CONVICTED (2024) | huntsman Gregory Edward Baker, born 31 October 1980, of Troedythiw, Rhydcymerau, Llandeilo SA19 7PT – for multiple counts of animal cruelty relating to five equines and one foxhound.
Llanelli Magistrates Court found Greg Baker guilty of causing unnecessary suffering to six animals due to prolonged neglect.
Baker, a huntsman most recently with the now defunct Llandeilo Farmers Hunt, failed to investigate or address the poor bodily conditions of the equines, who were given a body condition score of between 0 and 0.5 out of 5. All were suffering from lice infestations and rain scald – a painful condition caused by prolonged exposure to the elements.
One horse – a little Shetland pony – weighed just 60kg when rescued and rapidly gained 20kg once in the care of the RSPCA.
He also failed to provide veterinary care for a foxhound suffering from paraphimosis with associated ulceration and fracture. The dog was in such pain he had to be given methadone.
The court heard that the neglect was so severe that one horse had to be euthanised.
Baker was found guilty of failing to address the equines’ lameness, skin diseases, and malnutrition, as well as neglecting to provide a suitable environment and diet for the animals.
Baker, who was represented by Matthew Paul – a fellow foxhunter and master of the Emlyn Begles, originally pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Despite the seriousness of the offences, magistrates decided not to disqualify Baker from keeping animals. This decision was influenced by an RSPCA visit in July 2023, which noted improvements in the conditions of the horses. The court also considered Baker’s previous good record in animal keeping, the low risk of reoffending as assessed by probation services, and the disproportionate impact a disqualification would have on his dependants.
Chairman of the bench, Mrs Alison Elizabeth Dorothy Evans, stated that the decision to suspend the sentence was due to the prospect of Baker’s rehabilitation and his role as the primary carer for his dependent children and wife, Gemma Baker.
The case highlights the importance of animal welfare and the legal responsibilities of pet owners to ensure their animals’ health and well-being.
Sentencing | 20 weeks in prison, suspended for 24 months; 12-month community order with 150 hours of unpaid work; £2,719.45 costs and £154 victim surcharge. No ban.
CONVICTED (2024) | Reece Robertson, born 12 November 1997, of 49 Devonshire Road, Millom LA18 4JH* – left multiple dogs in severe pain with untreated animal fighting injuries, starved them and kept them in appalling conditions.
Ultra-sadistic wildlife persecutor Robertson was investigated by the RSPCA in relation to suspected badger baiting, with the charity’s officers finding eight dogs at his home and a nearby allotment in Lincoln Street, Millom. , Many of the dogs had substantial scarring and untreated wounds, consistent with being forced to fight with wild animals.
Robertson pleaded guilty to four offences under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.
In October 2023, raids were carried out by RSPCA inspectors and officers from Cumbria Police as part of an investigation codenamed Operation Spike.
The warrants were issued under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and the Protection of Badgers Act 1992.
RSPCA Chief Inspector Ian Muttit, of the charity’s SOU (Special Operations Unit), said in a statement presented to the court that three adult dogs and a puppy were being kept in very poor conditions at kennels in Robertson’s back garden.
Chief Inspector Muttit said: “Each kennel had a large build-up of faeces in it. They were small and the run areas had large amounts of faeces built up inside, while the sleeping areas for each were extremely basic and looked inadequate in terms of shelter or bedding.”
Three dogs, a bull lurcher called Bam, a female bull lurcher called Bella, a Patterdale terrier called Punch and a lurcher puppy, were found at the defendant’s property.
At the allotment, RSPCA officers found five more dogs in five separate kennels, including a female bull lurcher named Jess who had lost part of her nose and had scars all over her face.
There was also a Patterdale terrier called Tilly, a female lurcher called Thorn and two male lurchers named Mash and Bracken, both of whom were also suffering with facial cuts and scars.
An RSPCA SOU Inspector stated: “The conditions in these kennels were extremely poor. Tilly and Mash had no water in their kennels and all the dogs had very dirty kennels with lots of fresh and mouldy faeces inside them.”
