CONVICTED (2012) | David J Meehan, born 1 May 1981, of Edith Street, Northampton NN1 5EP* – left his dog to starve to death after “suffering a life crisis”
Meehan failed to feed his starving dog, named Kingston, after his marriage broke up.
Police were called to the property after a repossession company found Kingston’s decomposing body at the bottom of the stairs, surrounded by rubbish.
A sheet had been placed over the dog by Meehan, who told the RSPCA he had returned to the house to find he had died. He had left the dog’s dead body in the house for “two to three weeks” before he was found.
Abandoned dog Kingston’s starved remains were found amidst a scene of devastation where the floors and fixtures were encrusted with dirt and waste.
A post-mortem concluded Kingston had starved to death over a prolonged period. Experts said the dog was likely to have suffered for between four to six months.
The dog had become so desperate for food that plastic, hair, wool and foam were discovered in his stomach.
Sentencing Meehan, district judge Tim Daber said: “Even for someone with a strong constitution, the photos of this poor dog and the conditions within the house are shocking. The veterinary opinion is the neglect of the dog could have gone on for months. I treat this as a case of chronic, long-term neglect.”
The district judge also rejected Meehan’s excuse of suffering a “life crisis”.
Sentence: jailed for 12 weeks and disqualified from keeping animals for life.
Source: Northampton Chronicle (article removed).
*per the Electoral Roll for 2023 David J Meehan now lives in Chestnut Road, Northampton NN3 2JL.
CONVICTED (2012) | Lorna Vince (aka Lorna Jackson), born 12/03/1954, of Oakmead Road, Beddington, Croydon CR0 3AS – dumped six emaciated huskies at her daughter’s house
Grandmother Lorna Vince had left the dogs without food or exercise, and the champion canines were so thirsty they tried to drink from a bucket of bleach.
Three of the dumped dogs appeared in the video for Spice Girls hit Goodbye and on the album cover for electronic music duo Goldfrapp.
Vince used to race a team of 10 dogs in events organised by the British Siberian Racing Association.
But Vince’s daughter Chantal and estranged husband Arthur, who would deliver food to her house to help feed the dogs, were so horrified by the sight of the dogs they called the RSPCA, who came to collect them the following day.
The six dogs, named Shade, Coda, Magic, Cashmere, Manson and Red, were rehomed.
In court, Vince denied owning the dogs or leaving them with her daughter.
But she was found guilty of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal, by failing to provide them with an adequately wholesome and nutritious diet.
RSPCA Inspector Rebecca London said: “When I first saw the six dogs it was completely shocking. Compared to how fit and healthy huskies usually are, these dogs were almost like skeletons.”
“This was a horrible case made worse because the owner was an experienced breeder and knew how to look after the dogs properly, but just did not do so.”
Chantal Vince testified against her mum after the dogs were dumped on her doorstep in December 2011.
Chantal, who lives three doors down from her mum, said she was “flabbergasted” at the state of the dogs.
She said: “I couldn’t recognise who was who. They were in need of urgent medical care and all I could think of was the RSPCA.
“They were ravenous, trying to get anything they could, but one was so lifeless I wasn’t sure she would make it through the night.”
Ms Vince said the family had struggled to come to terms with what had happened.
She said: “I still can’t get my head around it, neither can my dad, it is all we have been talking about, trying to figure out what triggered it. We were buying the dogs food for her, but she never said anything.
“We had no idea, I just wish we had stepped in sooner.”
Sentencing: 12-week custodial sentence, suspended for two years. Ordered to pay £500 in costs. Banned from owning pets for life.
CONVICTED (2012) | Neil Christopher Harper, born 28 April 1967, of Farm End Close, West Bromwich B71 4AB, and now ex-wife Debbie Ann Harper (now Debbie Sheffield), born 27 October 1982, of Marnham Road, West Bromwich B71 4AB – kept “trafficked” puppies in cages without heating or water
Neil and Debbie Harper ran a ‘brutal’ business selling puppies from their home
The Harpers, who were described as not showing a “trace of humanity”, admitted charges of animal cruelty.
The court was told that dog buyers who went to the couple’s then home in Netherhouse Close, Kingstanding, were “horrified” to see the state of the animals which had been delivered to the address in crates.
Both admitted 14 charges of animal cruelty and one of trading as a pet shop without a licence.
The pair kept puppies in cages without heating or water, while attempting to sell them to the public from their home
District Judge Sham Quereshi said it was clear from photos that the puppies found at the address were malnourished and kept outside without any heating, food or water.
