Bosnak had bought the Staffordshire bull terrier puppy for his girlfriend.
He inflicted the injuries on the dog after the couple had a row.
The animal was dead when police arrived at the scene.
Bosnak admitted causing unnecessary suffering to the dog.
Sentencing | 14 weeks in jail. 10-year ban (expired May 2022).
The court heard that Ryan Lowe and accomplice Brian Sanderson had crossed the Scottish border on a hunting expedition for foxes and badgers. With them were four lurcher-type dogs and terrier wearing a locator collar. They were apprehended in the area of Westerkirk, near Langholm.
The men pleaded not guilty to possessing items contrary to the Protection of Badgers Act – including spades, walkie-talkies and a quantity of electronic equipment – but were found guilty after a three-day trial.
They were found not guilty of approaching a badger sett with the dogs, disturbing entrances and causing a dog to enter the sett.
Sentencing: Lowe – community payback order of 180 hours of unpaid. Sanderson was ordered to pay £1,000. Neither man was banned from keeping dogs.
Weedall, a farrier*, was sentenced on May 18, 2012 for offences including mutilating cockerels and possessing sharpened metal spurs to attach to birds during fights.
The prosecution followed a joint RSPCA and police raid on Weedall’s home at 9am on June 8, 2011, when police seized more than £15,000 and found dozens of cockerels in Weedall’s care that had had their wattles cut off – a practice common in bird fights. They also seized cockfighting DVDs and metal spurs.
Weedall claimed the seized cash was accrued legitimately, and that he was only interested in exhibiting cockerels, but he was found guilty of ten offences under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.
Those were that on June 8 2011 at a property in Crook Lane, Winsford, he kept seven cockerels for use in animal fights, kept sets of metal spurs for use in animal fights, carried out a banned procedure on seven cockerels by removing their wattles, and failed to properly care for three polecat ferrets.
He was also found guilty that, on June 8 2011 at a smallholding in Dalesford Lane, Northwich, he failed to properly care for 59 cockerels, failed to provide suitable perching for18 cockerels, removed the wattles of 37 cockerels, and kept 37 cockerels for use in animal fights.
Under the Wildlife and Countryside Act, he pleaded guilty to keeping a wild goldfinch. He was found not guilty of failing to meet the needs of a black lurcher-type dog.
The RSPCA spokesman added: “Cockfighting is a barbaric and outdated so-called sport. Birds can take up to an hour to die in a fight.
“We hope that anybody connected with cockfighting will see from this case that there are very serious repercussions.”
Sentencing | 20-week custodial sentence – suspended for two years; 150 hours of community service; six-month curfew; ordered to pay a total of £50,000. Banned from owning animals for life.
Source: Winsford Guardian (no longer available)
*Weedall was struck off by the disciplinary committee of the Farriers Registration Council after being found guilty of serious professional misconduct.
The finding was made on the grounds that Weedall had been convicted in May 2012 of various offences under the Wildlife and Countryside act 1981, the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and the Fire Arms Act 1968 following his prosecution by the British RSPCA.
On the direction of the committee, in the absence of an appeal, Weedall’s name was removed from the register of farriers on January 13, 2013.
This means Weedall can no longer legally carry out farriery or describe himself as a farrier, or any term which suggests he is one. For him to do so would be a criminal offence under the Act.
Lee, who goes by the nickname ‘Antwon, admitted taking part in an animal fight on May 5, 2010, and causing his dog to fight a badger on June 30 and December 30, 2010.
Bradford and Keighley Magistrates were so horrified by snippets of video found on Lee’s phone that they jailed him for 23 weeks and imposed a lifetime ban on keeping animals on him.
The RSPCA said the case was “as bad as one can get” and described Lee’s actions as “twisted and sick”.
In the first video played to the court, a badger could be heard squealing alongside the sound of laughter from Lee and another person.
The second video showed a badger being killed after being shaken around in Lee’s dog’s mouth while another dog had hold of it.
The third video showed a dog fighting a badger in its sett.
Badgers suffer an “extreme amount of pain” as a result of badger baiting and the dogs involved also suffer injuries, prosecutor Nigel Monaghan told the court.
He added: “In terms of animal cruelty the RSPCA regard this case as bad in terms of suffering and cruelty as one can get.”
