Yearly Archives: 2013

Cats, Dogs, Multiple Species, Serial Animal Abusers

High Heaton, Newcastle Upon Tyne: John and Lesley McKie

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CONVICTED (2013) | John McKie, born c. 1953, and wife Lesley McKie, born c. 1955, both of Thropton Terrace, Newcastle upon Tyne NE7 7HT – caused extreme suffering to their elderly pet dog by failing to treat his multiple health issues.

The McKies’ German Shepherd, named Prince, had been unable to walk for weeks, was severely underweight and had filthy, matted fur and urine burns when RSPCA officers discovered him.

The 12-year-old dog was in such poor condition that, after an examination, a vet immediately put him to sleep.

The McKies pleaded guilty to a charge each of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal and failing to meet the needs of an animal.

Judith Curry, prosecuting, told the court Prince was in such a bad way, his skin was infected with maggots, which only usually happens on the bodies of dead animals.

She said: “On August 23 [2013], RSPCA officer Claire Hunt attended the property and spoke to Lesley McKie.

“She was taken to the back door where there was a dog lying, unable to use its back legs. He also had a large urine scold on his left hip, which was bright red and hot to touch.

“The smell coming from the dog was overpowering. His coat was matted and wet to touch. There were also a number of flies on his back end.”

Prince was taken to a nearby vet, where he was found to weigh just 24.2kg, 10kg less than the average weight for a dog of his size.

Ms Curry added: “The vet also found he had no awareness in his back legs at all. And, once his matted hair was parted, she found a mass of maggots.

“Usually, they are found feeding on dead animals.

“The maggots had eaten away tissue and they were living underneath the skin.

“Prince would have been suffering and he was suffering unnecessarily.”

The McKies had owned Prince for about 12 years.

The court heard Prince had started to become ill and the couple had struggled to pay for treatment.

Magistrates were told Lesley McKie used Lavender wipes to clean Prince as they had no hot water or a bath downstairs.

Mark Humble, defending, said the couple had never had problems with him before but had struggled financially when his health started to deteriorate.

He said: “Sadly, it was towards the end of the dog’s life when he became infirm and they found it difficult to cope and keep the animal clean.

“They didn’t intend to cause the dog any suffering. I think their limited financial means contributed to the problems.

“They had contacted the PDSA but believed they weren’t on the correct benefits to receive help from them.

“The second time they contacted the PDSA they were told they would treat Prince but they had to bring him to the surgery, which they had no means of doing.”

Sentencing: each was ordered to pay £289 in fines, costs and charges. Banned from keeping animals for 10 years (expires December 2023).

Chronicle Live

Update July 2021

Both McKies were hauled back to court by the RSPCA for breaching their ban although only John McKie was convicted and sentenced.

In July 2019, the RSPCA was tipped off by a concerned member of the public who informed the charity that McKies had breached their ban.

Inspector Kirsty Keogh-Laws was sent to the McKies’ home to investigate and found three cats inside the property.

The cats were taken into RSPCA care.

Mrs Keogh-Laws said: “I advised that as he was banned from keeping animals they would remain with the RSPCA while the animal welfare charity looked at a possible prosecution.”

Two days later, McKie was found to have another cat at the property and she too was taken into RSPCA care.

Three of the cats were rehabilitated and have since been rehomed.

However, an elderly cat had a series of serious health complications and a vet made the decision to put her to sleep to end her suffering.

John McKie pleaded guilty to breaching an animal disqualification order.

He was given another 10-year ban on keeping animals (expires July 2031) and was ordered to pay a £120 fine, £400 costs and a £32 victim surcharge.

Magistrates also warned the pensioner that any further breaches could see him facing up to six months behind bars.

Mrs Keogh-Laws added: “We rely on the public to notify us of any breach of bans and I would always urge them to report matters like this to us so we can intervene.”

Chronicle Live

animal fighting / baiting, badger baiting, Dogs, hunting with dogs, Organised Animal Crime, Wildlife Crime / Bloodsports

Castleford, West Yorkshire: Stephen Sankey and Devonn Smith

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CONVICTED (2013) | badger baiters Stephen Sankey, born 15 June 1981, and Devonn Smith, born 16 September 1992, previously of St Andrews Road, Castleford WF10 2NF*

Sankey and Smith were fined £520 for interfering with a badger sett in the Aberford area of Leeds. The couple were found guilty at the end of a one-day trial .

They were arrested under the 1992 Badgers Act on May 23, 2013, when police discovered an abandoned vehicle at the side of a road and then found the culprits digging into a known badger sett in nearby woodland.

