CONVICTED (2011) | Tracey Munden (also known as Tracey Clarke), born 3 January 1972, of Lime Grove, Bromsgrove B61 8LX – left several animals to starve to death
Evil Munden locked her dogs in cages and left them to die
Following reports from concerned members of the public, RSPCA inspectors raided Munden’s former home in Hathaway Close, Dines Green, Worcester and were met with a scene of horror.
Inspectors discovered a dead Staffordshire bull terrier in a cage without any food or water, an extremely underweight bull mastiff, two chihuahuas and a Yorkshire terrier. The Yorkie was described as being “close to death”.
One of the dogs rescued from Munden’s property
An emaciated water dragon lizard that had been left in an unheated vivarium was also found.
Munden spouted the usual excuses about personal problems and depression. Thankfully the judge saw through the excuses and jailed her. Munden wept hysterically as she was handcuffed and led away.
Sentencing: 18-week prison sentence and banned from keeping animals for ten years (expired September 2021).
CONVICTED (2011) | Jake Soden, born 05/08/1991, previously of Northleigh Road, Birmingham B8 2QP (new address tbc) – caught on CCTV choking, whipping and kicking his four dogs
Soden was captured by his neighbour’s CCTV cameras attacking his four dogs. The unidentified neighbour passed the footage onto the RSPCA who prosecuted Soden.
Soden would launch his unprovoked attacks on his terrified dogs late at night and early in the morning when he thought no one was looking.
His neighbour said the two huskies, a brown Staffordshire terrier type dog and a black cross-breed would “freeze at every move” Soden made.
Jake Soden filmed with his dogs in 2011
“The dogs were absolutely terrified,” he said. “They would cower to the ground, their tails were tucked between their legs, their ears were down.
“They would never jump around or run about, as they were too scared of him.
I always remember seeing the fear in the eyes of the brown dog during one incident.”
The abuse was first recorded as Soden walked the dogs through the snow on Boxing Day 2010.
The neighbour said: “He would repeatedly kick the dogs for no reason.
“He would whip the lead down onto their backs, pin the heads of the dogs to the floor and stand on the lead to prevent them moving, drag them along the floor by the lead and by holding their heads, and pull the lead up in the air causing the dogs to be standing on their back feet while they were being choked.
“He would also punch the dogs, and in one incident he tied three of the dogs to a lamppost, and dragged a husky behind a wall, pinned it to the ground and started punching it. Before this, he looked around to see if anyone was about.”
The chairman of the magistrates said the “sheer brutality was unbelievable” and they found the number of attacks an aggravating feature of the case.
Soden pleaded guilty to five charges of failing to protect the dogs from pain, injury or fear contrary to section 9 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006.
Sally Case, head of prosecutions at the RSPCA, wrote to the neighbour and said: “This case was only possible because of the video footage obtained by you, and I wish to pass on my gratitude again to you for both obtaining the footage and allowing the RSPCA to use it as vital evidence of mistreatment of these animals.
“We hope that the court’s order will serve to protect animals in the future from wrong-doing of this kind.”
Sentence: 15-month community order. Lifetime ban on keeping animals.
Soden was back in court after being caught flouting his life ban on keeping animals.
Nick Sutton, prosecuting on behalf of the RSPCA, said: “Back in 2011 the defendant was seen on CCTV kicking and beating his terrified dogs in unprovoked attacks while walking them late at night and early in the morning when he thought he was not being seen.
“It recently came to the RSPCA’s attention that he had been filmed, again on CCTV, walking a new dog – a Jack Russell.
“It should be said that he is not seen abusing the animals, but it is a blatant breach of the ban. He is seen on CCTV on at least 10 occasions walking the dog up and down the road.”
Soden told the court the dog was owned by his mother.
“She told me to walk the dog and I didn’t understand the conditions of the ban because I’ve got learning difficulties, epilepsy, memory loss and schizophrenia,” he said.
The case was adjourned to allow the Probation Service to compile a report to recommend how Soden should be punished.
Although Soden was warned he could be looking at a prison sentence, the newspapers failed to follow up on the case.
CONVICTED (2011) | Jonathan David Bloomfield, born 25/04/1975, of Grange Walk, Grimsby DN34 4DX – caused unnecessary suffering to a Staffordshire bull terrier dog by hitting him with an object, punching and kicking him
Jonathan Bloomfield from Grimsby was filmed by a neighbour viciously punching and swearing at his 18-month-old Staffordshire bull terrier, Butch.