Robertson indicated he had not attended the allotment for two to three days and there were no arrangements made for anyone to attend to the dogs.
All the eight adult dogs were seized and taken into the care of the RSPCA. A vet who examined all the dogs found several were underweight while others had untreated facial wounds.
Tilly was very thin and scored one out of five on a body condition score. Thorn had a broken tooth and a wound on her front leg which extended into her muscle. Mash’s left eye and chin were inflamed and swollen, while Bracken had a wound to his mouth and to one of his foot pads. Jess was suffering from fur loss and her nasal septum was missing.
Bella had an old scar on her head and her teats were enlarged. There were scabs on Bam’s nose and he had a recent cut to his inner ear. Punch, the second Patterdale, was suffering with crusty skin and there was scabbing on his chin, while he also had a fresh wound to his ear.
Robertson said that none of the dogs were under a vet and he claimed Jess had got her nose stuck in the wire fence of her kennel and part of her nose “ripped off” after he tried to pull her clear.
The vet concluded that Robertson failed to provide a suitable living environment for Tilly, Thorn, Mash, Braken and Jess, while he also failed to provide a suitable diet for Tilly. The defendant also failed to provide for the needs of Bella, Punch and Bam, stated the vet.
In mitigation, the court heard that Robertson had learning difficulties and was “regarded as a soft touch for animals in the area” with people giving him dogs they couldn’t care for. But it proved too much for him both financially and intellectually and he had tried to administer “self-treatment”.
After being treated for their injuries and ailments, all the dogs have made a good recovery in RSPCA care and will now be rehomed. The defendant later agreed to rehome the lurcher puppy.
In December 2022 a local farmer alleged that Robertson and accomplice Kian Rowe set their dogs on a helpless sheepKian Rowe also has an interest in hunting with dogs
Speaking after the case, Chief Inspector Muttit said: “We discovered these dogs in a pretty bleak environment. Those at the allotment were being kept in really poor conditions and the defendant had left them unattended for three days in their own mess.
“A number of them were suffering with injuries, including one who had lost part of her nose. It was important that we investigated the welfare of these dogs and removed them to a place of safety.”
Sentencing | 12-month community order with 200 hours of unpaid work; costs of £500. Banned from keeping animals for 10 years.
CONVICTED (2024) | Stephanie Sinclaire, born c. 1956, of Stour Hill, Brierley Hill DY5 – kept 13 sick and neglected pets inside her filthy home.
Animal hoarder Sinclaire kept eight cats and five dogs in a foul environment, surrounded by a build-up of faeces and urine. One of the dogs was in such poor condition that he had to be put down.
There was no clean water source available and no comfortable bedding for resting.
Some of the animals were found in small crates with no litter trays or heavily soiled litter trays and all had urine and faecal soiling to their coats.
The dogs were found to be suffering with a variety of health conditions including fleas, skin lesions, dental disease and eye discharge.
Four of the five dogs and all eight of the cats were underweight because of a lack of food.
The vet who examined the animals said they would have been suffering unnecessarily for weeks due to poor body condition and the associated feelings of weakness and hunger.
Two dogs, Sykes and Ozzy, had lesions on their skin due to pressure from inappropriate housing and prolonged contact with urine and faeces causing scalding to the skin.
The vet said Ozzy would have suffered unnecessarily for a number of weeks due to pain associated with severe spondylosis – a painful condition of the spine resulting from the degeneration of the intervertebral discs – affecting multiple regions of his spine.
As a result of these spinal issues he developed painful urine scald and pressure sores affecting his limbs.
In their report, the vet said: “This unnecessary suffering could have been avoided by seeking veterinary treatment, including pain relief and by providing an appropriate environment that would have prevented Ozzy from lying in his own urine and faeces.”
Sadly Ozzy had to be put to sleep by vets because of the severity of his condition.
The other animals, who have been in RSPCA care since their rescue, can now be found new homes after Sinclaire was also deprived of ownership when she was sentenced.