A terrier was also found within the sett wearing a locator collar which allows the dog to be found underground by his or her owner.

Spades were recovered from the scene.

Sentencing | fined £520. No other penalties.

Source: Yorkshire Post (article removed).

*Additional Information

2022 address for Stephen Sankey:

LANCASTER STREET
CASTLEFORD
WF10 2NP

Dogs

Whitehawk, Brighton: Derek Goldsmith

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CONVICTED (2013) | Derek Goldsmith, born c. 1949, of Kingfisher Court, Albourne Close, Brighton BN2 5FX – neglected his dog so badly her front paws dropped off

Neglected dog Florence - as found and following treatment
Elderly Florence also had infections in her eyes and ears and her teeth were so rotten that they had to be taken out.

Shih-tzu cross Florence was found in an appalling state when RSPCA inspectors visited the home of Derek Goldsmith after receiving a tip-off.

The 14-year-old pet had more than 1.5kg of matted fur and when it was clipped it was discovered she had lost her front paws through lack of circulation.

In addition, her eyes and ears were infected, she was suffering from gastroenteritis and her teeth were so rotten they all had to be removed by the vet.

Goldsmith admitted failing to provide Florence with veterinary care for her severed front paws and failing to get treatment for her severe dental disease.

RSPCA inspector Tony Woodley said: “This was one of the most shocking cases of long-term neglect I have witnessed in my 17 years as an inspector.

“As well as her missing paws she had to have more than 1.5kg of matted, encrusted fur removed.

“I am satisfied that the sentence reflects the severity of this neglect and pleased that a ban on keeping animals has been handed out” he added.

Florence went on to make a remarkable recovery.

Vets worked hard to treat her conditions and students at a local college even created a harness on wheels to help her get around without paws.

She was also rehomed with a new owner.

Sentencing: four-month prison sentence suspended for 18 months; community integration order; costs of £2,301. Banned from keeping animals for five years (expired 2018)

Daily Record
LatestBrighton

Dogs, Violent and Sadistic Pet Abusers, Worst of the Worst

Montrose, Angus: Kevin Hutcheon

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CONVICTED (2013) | Kevin Hutcheon, born 26/01/1989, of Golden Acre, Montrose DD10 0EX – repeatedly stabbed a dog in the street

Kevin Hutcheon pictured outside court
Kevin Hutcheon adds animal cruelty to his long list of criminal convictions

Violent career criminal Kevin Hutcheon left the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, named Rocco, “lifeless” after claiming the dog had bitten his foot.

When police arrived at the scene, they found the dog with multiple injuries and covered in blood. Despite his wounds, Rocco survived the attack.

Sergeant James Robertson told the court that he and a colleague found the badly injured dog lying in Victoria Street, Montrose on 9 August 2013.

He said: “When I arrived the dog was heavily covered in blood – it was soaked in blood and lifeless.”

PC Rhiannon McDonald, who also attended the incident, said Hutcheon, who did not own the dog, had said the animal attacked him.

She said: “[Hutcheon] had two small puncture wounds on his foot – he said he had been bitten on the foot and that he had stabbed the dog twice because he had been bitten.

“I had seen the dog a few times before in the street – he was always very happy and friendly and let you pat him.”

A search of Hutcheon’s home later found a blood-soaked knife sitting on a baby’s high chair.

Kevin Hutcheon pictured outside court

Hutcheon, giving evidence in his own defence, said he “loved animals” – but had been left with no choice but to stab the dog.

He said: “He was trying to take a snap at either my face or my neck. I gave it a kick and the dog went for my foot.

“I love animals. He attacked me and wouldn’t let me go.”

Earlier, a vet told the trial that the dog would have died within an hour if he had not received treatment for a series of wounds, which included a cut to his jugular vein.

A jury convicted Hutcheon of causing a protected animal unnecessary suffering by repeatedly stabbing it with a knife, contrary to the Animal Health and Welfare Act, and being in possession of a knife in Victoria Street following the attack.

He was acquitted of charges of threatening two men and a woman at the property, headbutting the woman and being in possession of a knife.

Sentencing: jailed for 12 months on the animal welfare charge and 21 months on the knife charge. Sentences were concurrent.