He said that neither defendant had shown a “trace of humanity” and that puppy trafficking from Southern Ireland appeared to be “quite a big business.”
The judge said the only reason he had not sent Debbie Harper to jail immediately was because she had five young children.
Nick Sutton, prosecuting for the RSPCA, said the charges arose from an extensive investigation into the commercial selling of puppies who were dealt with in a “brutal” way.
He said the dogs, including King Charles Spaniels, boxers and pugs, were delivered to the Harper’s home from various parts of the country and then advertised for sale at between £150 and £700.
A woman who had gone to the address to buy a Boxer for £500 discovered the animal to be extremely emaciated while other visitors saw other dogs in a similar condition.
Mr Sutton said police and RSPCA officers went to Harpers’ home on February 28, 2012, and were shown into the back garden.
There they found puppies being kept in crates in two sheds with no bedding. In one of the sheds the crates were on top of each other where the dogs were huddled together shivering.
Mr Sutton said two of them were very seriously ill and had they not been rescued they would almost certainly have died.
When interviewed Neil Harper said he had been involved in the puppy selling business for about a year and that “quite a few” puppies had died and that the supplier would simply replace them.
He claimed that he and his wife got a cut of £20 to £30 for each puppy sold.
Julian Derry, defending, said the couple were deeply sorry for what they had done and had got themselves in a situation they could not get out of, having received threats of violence from those who supplied the puppies.
Afterwards RSPCA Jayne Bashford said “There are numerous people, who we are already aware of, who are involved in the organised importation and breeding of puppies purely as a financial commodity.
“I think this sentence sends out a very clear message that these actions are completely inhumane and will carry stiff penalties when they are brought to court.”
Sentencing: Neil Harper – six months in prison. Debbie Harper – six months’ imprisonment suspended for two years. Both were banned from keeping any animal for life.
Officials swooped on the pair’s new home in Marnham Road, West Bromwich, after receiving a tip-off. The couple were found with three dogs and two cats in cages, breaching the ban.
Both pleaded guilty to breaching the banning order on six occasions from February 1 to May 14, 2013.
The court was told that in May 2013, the RSPCA and police carried out a search using a warrant on the couple’s home, finding three dogs and two cats, which were discovered caged.
When they were being interviewed, both Mr and Mrs Harper said they did not believe they were breaching their order. They claimed the animals belonged to Mrs Harper’s father.
Mr Omar Sadique, defending, said the pair had not fully understood the banning order when it was read out in court.
He said the couple had been married for 11 years and said Mrs Harper, who also pleaded guilty to a breach of a suspended sentence, suffered from depression.
Magistrates gave the pair a 16-week prison sentence each, suspended for a year because of the family situation and Mrs Harper’s health.
Mr Harper was also ordered to do 200 hours’ unpaid work. Mrs Harper received a 12-month supervision order which included a spell at an activity centre for vulnerable women. The pair were also each both ordered to pay £200 court costs and £80 victim surcharge.
CONVICTED (2012) | Lily R Todd, born c. 1961, of Rydal Street, Hartlepool TS26 9BA – kicked her teenage daughter’s pet rabbit around the garden to get her attention
Lily Todd was banned from owning animals for five years after kicking a defenceless pet rabbit around her garden, in a bizarre bid to get her daughter’s attention following a row
When a shocked neighbour intervened and called the RSPCA, Todd said attacking the rabbit was the only way she had of getting through to her daughter.
Despite denying the attack on the rabbit, called Twinkle, Todd, who also owned another rabbit and a cockatiel, was found guilty at trial.
RSPCA officials praised magistrates for the sentence and described Todd’s attack on the animal in her garden as ‘awful’.
The court heard that Todd argued with her teenage daughter at around 8.30pm on Friday, March 30, 2012.
She went back inside to get the rabbit and started kicking her, while demanding her daughter went back inside the house.
The rabbit ran off and a neighbour picked her up and took her to his home, while Todd continued looking for her.
John Ellwood, prosecuting, said: ‘Her neighbour gave her back the rabbit and warned her that she shouldn’t kick the rabbit.
‘The defendant said that was the only way she could get her daughter in, and the only way she would listen to her.
‘The neighbour said that it was not the rabbit’s fault and the defendant then picked up the rabbit and threw it at the neighbour, stating that he should just have the rabbit.’
Todd’s neighbour took the animal back and alerted the RSPCA of the attack, who then collected the rabbit and took her to the vets.