Sinclaire admitted four animal welfare offences following an investigation and prosecution by the RSPCA.
RSPCA Inspector Ben Jones said: “Our plea to all animal owners is to make sure they always receive care and treatment they need.
“Animals are completely reliant on their owners to ensure their needs are met and they are kept safe and healthy.”
Sentencing | 26-week custodial sentence, suspended for 12 months; 15 days of rehabilitation; £400 costs. Disqualified from keeping animals for 10 years.
CONVICTED (2024) | mother and son Michelle Farrar of 122 Ealand Road, Batley WF17 8HT, and Ethan Lee Farrar of 15 Oakhill Road, Batley WF17 8JD – kept two dogs in a faeces-strewn property filled with hazards and starved and neglected one of them.
Persistent animal abusers Michelle and Ethan Farrar were both ordered to undertake rehabilitation. The mother received a two-year ban while her son is banned from having anything to do with animals for the next five years.
The court heard that in October 2022, RSPCA Animal Rescue Officer (ARO) Rebecca Goulding visited an address in Oakhill Road, Batley, to check on the welfare of dogs living there.
Looking through the window ARO Goulding could see two Dogues de Bordeaux – an adult and a puppy. She said: “Both dogs looked in reasonable condition, and were bright, alert and active”.
The vile pair ignored RSPCA warnings to take proper care of their dogs and instead starved one of them and kept her in grim and hazardous conditions.
There were however concerns about the animals’ living conditions with ARO Golding stating that “the stench of urine and faeces that could be smelt from outside the property, combined with the filthy windows and stained curtains suggested that conditions inside were not suitable for the dogs. The living room appeared in complete disarray and all surfaces were covered in faeces.
“When I got inside of the house, the smell of urine and faeces in the living room was overpowering”
The RSPCA was told by the property’s resident, Ethan Farrar, that the two dogs belonged to his mother Michelle Farrar, who although the legal tenant of the Oakhill Road property, lived elsewhere, in Ealand Road.
ARO Goulding advised both the mother and son that the condition of the house at Oakhill Road was unsuitable for the dogs and that improvements must be made otherwise they would have to be removed from there.
ARO Goulding made many unsuccessful attempts to visit and contact Michelle Farrar in person. When Michelle Farrar finally did return ARO Goulding’s calls, she agreed to sign the puppy – named Rain – over to the RSPCA and to move the adult dog – Storm – from the address at Oakhill Road, to the other address in Ealand Road, which provided a more suitable environment.
Farrar was warned against the dog being returned to Oakhill Road, unless significant improvements were made to that property.
Conditions inside the property at 15 Oakhill Road, Batley
A month later, ARO Goulding returned to Oakhill Road for a spot check. To her dismay she discovered that Storm was in the property’s back yard which was full of hazards and littered with faeces.
ARO Goulding warned Ethan Farrar that if Storm was found inside the property, then she would be removed.
In February 2023, RSPCA inspector Demi Hodby visited Oakhill Road for a follow up inspection, to check that Storm wasn’t being kept at the Oakhill Road house. But on arrival, she could see a now very thin Storm sitting on a faeces-covered window ledge and noticed a strong smell of faeces and urine coming from the property’s air vents.
Ethan Farrar admitted that there had been no improvements made to the condition of the property. The Farrars had once again ignored the RSPCA’s warning not to return Storm to these filthy conditions. In addition, the dog’s body condition had seriously deteriorated and she had lost a substantial amount of weight.
Inspector Hodby advised that the dog must now see a vet, that an investigation had been started and that Storm would be in RSPCA care until the investigation was concluded.
Storm was taken into the care of the RSPCA and was thoroughly examined by a vet and treatments to improve her condition were started.
Veterinarian Dr Sean Taylor, expert witness for the prosecution, reported that the evidence indicated that as well as a 3cm (1.2in) lesion on her tongue, Storm had dental disease which was causing her to experience pain. The evidence suggested that the condition had been present for some time and Storm would have suffered for a period of at least five days, but probably longer.