BBC News

Animal Abandonment, Dogs, Lifers, Pet Profiteering, puppy farmers / traffickers, kennels, backyard breeders, Worst of the Worst

Newbold Verdon/Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire: Sam, Hazel and Damon Hessin

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CONVICTED (2013) | Sam Hessin, born 15/11/1973, and daughter Hazel Hessin, born 08/12/1994, both of Cadle Street, Leicester LE9 9PA, plus son Damon Hessin (aka Damon Taylor), born 02/07/1991, now of Belvoir Street, Melton Mowbray LE13 1QA – left eight puppies to starve to death in a room in their home

The vile Hessin family from Leicestershire, who locked puppies in a kitchen and left them to starve to death
The vile Hessin family from Leicestershire, who locked puppies in a room and left them to starve to death

This wicked bunch of reprobates are the Hessin family previously all of Melton Mowbray.

Together they are responsible for the death by starvation of eight Staffordshire bull terrier puppies.

The trio barricaded the helpless dogs inside the kitchen of their family home at Wren Close, Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, and over the next few weeks ignored their desperate howls.

Some of the dogs survived longer by eating the others. Neighbours heard the puppies’ cries but did precisely nothing until it was too late.

Sam and Hazel Hessin
Hazel Hessin with mother Sam Hessin

On 1 May 2013 RSPCA officers raided the Hessins’ home after a tip-off from the family’s landlady. Investigators were shocked to find the rotting remains of the dogs, including two puppies’ SKULLS, in the kitchen.

Prosecutors told magistrates: ‘When the inspector walked into the kitchen the smell was rancid and putrid, to her horror she saw the puppies were in advanced stages of decomposition, on a urine stained bed.

‘Dog faeces was several inches thick and everything in the kitchen was in a total state of disarray.

‘The vet estimated the puppies would have been about six months old when they died. The sight and smell of them was shocking and deeply distressing.’

Damon Hessin, who is now known as Damon Taylor
Damon Hessin is now known as Damon Taylor

Despite the horrific outcome of their actions, the sentence passed on the vile family by Leicester Magistrates’ Court in December 2013 was typically lenient.

Damon and Hazel Hessin were both banned from keeping animals for life and given suspended sentences Their mother was given an 18-week prison sentence, suspended for 12 months, ordered to do 200 hours of unpaid work and told to pay an £80 victim surcharge. She was also banned from keeping animals for life.

SWNS
RSPCA

Animal Abandonment, Dogs, Lifers, Worst of the Worst

Burnley, Lancashire: Tracey Cliffe

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CONVICTED (2013) | Tracey Cliffe (aka Tracey Chubbs), born 04/11/1982, of Shale Street, Burnley BB12 0PR – left  a family of Rottweilers to starve to death

Dog killer Tracey Cliffe from Burnley

Neglect by Tracey Cliffe left only three survivors from a family of two adult Rottweilers and four puppies.

The tragic scene was discovered by RSPCA inspector Charlotte Booker on a visit to Cliffe’s address on Eldon Street, Bury.

David McCormick, prosecuting, said: “She saw a large amount of rubbish in one corner and there was faeces all over the yard. She saw a dead rottweiler in the yard, all its bones were visible and it was emaciated. Curled up in a ball next to it was a live rottweiler which was emaciated.

“It was depressed and did not react when the officer shouted. Both were lying on a pile of rubbish.”

Adult rottweiler found neglected and starved at the home of Tracey Cliffe from Burnley

When the inspector called police to get inside, they found a kitchen covered in filth and excrement. A dead puppy wrapped in newspaper had been left on the worktop. Three puppies – believed to have been born to the surviving adult who was too weak to feed them – were in a crate lined with damp newspaper on the floor. Cliffe said another puppy had been eaten by the starving male adult.

A vet found that the dead dog, a three-year-old called Kaiser, had died from malnutrition, weighing just 18.6kg – less than half the expected 45kg.

The second dog, a bitch called Jez, was also malnourished with ribs, pelvic bones and spine clearly visible through her skin.

The surviving puppies weighed as little as 4kg. One had to be put down by RSPCA officers.

Cliffe was found guilty of four animal neglect offences in her absence.

After just five weeks in RSPCA care Jez put on 10kg. Very happily she and the two surviving pups went to new homes.

Sentencing:  20-week suspended prison sentence. Disqualified from keeping all animals for life. 

Manchester Evening News
News article with details of sentence removed

Dogs, Violent and Sadistic Pet Abusers

Walsall, West Midlands: Abdul Khadir

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CONVICTED (2013) | Abdul Khadir, born 29 April 1981, of 72 Portsea Street, Birchills Leamore, Walsall WS3 2AU- dragged a nine-week-old puppy along the street causing significant injuries.

Khadir was banned from owning dogs until 2023 after a court heard the puppy was found covered in blood.