Chairman of the bench Robert Thornton said: “This is the most serious case we can think of.”
Badger baiters draw no financial benefit from their actions, RSPCA investigator Carroll Lamport said after the hearing.
He said: “It is just for their own twisted and sick kicks and there is a really high level of cruelty.”
Sentencing: 23 weeks in jail (three-week discount on the maximum sentence because he pleaded guilty. Banned from keeping or looking after animals for the rest of his life with no right of appeal for 50 years. Lee appealed the latter and will now be allowed to ask for the lifetime ban to be reviewed after just 10 years, i.e. 2022.
March 2013: Lee was jailed for 18 months for attacking an RAF serviceman, fracturing his jaw.
Lee approached Reece Barnes with a large iron bar and struck him in the face with his fist while on bail for badger baiting.
He pleaded guilty to unlawfully wounding Mr Barnes who needed surgery to reconstruct a double fracture of his jaw. The court heard that Lee had previous convictions for assault, attempted robbery and battery.
July 2020: Lee is now presenting himself as a wildlife photographer of all things under the name Yorkshire Image Photography.
Jarrett threw the tiny pet 16ft from his balcony after she dirtied the sofa instead of using her litter tray.
The kitten, who he had bought just weeks earlier for his son’s birthday, was found dead by a neighbour on Rowcon Close, Audenshaw – hours after she had repeatedly heard Jarrett threatening to kill the animal.
Following an appeal for witnesses, more people came forward.
Mark Harper, prosecuting for the RSPCA, said: “The balcony floor was approximately 16.5ft high and the kitten’s body was found some 28ft out.
“The witness described it as tiny, no more than 10 or 11 weeks old.
“The vet’s evidence was the cause of death was blunt trauma consistent with falling from some height.”
Jarrett – who claimed to suffer from alcoholism – originally denied the charge but changed his plea halfway through the trial, admitting failing to protect the kitten from pain and suffering by his abuse which led to her death.
At a previous hearing the court was told he had thrown the kitten into the kitchen after seeing she had soiled the sofa. When he went back into the room he thought she was dead and then threw her off the balcony “hoping the foxes would take it”.
However, at sentencing Jarrett insisted that the kitten had ‘accidentally’ fallen after he had opened the door to let her out.
Defending, Karibo Lawson said: “Mr Jarrett has kept animals for years and he has not had any problems. This was an isolated incident.”
The court also heard how Jarrett had gone out the next day – on January 21, 2011 – and bought another kitten.
The judge told Jarrett: “This is a case where a young animal has been abused by yourself, perhaps while in drink, and has led to the death of that animal.
“You are not a fit and proper person to have ownership or control of any animal.”
Speaking afterwards, RSPCA inspector Vicki McDonald said: “I am very pleased with the outcome. It was a horrific and cruel assault on a defenceless kitten.
“I am extremely grateful to the witnesses who came forward as it must have been very difficult for them and to GMP for their assistance in these matters.”
Sentencing: 16 weeks in jail. Banned from keeping animals for 10 years (expired May 2022).
Jarrett was fined and given an additional 12-month ban after 15 dogs, including 12 tiny puppies, were found at his home.
The court heard how on February 1, 2021, the police contacted the RSPCA after officers went to Jarrett’s house at Blandford Street, Ashton-under-Lyne, and heard dogs barking in the property.
RSPCA inspector Ryan King went to the house later that evening and found 12 puppies living in a pen on the floor of the kitchen, along with a black female crossbreed dog with swollen teats.
Two adult bull breed type dogs were also discovered in the backyard.
Inspector King said: “The officers told me that Mr Jarrett had been alone in the house when they attended. They said he had told them that a friend owned the dogs and he hadn’t seen him in a while.”
All 15 animals were taken into RSPCA care, where two of the adult dogs were found to be microchipped. The phone number that was registered on one of the dog’s microchips subsequently turned out to be Jarrett’s.
Inspector King said: “In interview, I asked him why his phone number was on one of the dog’s microchips.
“He could not give me a straight answer and mentioned that he may have picked up the dog at some point and that is why it was in his name.”
All of the dogs were signed over into the care of the RSPCA and have since been rehomed. In addition to the 12-month disqualification order, Jarrett was also ordered to pay £400 in costs. Ban expired June 2023.