In addition, Dr Taylor reported that due to the house at Oakhill Road being so unhygienic and full of hazards, Storm’s needs had not been met. He added that those responsible for the welfare of this animal had failed to provide a suitable environment
RSPCA Inspector Demi Hodby said: “It was the Farrars’ legal responsibility to properly care for Storm and they failed to do this. Not only did they repeatedly ignore instructions to improve the conditions that Storm was being forced to live in, but there was also no excuse for failing to get veterinary care for her when it was abundantly clear she so desperately needed it.
“This was a sad case and Storm’s suffering could have easily been avoided. The RSPCA urges anyone struggling to take care of their animal to ask for help and act on advice, rather than neglecting them and leaving them to suffer.”
Storm was later rehomed by the RSPCA, and though sadly diagnosed with cancer, had a new home for the remainder of her life.
Sentencing | Both were given 12 month community orders with 20 days of rehabilitation; each was ordered to pay costs of £400 and £114 victim surcharge. Michelle Farrar received a two-year ban applicable to all animals (expires April 2026) while Ethan Farrar received a five-year ban (expires April 2029).
CONVICTED (2024) | Dianne Pearson, born c. 1953, from Sowerby Bridge – for cruelty offences to 10 horses, many of whom were put to sleep.
Concerns about Pearson’s horses were raised with the RSPCA and World Horse Welfare in April 2023, and officers went to the scene in the village of Norland, Sowerby Bridge. There they discovered 10 horses and ponies kept in cramped, dirty stables and building. Faeces and soiled bedding had built up to the extent that the horses were struggling to stand.
Some of the horses had difficulty walking due to lameness while many were suffering from dental issues and other health problems. One horse was so thirsty he drank readily from a bucket of water when offered to him.
In her witness statement, RSPCA inspector Demi Hodby said all the horses were being kept in unsuitable conditions.
“There was no ventilation and very limited lighting inside,” she said. “All the stables were piled high with bedding and faeces and it was clear they had not been mucked out in some time. The bedding inside all the stables was piled so high that most of the horses’ heads were touching the roof. There was no water inside any of the stables.”
She added: “During our visit, Pearson admitted that Bud had not been out of his stable for two years and it took her over 10 minutes to dig the muck from behind Ellie’s stable door before she could open it and get her out. It also took her some time to dig out another horse called Rio.”
Rescuers had to dig their way into some of their stables owing to the build-up of soiled bedding and faeces.
Four horses were removed that day and six the next; all were examined by an equine vet, whose witness statement said: “In my opinion the environmental conditions these horses were found in were completely and wholly unsuitable.
“Many of the stables were in complete or mostly in darkness and most had little ventilation.This meant that when some of the horses reached the boarding establishment, they found normal visual things extremely stressful, and one horse had to be medicated for this. This shows the psychological suffering caused to these horses.
“The owner failed to take steps to meet the needs of these animals, and this has caused suffering in all of the horses due to the poor and unsuitable environments, and five out of 10 of these horses due to ailments observed.”
Pearson signed six horses over to the care of the RSPCA. After the case a deprivation order was secured so the remaining four came into the charity’s care.
After the case, Ms Hodby said: “I am so pleased to see Fern, Cody, Inca and JJ are thriving with our team at RSPCA Felledge, and delighted to hear that Tilly and Finn have already found their forever homes.
“This was a really sad case to work on and to see ponies kept in such awful conditions was heartbreaking. I’d like to say thank you to our colleagues at World Horse Welfare for their assistance in the rescue and investigating. Working together with other agencies allows us to reach more horses and ponies that need our help and make a big difference to animal welfare.”
Vets made the decision to put Bling, Bud, Ellie and Rio down for health reasons.
World Horse Welfare field officer Gilly Howard said: “Having been shut in those small and dirty stables for so long, Tilly was a very nervous pony and especially difficult to catch. But our amazing team at Penny Farm Rescue and Rehoming Centre in Lancashire are working with her to gain her trust and the conclusion of this case means that she can be assessed with a view to finding her a forever home.”