He was ordered to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work and given a 12-month supervision order. He was ordered to pay a total of £245 in costs and surcharge. Ten-year ban on owning dogs (expires November 2023).

Express and Star

Dogs, Lifers, Violent and Sadistic Pet Abusers, Worst of the Worst

Harlesden, North West London: Stephen Martyn

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CONVICTED (2013) | Stephen Patrick Martyn, born 10 December 1973, of Chadwick Road, Harlesden, London NW10 – kicked his pet dog to death in a drunken rage.

Martyn, an alcoholic who’s originally from Dublin, told magistrates he could not remember attacking his Jack Russell terrier, Russ, in front of horrified onlookers on March 6, 2013.

Russ suffered two ruptures in the spleen and multiple tears in the liver from the attack, according to a post-mortem report.

The dog suffered in pain for at least 20 minutes before falling unconscious and later being found under a bush.

Dog killer Stephen Martyn from London

RSPCA inspector Mike Beaman said: “The kicking that this poor dog received was brutal. The fact that Mr Martyn was so drunk is not an excuse.”

He added: “When I picked up Russ’s body, blood poured from his mouth, such was the extent of his internal injuries. This dog suffered a slow and painful death.”

The court heard how Martyn had taken Russ out for a walk and had met friends who offered him a drink.

Russ suffered a brutal death at the hands of his owner Stephen Martyn from London

He drank four cans of alcohol, but does not remember walking home, kicking the dog or being arrested.

The court was told that Martyn has received voluntary treatment for alcoholism and he was extremely remorseful.

Martyn admitted one charge of causing unnecessary suffering to the dog and was sentenced to 16 weeks in jail. He was banned from keeping animals for life.

Kilburn Times

Equine Abuse, horses and ponies, riding stables, stud farms and livery yards, Serial Animal Abusers, Worst of the Worst

Pwllheli, Gwynedd: Evan Lloyd Evans

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CONVICTED (2013) | Evan Lloyd Evans, born c. 1944, of Pencarth Uchaf Farm, Chwilog, Pwllheli LL53 6SW – caused unnecessary suffering and failed to meet the welfare needs of 51 Welsh mountain ponies.

Evan Lloyd Evans leaving court

Horse breeder Evan Lloyd Evans was found guilty of keeping 51 horses in appalling conditions at Cricieth Stud, Pwllheli.

The court heard RSPCA officers visited the stud farm on 27 June 2012, and a vet put nine horses to sleep due to untreatable hoof conditions and to prevent further suffering.

Another 50 horses were removed.

Of the 59 horses discovered at Pencarth Uchaf, Chwilog, near Pwllheli only five were found to have normal hooves.

Some of the horses on Evan Lloyd Evans' stud farm

The court was shown harrowing videos made by the RSPCA and the World Horse Welfare charity showing the poor state of the animals’ feet and their living conditions.

Other charges dealt with allegations Evans failed to provide adequate bedding and exposed the horses to hazards.

The court heard the floor in all the sheds were covered in dirty hay. In most of the sheds there were pieces of broken agricultural equipment on which the horses could injure themselves.

The fencing around the pens was makeshift and in a poor state.

RSPCA inspector Mark Roberts said: “The conditions we found at Cricieth Stud were appalling and completely inappropriate for the ponies kept there.

“Many of them had acute problems with their feet and other serious health issues.

“We had been alerted to the fact there were many ponies in unsuitable conditions but did not expect to have to remove 50 of them on veterinary advice.

“In addition the vets also advised that nine had to be put to sleep as sadly their condition was so extreme there was no other way to alleviate their suffering.”

“It was an extremely bad situation made worse by the fact that many of the ponies were virtually unhandled making any necessary treatment incredibly difficult to carry out.”

Evan Lloyd Evans leaving court

Nigel Weller, for Evans, said: “He has devoted his life to breeding horses and he is quite proud of what he has achieved with horses which bear the Criccieth prefix. He is quite well known and his animals are desired and he is anxious the bloodline is protected.”

He said the situation had existed at the farm for only a short time and was exacerbated by Evans’ poor health and lack of help.

He told the court the number of horses at the farm had been reduced by two-thirds and the remainder transferred to his daughter who lives nearby and who will be able to care for them with assistance from other family members.

Inspector Roberts said the case highlighted how “over breeding and overstocking can spiral out of control”.

“This is a fair sentence and sends a strong message to all horse owners and breeders that they must put the welfare of their horses before all else,” he added.

Tony Evans, north and mid Wales field officer for World Horse Welfare, said: “It saddens me to think that all the help and advice that was given to the owner failed to have any significant effect.

