upset by the move carried out the post mortem on Mork the guinea pig claiming that Mr Roach’s operation was inadequate.

John Sterry, whose surgery is adjacent to Mr Roach’s had been the vet’s line manager at the Meat Licencing Service where they had been between 1997 and 1998.

Mr Sterry said he discovered that the guinea pig’s intestine had been strangled during the operation.

But he admitted he had ‘legitimate concerns’ that Mr Roach was offering a cheaper service than other vets in the area.

He added: ‘I am aware there was hostility towards what Mr Roach had attempted to do.

‘

But Mr Sterry, who also attended a meeting with other practitioners to discuss what to do about Mr Roach, said:

‘The strangulation probably commenced fairly shortly after the surgery was completed.

‘

Mr Sterry went on to deny telling Mr Roach, after the post mortem: ‘The activities of your clinic stink.

‘

Giving evidence Mr Roach, 62, told the hearing he had been under pressure from his bank and other vets in the area, who had become ‘vindictive’ towards him.

Former Bristol University lecturer Mr Roach, whose wife died in 1981, said it had cost him pnds stlg 110,000 to set up a practice, much of which had been borrowed from the bank.

But he claimed that one local vet complained to the RCVS about a newspaper advert Mr Roach had placed.

And another said his prices would make her practice go under.

Mr Roach also claimed that people had barged into a private room at his surgery to spy on his equipment, and some members of the public tried to induce him to sell prescription only drugs.

The vet, who said his practice ‘haemorrhaged money, told the hearing:

‘I knew that if I offered what I thought was an affordable vaccination practice I would be open to criticisms that my service was not that good.

‘The pressure was too much.

It devastated my mind.

Here were all the local vets, it seemed to me, turning against me.

‘

Asked if he had anything to gain from not carrying out the spaying of Sapphire the cat Mr Roach said:

‘No.

I was trying to build a practice up.

I wasn’t trying to throw it away by taking money for something I hadn’t done.

It’s tantamount to suicide as far as the practice is concerned.

‘I thought I had spayed the cat,’ he stressed.

Referring to Mork, Mr Roach said as far as he was concerned the operation had been done correctly.

He added that he was ‘shocked and absolutely devastated’ when he discovered the animal had been put down.

Mr Roach, whose practice has since attracted around 2,500 clients, denies five charges of ‘disgraceful conduct in a professional respect.

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The hearing was adjourned until Wednesday.

ends