Pearson’s age and her early guilty pleas were considered in mitigation, and it was agreed that although she “feels no particular remorse for the suffering occasioned to her horses”, she “does feel a sense of sadness and believes she always tried her best”.
“The defendant has come to accept that she doesn’t want any of the horses returned to her. She has no desire to keep horses in the future.”
Sentencing | 20-week suspended prison sentence for each of the four offences, to run concurrently, suspended for 12 months; 20 days of rehabilitation activity; £7,000 costs. Disqualified from owning horses, ponies, mules, donkeys and their hybrids indefinitely, with no right of appeal for 15 years.
CONVICTED (2023) | Kasandra Benton, born September 1986, of Talke Road, Walsall WS5 4PH – neglected her injured and ailing dogs’ needs.
Pet collector Benton left two of her dogs to suffer without seeking vet treatment. They were an Akita named Delta, who was found with injuries from fighting another dog, and a chihuahua called Eddie, who had a huge ulcerated mass on his groin and had to be put to sleep.
The dogs were rescued from Benton’s home after concerns for their welfare were raised with the RSPCA.
RSPCA Animal Rescue Officer, Graeme Brookes, described what he saw when he entered Benton’s home.
He said: “As I walked in, the smell was strong. I saw multiple fresh stains of faeces in the living room. There was lots of domestic rubbish on the floor.
“Eddie had a very large growth on the side of his body that due to his size impacted his walk, on top of the growth was a large open wound.
“I asked to see Delta, who was kept locked in the kitchen. There was a large amount of faeces and urine in the kitchen. I asked why Delta was in the kitchen, and was told she’d been kept in there since the fight.
“Delta was friendly, however, I could see she couldn’t place her paw on the floor, hobbling significantly also her hair was matted on the back. I then noticed puncture marks on both her legs and the one she couldn’t put down was significantly swollen.”
Both dogs were taken to a vet who examined them and concluded both were suffering.
In his report, he said: “The owner was aware that Eddie had a swelling on his side and that it ulcerated a couple of months earlier. This mass was painful due to the damage to the skin over the mass. The lack of treatment and the inaction that in my opinion has led to unnecessary suffering.
“With Delta, once this fight had occurred a reasonable owner would immediately seek veterinary care especially with the number of injuries she sustained.
“She may have been walking initially but as the inflammation and infection worsened the swelling would have become more obvious and she would have become more lame and more painful.
“Many of the puncture wounds are often like the tip of the iceberg for dog bite injuries as the grip of the dog is maintained and the tear and rip the muscle and tissues below.”
Eddie had to be put to sleep because of the severity of his condition. Delta was placed in RSPCA care and can now be rehomed after the court granted a deprivation order.
RSPCA Animal Rescue Officer, Graeme Brookes added: “Our plea to all animal owners is to make sure they always receive care and treatment when they need it.
“Pets are completely reliant on their owners to ensure their needs are met and they are kept safe and healthy. Ensuring appropriate veterinary care is a key part of the responsibility we have towards them.”
Sentencing | 26-week suspended prison sentence; 15 hours of “rehabilitation”; £600 in costs plus a £187 surcharge. 20-year ban on keeping dogs.
CONVICTED (2024) | Reece Glossop, born c. 2000, of Wharfedale Lawns, Wetherby, Leeds LS22 6PU – abandoned two cats in an unhygienic flat littered with faeces and hazards.
Glossop left his home over the festive season, leaving his cats Daisy and Mustafa behind for nine days to fend for themselves inside the filthy and hazardous flat.
Cat faeces were behind the flat door and the area behind the living room door was covered in mouldy faeces.
No litter tray had been provided and RSPCA inspectors found faeces piled up on the floor which was also strewn with rubbish.
Glossop, who didn’t even have the decency to attend court for his first hearing, was found guilty in his absence of one offence under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.