Twinkle suffered fractured ribs in the attack but went on to recover and was rehomed
X-rays were carried out which showed that the rabbit had suffered five fractured ribs in the attack: two on the right side and three on the left
Vets described the injuries as being consistent with being kicked or thrown.
Todd was interviewed and admitted losing her temper, but denied kicking the rabbit.
She pleaded not guilty, but was found guilty of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal.
RSPCA inspector Kristina Raine said: ‘I am pleased with the conviction and the sentence passed.
‘This was an awful attack on a small and defenceless animal.
‘When it was x-rayed the rabbit had fractured ribs which, along with the witness statements, could not have been explained any other way.
‘We are very grateful for the assistance of those witnesses who were a key part of this prosecution and we could not have done it without them.
‘The RSPCA always hope for a ban on keeping animals as the best way of ensuring the safety of others in future.
‘It also means we can now get the rabbit, and Todd’s other animals, into good new homes.’
Sentencing: 12- month community order with a requirement of supervision. Ordered to pay £500 costs to the RSPCA. Five-year ban on keeping animals (expired October 2017).
#MostEvil | Craig Lee Andrew Curtis, born 06/10/1984, formerly of Chapel Street, Newmarket and as at December 2019 of Dawes Lane, West Mersea, Colchester, Essex CO5 8HJ – strung up a Staffy puppy named Bruno by his collar and beat him to death with a baseball bat
Violent drunk, woman beater, dog killer Craig Curtis
Curtis strung six-month-old Bruno from his weightlifting bench after the pup urinated on the floor.
Curtis apparently ‘went ballistic’ and battered the young dog with a bat, then put his lifeless body in his freezer before dumping him later in nearby woodland.
A dog-walker found Bruno’s battered body wrapped in blood-stained sheets inside a black bin bag with blood around his nose and mouth and called the RSPCA.
A post mortem revealed the puppy had suffered fractures to his skull and died after being struck around the head with a blunt instrument.
Shockingly tests also revealed that Bruno was alive for a long period while the attack on him took place.
Inspector Richard Lithgoe, who investigated the case, said: “This was easily the most shocking case of cruelty I have ever seen. This is a horrendously violent man – I was so shocked at how the ferocious and brutal this attack was.
“This poor young dog was victim to a senseless brutality and would have been in an extreme amount of pain. The worst part is he was alive when this attack took place and so would have suffered for a long, lingering, gruesome death.”
Just weeks after attacking Bruno, Curtis stabbed his then partner during a drunken row and was jailed for 32 months in October 2012.
Sentence: jailed for 18 weeks for cruelty and banned from keeping dogs for life.
#MostEvil | junkie and career criminal Christopher Anthony Keogh, born 30 March 1981, of 694 Hyde Road, Gorton, Manchester M18 7EF and with links to Colchester – beat a Jack Russell puppy to death
Keogh, then living in Colchester, launched a prolonged violent attack against the one-year-old dog, known as Bambi, after he claimed she had bitten his child. He choked the dog with her collar, held her above his head and threw her across a courtyard. He then kicked, punched and slammed her against a brick wall before dumping her bloodied body in a bin.
The attack lasted several minutes and was caught on CCTV which police deemed too upsetting to release.
Christopher Keogh pictured outside court in 2012 where he was heckled by animal rights protestors
Officers found Bambi’s body wrapped in a towel in a bin outside Keogh’s flat complex. She was taken to a vet, who confirmed she was dead. Keogh was arrested shortly after.
District Judge Andrew Woollard said: ‘I can’t envisage a crime more serious than what you committed.
‘It appears in your fury you took the dog and executed it.
‘I suspect everyone else who hears the facts would find them disgusting. Custody it has to be.’
Judge Woollard refused his solicitor’s requests for Keogh to undergo a psychological report before sentence was passed.
The court heard how Keogh had recently overcome a drug habit and was now taking replacement medicines twice a week to stave off addiction.
He is well known to the court with a history of other offences, although not for animal cruelty.
About 15 animal rights protesters jeered Keogh as he entered the court, held placards that read ‘Justice for Bambi’ and banged on the court house windows as he entered.
Speaking after the decision, Liza Moore, head of Colchester Animal Defenders, said: ‘This is nowhere near a long enough sentence.
‘Barbaric animal killings such as this should be punished in the toughest possible way.
‘You shouldn’t get less for fraud and crimes that are less violent.’
Ms Moore is calling for residents to lobby their MPs to demand tougher sentences for people who abuse animals.
She said: ‘There is no excuse for animal abuse.