“As our main priority has to be the welfare of the ponies, we had no choice than to involve the RSPCA to undertake stronger measures.

“In many of the situations we deal with, long and costly prosecution cases can often be avoided if the owner follows the advice given by World Horse Welfare field officers and takes appropriate action.”

The judge was told that looking after the horses since June 2012 had cost the RSPCA £300,000 but that Evans had no money.

Jailing Evans Judge Andrew Shaw said: “For many years you were an owner, keeper and breeder of Welsh mountain ponies. I am treating this as a medium term period of neglect. You ignored warnings and nine animals were in such a poor condition they were euthanised. These are particularly serious offences.”

Sentencing: jailed for 10 weeks. Banned from keeping animals for 10 years (expires November 2023).

BBC News
Daily Post

Update | June 2021

Despite Evan Lloyd Evans’ ban on keeping animals still being in force, he was found to have 91 ponies on his land. The ponies were being kept in poor conditions causing suffering to dozens of them.

Evans pleaded guilty to 10 Animal Welfare Act offences and was given a 20-week suspended jail term.

The prosecution followed a multi-agency operation at Evans’ farm in September 2020, after reports horses and other animals were being kept in poor conditions, and – in the case of the ponies – in breach of a pre-existing 10-year ban handed to Evans in 2013.

Video footage shown to the court revealed the conditions at the farm and showed horses stood in filthy, dark and hazardous conditions.

Dozens of horses and other animals were kept in outbuildings, barns and fields in highly inappropriate conditions, with faeces everywhere – and even a bucket of dead rats, the RSPCA said.

The court heard Evans kept 91 ponies in illegal conditions which were unhygienic and not free from hazards.

Vets felt dozens of the horses had suffered unnecessarily – including one, a Welsh Section A pony, who had not received appropriate veterinary care for a broken leg; and another four Section A ponies who had not been given vet attention for lameness. Evans also failed to ensure six of his ponies had appropriate treatment for parasites.

A pony had a severe facial deformity which had gone unchecked. A total of 28 of the ponies suffered as a consequence of Evans’ failure to secure appropriate dental care, while a further eight were also deemed to have suffered through not receiving appropriate hoof care.

In addition to the suspended jail term, Evans was banned from keeping horses and poultry for 20 years, fined £1,000 fine and a £128 victim surcharge.

Evans admitted breaching the previous 10-year ban from keeping equines. His ban was extended by the magistrates and will now continue until 2041.

Cambrian News
Your Horse

Cats, Hoarders, Violent and Sadistic Pet Abusers

Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire: Estella Brown and David Evans

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CONVICTED (2013) | pet hoarders Estella Victory Brown, born 30 April and David Evans, at the time living together in Penn Road, Aylesbury HP21 8JU – kept 13 cats in squalor and mistreated them.

Pet hoarders Estella Brown and David Evans from Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire. Picture: Facebook
Cat hoarders and abusers Estella Brown and David Evans

The jobless couple kept the 13 poorly cats in a squalid environment stained with faeces. Their severe financial problems meant they were unable to afford cat food or vets bills.

Janita Patel, prosecuting on behalf of the RSPCA, said on one visit to the property, Brown had to be prevented from throwing a cat out of the window.

The 13 cats were neglected and at risk of Estella Brown's volatile nature
The 13 cats were neglected and at risk of violence due to Brown’s volatile nature

She added that inspectors found a black cat called Sooty had injured her leg and that a thin, ginger cat had bones protruding from her fur.

The cats, who were fed a diet of bread and raw potatoes, were all under-weight and infested with fleas.

Five of them were immediately taken to a vet after a visit to the house in May and had to be put down.

Evans realised they were unable to cope but did not clean the house because Brown would have ‘gone mad’, Miss Patel said.

Brown, whose pets’ names included Smokey, Ben and Tigger, considered herself a ‘good owner’, the court heard.

Magistrates were also told she prefers cats to humans and took in a number of them to help out friends.

Chair of the magistrates Anna Taylor told a tearful Brown that her behaviour was ‘reckless and grossly negligent’.

RSPCA Inspector Jaimie Godfrey said: “This was a really sad case.

“These cats were living in utterly unsanitary and grimy conditions – it was heartbreaking to see.”

The pair pleaded guilty to counts including failing to meet the needs of their cats and failing to protect them from pain.

Sentencing | Brown and Evans were sentenced to 200 and 180 hours of unpaid work in the community respectively. Five-year ban (expired 2018).

Source: Bucks Herald (link removed)