In a a written statement read to the court RSPCA Inspector Emma Ellis described being met with a strong smell of ammonia in the communal area outside the flat during her visit on January 11, 2023.
The inspector met Glossop at the property, and he said he was cleaning to the flat.
She asked about the welfare of the cats and he said he had left on December 24 to go to London because of family issues. He said “someone was supposed to be looking after them”.
“He said he came back on December 28 to check on the cats, but he had to return to London and then he came back again on January 6. When I asked who was looking after the cats during that time he replied, ‘they were looking after themselves’,” said the inspector.
Glossop had left food in a bowl in the living room, but there was no water.
Daisy
Daisy and Mustafa were in a normal body condition, but it was later found that Mustafa had a heart murmur, which could have been caused by stress.
In mitigation, the court heard how Glossop had been diagnosed with ADHD and suffered from psychosis. He had received therapy for a personality disorder while at a psychiatric unit.
Sentencing | 12-month community order with 20 hours of unpaid work and 15 hours of “rehabilitation”; £200 costs and £114 victim surcharge. Banned from keeping animals for just three years (expires April 2027).
CONVICTED (2024) | Mitchell Stuart Wright, born September 1990, of 20 Cartwright Road, Sutton Coldfield B75 5LF – kept birds of prey in appalling conditions.
Wright had 23 protected species of birds inside aviaries in Whitehill Road, Ellistown, Coalville, when officers arrived in September 2023.
Police said he was keeping the birds in poor conditions and did not have the right paperwork.
Leicestershire Police said Wright failed to hold the correct paperwork for the birds with the Animal and Plant Health Agency.
He pleaded guilty to three offences under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, of failing to prevent the causing of unnecessary suffering of an animal, failing to ensure animal welfare and possessing unregistered birds.
Leicestershire and Rutland Rural Policing Team said: “We are really pleased with this result at court and are grateful to all those who helped us with caring for the birds, advising us and giving their expert opinions and statements. We couldn’t have done it without you.”
His birds are now being cared for by local falconers.
Sentencing | 12-month community order, which includes 15 days of rehabilitation requirement and 200 hours of unpaid work; fined £85 towards Crown Prosecution costs and a £114 victim surcharge. Banned from keeping any animals for five years (expires April 2029).
CONVICTED (2024) | Toni Leigh Rowland, born 22 August 1997, of Dundas Way, Felling, Gateshead NE10 9JR – left an 11-month-old dog to starve in a filthy cage.
Northumbria Police found Rowland’s dog- an American bulldog called Nala – in a urine-soaked cage in a bedroom at a property in Leeming Gardens. Sheriff Hill, Gateshead, on August 27, 2023, and rushed her to a veterinary practice
The puppy was so weak she couldn’t stand for longer than half a minute without falling over. The vet gave her a body condition score of just one out of nine and estimated she had been suffering from hunger for weeks if not months.
The RSPCA was contacted and an investigation started.
In written evidence to the court, Inspector Kirsty Keogh-Laws, who saw Nala at the vets, said: “She was desperately skinny and I was able to see every bone in her body.
“Her rib cage was visibly protruding from her body and I could count the bones along her spine. Her legs and back end were stained yellow with a strong smell of urine and she was unable to stand for longer than around 30 seconds or so without falling to the ground.
“I could see pressure sores on the pads of her feet and on her elbows. She was friendly despite being visibly very weak.”
The court heard that the team at Vets Now ran blood tests and instigated a feeding plan, aimed at preventing refeeding syndrome, which can be fatal.
Nala was cared for by a veterinary nurse from the practice before being transferred to the RSPCA rehoming centre for ongoing care in November 2023.
In court Nala’s owner, Rowland, a single mother whose two children have apparently been taken into care, admitted to two animal welfare offences.
Magistrates were told Rowland was suffering from “mental health problems” at the time.
When Nala arrived at the RSPCA Felledge Animal and Equine Centre in Chester-le-Street, she would urinate on the floor when staff called her name, so they stopped using it. Thankfully, there has been a happy ending for Nala, who has since been renamed Penny and rehomed with Beth Atkinson, who described her as “my world”.
