Furious neighbors have condemned Pets Corner CEO Dean Richmond after a huge fireworks display at his £4m estate fatally injured a horse.
Deafening explosions echoed across the countryside and thick smoke drifted above the CEO’s mansion as dozens of fireworks lit up the night sky during a lavish Guy Fawkes celebration on Saturday.
After several confrontations with angry villagers, Mr Richmond, 52, had to make a grovelling apology.
The fireworks event, hosted at his Grade-II listed, seven-bedroom home in West Sussex, was a continuation of a tradition the CEO was brought up with, for friends, family and neighbors to enjoy, according to a Pets Corner company statement.
In his apology, he said: ‘It was never my intention to cause inconvenience or distress to anyone in the village.’
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He said he had notified nearby neighbors, but now, in hindsight, realises he should have spread the message further.
According to Mr Richmond, the display was carried out by a professional fireworks company and was carefully planned to minimise disruption and protect wildlife.
Pets Corner tycoon Dean Richmond is embroiled in an acrimonious ?100 million divorce battle with his wife of ten years and has already moved on with a new younger lover, MailOnline can reveal.Mr Richmond, 52 split from his wife Karen last October and moved out of the lavish five-bedroom ?3 million home in Sussex he shared with her and their three children.He now lives just ten minutes away in a stylish ?4 million seven-bedroom property where his new love, stunning model Sarah Louise Wiffen, 38, is virtually living, say friends.The warring couple have already appeared in the High Court for two divorce hearings with another scheduled for later in the year. A final hearing has been listed for ten days next April.Mr Richmond, who is known for enjoying a flamboyant lifestyle, runs the UK’s second largest chain of pet shops with 160 stores across the county that have an annual turnover of close to ?100 million.Sources told MailOnline that his marriage started unravelling in 2023 when Karen developed Breast Implant Illness (BII) caused by breast implants she had more than a decade earlier reacting adversely to her body.The source said: ‘Dean started spending more time away from home, jet setting around the globe for business and holidays while Karen was suffering from medical conditions caused by her breast implants. It put a huge strain on their marriage, things were not good at home for quite a while, and it all came to a head last year.’She’s the one that asked him to move out and said that she wanted a divorce because she couldn’t take it anymore.’
One resident branded the CEO ‘a selfish idiot’ while others hit out at the ‘hypocrisy’ of the businessman, whose company boasts of being the UK’s leading ethical pet retailer by putting pets first for more than 55 years.
Pets Corner is a large chain of pet stores that specialises in natural nutrition and advice, offering high-quality, natural pet food and other products.
Just days before the party, the company posted online guidance warning owners to keep animals calm during firework season – the post on social media has since been removed.
But how could local pets stay calm during a ‘bomb-like’ firework display that lasted 15 minutes?
Allegedly, for one poor horse nearby, it had bolted from a neighboring paddock in terror before suffering ‘catastrophic’ injuries after crashing into a fence.
Shortly after the fireworks began, the animal was reportedly found collapsed in its field and had to be put down by a vet.
In his statement, Mr Richmond, who grew up with horse-riding, said: ‘I am deeply saddened to hear that a horse may have been injured and subsequently put to sleep.
‘This is truly distressing news, and I am in direct contact with the owners.’
One local described how her rescue dog was terrified by the ‘powerful and loud explosions that left their ‘windows and doors shaking.’
An unnamed local said she went to confront the CEO about the chaos caused by his fireworks display.
She claimed he dismissed her concerns and ‘laughed’ in her face.
In his statement, Mr Richmond wanted ‘to make it absolutely clear that this is untrue. I took her statements seriously and was sorry to learn she was upset.’
Mr Richmond moved into his property after splitting with his wife Karen, last October, in a £100million divorce battle, revealed by the Daily Mail.
He is now dating model Sarah Louise Wiffen, 38, who posted on Instagram photos of the sky filled with fireworks during the estate’s display.
Some angry neighbors are using this display as an example of why firework sales should be limited to those running local council-approved events – the petition has more than 150,000 signatures.
Should fireworks be restricted to local-council approved events only?
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Yes
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No
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