‘There is a direct correlation between people who abuse animals and those who go on to hurt human beings.’
Sentence: 150 days in jail. Banned from keeping animals for life.
CONVICTED (2012) | Christine Hornigold aka Christine Eason and daughter Lisa Marie Andrews aka Lisa Marie King, both of 22 Appleton Road, Stockton-on-Tees TS19 0HY – for the neglect of five of the eight animals kept at their home.
Lisa Marie Andrews (left) pictured outside court in October 2021 and a 2014 social media image of Christine Hornigold, who’s now known as Christine Eason.
Mother and daughter Christine Hornigold and Lisa Andrews caused unnecessary suffering to a number of their pets.
The pair had eight animals living at their home in Appleton Road and five of them were found to be suffering.
The animals found were three Staffordshire bull terrier-type dogs, four rabbits and a cockatiel.
The pair were both charged with the same three offences relating to two Staffies each with an untreated chronic skin disease, and three rabbits who had become malnourished due to dental disease.
The pair denied the charges but were found guilty after trial.
Magistrates banned Hornigold and Andrews from looking after animals for 15 years and all animals still in their care were ordered to be handed over to the RSPCA.
A spokeswoman for the RSPCA said: “One of the dogs and all four rabbits were signed over to us at the time but the others, though in our care, were still at the property of Andrews and Hornigold until they were found guilty.”
Sentencing: two-year community order with supervision; 12-week curfew; £500 costs. 15-year ban on owning animals (expires October 2027).
Christine Hornigold was jailed for 18 months after pleading guilty to attacking two social workers with a knife and a truncheon.
The court heard how Hornigold held the blade to the throat of one of the terrified women after ripping out clumps of her hair.
Police officers intervened to rescue the women.
Hornigold’s solicitor told the court his client was a widow in poor health suffering from depression, and that a psychiatric report stressed that she needs professional help.
The Teesside Gazette reported that Lisa Marie Andrews had her 15-year ban on keeping animals lifted. The shocking decision came after Andrews made an application for the termination of the disqualification order imposed in 2021.
Andrews told the court she felt that she had “learnt her lesson” and “wishes to care for other animals”.
The RSPCA did not oppose or agree with the application as a representative from the charity did not attend the hearing.
Nicci Horton, mitigating, told how Andrews has complied with the order for over eight years and has no further convictions.
She added Andrews’ partner has animals and “feels there is no reason why she should not keep animals”.
Ms Horton said: “She has now learnt what she did wrong.”
The magistrates’ bench asked Andrews why she made the application to terminate the order.
She replied: “I know I should have got immediate treatment for the animals.
“I should have done it the right way.”
The bench granted the application and Andrews’ disqualification was terminated.
As the verdict was delivered, Andrews burst into tears and was embraced by her partner, John Wilkinson, who was also in the courtroom.
CONVICTED (2012) | David P Nicholls, born 24 June 1957, of 94 Magdalen Road, Blurton, Stoke on Trent ST3 3HU – chained his elderly dog to a shed for up to three weeks, forcing him to drink his own urine to survive; previously abandoned a dog in the park.
2019 photo of David Nicholls
Callous David Nicholls tied his 16-year-old pet dog, named Nato, in freezing conditions in February 2012. When he was discovered by RSPCA officers, the Jack Russell was so weak he could barely stand and was covered in weeping sores.
He was forced to drink his own urine and eat his faeces to survive.
Jack Russell Nato was chained to a shed for three weeks in freezing conditions and forced to drink his own urine to survive
Vets were forced to remove the dog’s eye after an easily treatable infection had gone septic, which Nicholls had ignored.
Nicholls admitted causing unnecessary suffering to an animal and had been convicted previously for mistreating another dog.
The neglected Jack Russell had a multitude of untreated ailments including skin lesions
RSPCA officer Laura Bryant said: ‘Nato would have needed only basic treatment if Nicholls had taken him to the vet but leaving him for so long made his injuries horrific.’
Appallingly, Nicholls was convicted in May 2011 of mistreating another dog, a Staffordshire terrier, after he bought her in a pub and left her tied to a park bench.
Dog abuser David Nicholls pictured outside court in 2012
In sentencing him over Nato’s unnecessary suffering, Chairman Doug Hood said: ‘This matter of causing unnecessary cruelty to the dog is a serious case.
‘Anyone would have realised that the dog needed treatment.
‘This is also compounded by your previous discharge for a similar matter.’
Sentencing: 18-month community order; vet cost of £465. 10-year ban on keeping pets (expired October 2022).