Nala, who was renamed Penny, has been adopted by a woman who describes her as “my world”
Inspector Keogh-Laws praised Northumbria Police and vets for their support in the case, adding: “Without a doubt she was the thinnest dog I have ever seen alive. She couldn’t stand unaided at the vets for more than 30 seconds and was quite literally wasting away in a filthy cage.
“She was a very poorly dog when she first arrived at Vets Now in Gateshead and the team there were instrumental in her recovery. I think we were all hoping for the best but possibly fearing the worst, but they did a wonderful job. To see Penny now in her new home, transformed and living her best life with Beth, is just incredible.”
Sentencing | 12-month community order with 20 days of “rehabilitation” and 200 hours of unpaid work. FIVE-year disqualification order (expires April 2029).
CONVICTED (2024) | Sophie Charlotte Singer, born April 1982, and Keith Byrne, born 27 April 1984, of 3 Beauchamp Court, 3 Wilmington Gardens, Eastbourne BN21 4PB – left their 14-year-old boxer dog to die while they swanned off on holiday to Center Parcs.
Sophie Singer and Keith Byrne, who left their boxer dog to starve, were given a suspended prison sentence after the judge heard they have seven children
The heartless couple refused to accept their elderly pet, known as Bentley, was suffering before they abandoned him at home in January 2022.
Bentley died shortly after being found by the RSPCA
One of their neighbours raised the alarm in their absence, after entering the home through a broken front door to find Bentley at the foot of the stairs the day after they left.
His breathing was ‘rapid and shallow’, and the neighbour thought he was dying.
Bentley was ‘barely alive’ when an RSPCA inspector entered their home through an unlocked door the next day.
He was covered in scabs and weighed just 12.5kg – less than half the weight of an average boxer.
He had been so hungry, he turned to eating food wrappers and a felt pen found in his stomach. His claws were so overgrown they’d become talons.
Bentley was in such a poor state, police told the RSPCA inspector to remove him despite not legally being allowed to.
Judge Christine Laing KC, who said she has never owned a dog, said: ‘I find this case really extraordinary.
‘Even as a non dog owner, I would have seen instantly that this dog was in a terrible state.’
She added: ‘He would not have been able to move without being in agony.
‘The ribs showing through his skin you could not have failed to miss.
‘He had scabs and inflammation on his skin you could not have failed to miss.’
He had prominent ribs, hips and spine. His eyes were sunken and his claws were curling over.
The RSPCA did their best to save him, but Bentley died overnight after suffering months of neglect.
When contacted by the RSPCA through information found on Bentley’s chip, long distance lorry driver Byrne told them Bentley had not seen a vet for a year.
Singer said they put his condition down to old age and tiredness, claiming she believed he wouldn’t have come home if they had taken him to a vet.
The pair tried convincing the court they had left Bentley – their pet of seven years – in the care of a family friend, but the judge rejected this claim.
Judge Laing said: ‘You insist on continuing to persist with this bizarre story.
‘The dog had clearly been suffering for a very substantial period of time and you decided to swan off on holiday.
‘I’m not even convinced you had somebody to look after it or that this person even existed.
‘The animal was clearly starving. There was no food in its stomach.
‘It really is appalling behaviour. I am at a loss.
‘Both of you talk about it as if it was a beloved family pet.
‘What an example you are showing to your children about what love is.’ Singer and Byrne were convicted in their absence of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal and failing to ensure his welfare.
Criticising their avoidance of court, the judge said: ‘There is no mitigation to be found.
‘I’m quite satisfied you have gone to considerable efforts to avoid the whole court process.’
The judge told them they would likely have had to serve time behind bars if they were not the parents of seven children.
Sentencing | Singer: six month prison term, suspended for two years.; 200 hours of unpaid work. Byrne: nine month prison term, suspended for two years; 300 hours of unpaid work. £350 costs each. FIVE-year ban (expires April 2029).