On 24/11/2011 Londoner Jonathan Bloomfield, who at the time of the offence was living in Stanley Street, Grimsby, pleaded guilty to failing to protect Butch – an 18-month-old Staffordshire Bull Terrier – and causing unnecessary suffering to the dog by hitting him with an object, punching and kicking him.
The court viewed footage – filmed between September 9 and October 18, 2011 – showing Butch, who vets said may have always had sight problems or even be blind, whimpering and cowering as Bloomfield punched him twice in the face and told him to “shut the fuck up”.
Prosecuting, Brendan Woodward said: “The most important image is where he clearly comes outside and punches the dog twice to the head.
“We have seen the action and the actions are not a proper way of controlling a dog. Every time that door opened, the dog was not wagging his tail waiting to come in, it was in fear. You can see that in the reaction of the animal.”
Bloomfield claimed Butch had bitten his three-year-old son’s hand when it took a packet of crisps from him, adding he was stressed from work and was “sick of the dog barking”.
However, Bloomfield denied any involvement in the footage showing Butch being repeatedly hit with a pole, which was accepted by the prosecution because the person doing it is standing behind a door and cannot be seen on camera.
A woman in a bra and trousers with a towel on her head (Bloomfield’s partner Michelle Walker) opens the door and appears to whip the dog with a cloth before slamming the door in his face
Magistrates also heard Bloomfield had come under attack after refusing to hand Butch over to a man who came to his door, who then hit him in the face. A short time later an “angry mob” gathered outside Bloomfield’s house and smashed his window, before police were called to the scene.
Bloomfield was arrested and his partner, Michelle Walker, and their son and one-year-old daughter, were forced to flee their home by social services, who told them if they didn’t both children would be taken into care. Butch was taken into the care of the RSPCA.
Banning Bloomfield from owning a dog for 15 years, bench chairman, David Stenton said: “It is pretty clear to everyone this is an awful case of animal cruelty. The dog was clearly very frightened and had been subjected to violence over a period of time. Weapons were used, including piping and fists. We know you received some rough justice and we don’t condone that.”
Sentencing: 260 hours of unpaid work; £100 costs; 15-year ban on keeping dogs (expires November 2026).
CONVICTED (2011) | Mark Neil, born 18/05/1981, of Glenogle Crescent, Craigie, Perth PH2 0AH – underfed his boxer dog, causing him to lose one-third of his body weight
Heroin-addicted Mark Neil, previously of St Andrews Street, Perth, admitted causing his one-year-old male boxer type dog, Buster, unnecessary suffering by failing to provide an adequate diet between an unknown date and 9 March 2011.
The Scottish SPCA were alerted by a local dog warden following a complaint from a member of the public.
Buster was severely emaciated with his spine, ribs and hips clearly visible. He weighed just 17kg when a healthy dog of his age and breed should be 24.5kg.
Buster recovered and was rehomed.
Two years prior to his conviction for animal cruelty Neil admitted wilfully exposing a 20-month-old girl to unnecessary suffering after heroin and needles were found in her bedroom. The court heard that Neil was running a “shooting gallery” for addicts at the flat.
Police found needles and heroin in a drawer in the child’s bedroom, among her clothes. There were needles and bloodstained surgical gloves “within easy reach” of the tot.
However Neil was admonished after social workers told a sheriff that jailing or even fining him would “punish” his family.
Sentence: £500 fine; three-year ban on keeping dogs (expired 2014).
CONVICTED (2011) | Hector Findlay, born 8 August 1955, of 12 Warnock Crescent, Bellshill ML4 2HS – beat an elderly West Highland terrier with a hammer and dumped him, still alive, in a wheelie bin
This horrific incident occurred in September 2011. Findlay returned home to find Westie Ben had fouled the floor of a newly decorated room. He took the defenceless dog outside and repeatedly smashed his skull with a hammer. He then dumped Ben, still alive, in a wheelie bin.
Findlay’s family alerted police but when they found the dog he was so badly injured he had to be put down.
Despite demands from animal welfare groups and an MSP for a heavy punishment, Findlay escaped a custodial sentence. Instead, he was given a community payback order of 250 hours’ unpaid work and banned from keeping any animal for five years (expired 2016).
Report directly from Hamilton Sheriff Court where Hector Findlay of Bellshill, Lanarkshire, was today (03.11.11) sentenced for bludgeoning to death an elderly Westie with a hammer.
Today I sat in court as sentence was passed, Findlay having pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to causing unnecessary cruelty to an animal. Findlay was accompanied by a woman, who we were later told was his wife, and two other adults. I sat just a few seats away from Findlay as he waited for his case to be called and made a point of turning my head towards him every so often to give him a cold hard stare. He avoided meeting my eyes.
Findlay was much smaller than I expected – no more than 5ft 6″. His wife, clearly upset, frequently dabbed a tissue under her eyes.
Finally Findlay’s case was called. His lawyer said that there was little that could be said in mitigation for his client’s actions which he admitted were “appalling”. He said that Findlay had a long-standing alcohol problem, which had caused him to lose his job in June 2011. He had been charged with a separate, unrelated, offence, which he also blamed on his alcoholism.
Findlay could offer no excuses for his cruelty towards the 15-year-old Westie, named Ben, other than that he had suffered what he had described as a “black-out”. His lawyer argued that it was positive that he had told his family what he had done rather than attempt to conceal it.
Findlay had been ostracised by the local community and had also received death threats, which had been reported to the police.
His wife and teenager children are standing by him.
Findlay’s lawyer pleaded with the judge not to pass a custodial sentence. His client, he said, was 56 years old and posed no threat to the community. The judge accepted this and ordered Findlay to carry out 250 hours of “community payback” work (the maximum was 300 hours). A five-year ban on keeping animals was also imposed. The court heard that the Findlays had no other pets.
Under Scots Law Findlay could have faced up to six months’ imprisonment. Instead he walked free from Court.
PROSECUTED (2011) | Christy James Draper, born 14/11/1985, of 6 Dulas Road, Kirkby, Liverpool L32 8TL and Peter James Finnegan, born 06/05/1986, formerly of Mintor Road, Kirkby and as at November 2019 of 36 Browning Street, Bootle, Liverpool L20 4HH – caught on CCTV goading their dogs into ripping apart a tame feral cat; walked free after the Crown Prosecution Service offered no case
Cat killers Christy Draper of Kirkby and Peter Finnegan now of Bootle laughed as the prosecution case against them collapsed
Animal lover Alf White used to look after Tooch, a feral tabby which lived near his workplace in Kirkby for five years and was treated by staff as a pet.
But in January 2011 the tile showroom manager arrived at Knowsley Industrial Park to find the cat’s body on the ground.
After searching through CCTV footage covering the yard, the 54-year-old discovered shocking images showing Tooch being ripped apart by dogs before being kicked by a thug who was watching on.
Merseyside police later charged Christy Draper and Peter Finnegan with causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal.
But at a trial which was due to begin on 2 November 2011, prosecutors offered no evidence and the case against the two men was dismissed by District Judge Ian Lomax
He said: “As always it is for the prosecution to prove you are guilty rather than for you to prove you are innocent.
“I do not know what the flaws in the prosecution’s case are but clearly they were spotted and it was decided no evidence is to be offered.
“The case against you is dismissed.”
The two men, wearing tracksuit bottoms and T-shirts, raced from the dock laughing, with one shouting: “You have wasted everyone’s time.”
Mr White, who was waiting to give evidence in the trial, told the ECHO: “I am absolutely fuming. I am shaking with rage. I cannot get my head straight.
“The man from the Crown Prosecution Service told me although they had the CCTV, it was not of the front of the building, only the side, so they could not prove our Tooch was alive when the dogs got hold of her.
“Would you be alive after four dogs got hold of you? I told him she was alive 29 minutes before the attack because I visited her to bring her a blanket and say goodnight.
“But he said that was not in the evidence.”
Mr White, who paid £360 for a vet to fix Tooch’s teeth, said: “You can see another cat, Sylvie, on the video.
“She was lucky to survive.
“She has been moved now to Liverpool Cat Sanctuary so at least now she will be safe.”
The ECHO asked the CPS why the trial collapsed and why it took until the trial date to decide it had no evidence but it failed to respond.
