Monthly Archives: April 2013

Cats, Dogs, Fish, hedgehogs, Hoarders, Multiple Species, Other Mammals, rabbits, Reptiles / Exotics, Serial Animal Abusers, Small Furries, Worst of the Worst

Kingston upon Hull: Andrew Gill

Leave a comment

CONVICTED (2013) | repeat offender Andrew Gill, born c. 1964, of Downing Grove, Hull HU9 3SY –  left his four dogs without access to food, water or bedding; breached disqualification order.

Serial animal abuser Andy Gill from Hull, UK
Andrew Gill celebrates winning The World’s Biggest Knob competition.

Gill was banned, alongside former partner Suzanna Falconer, from keeping animals in 2012 for causing unnecessary suffering to 13 rats, which died of starvation, failing to meet the welfare needs of three ferrets and a rabbit and causing unnecessary suffering to a hedgehog.

RSPCA inspector Hannah Bryer said: “Throughout the duration of the previous proceedings, Mr Gill was given advice, assistance and warning notices to improve the welfare of his remaining animals.

“After he was banned, he failed to follow the court order and continued keeping animals.

“Mr Gill has proved he is unable to care for animals properly, even when given extensive guidance.

“He has shown a complete disregard for the court order and to the wellbeing of his pets.”

Serial animal abuser Andy Gill from Hull, UK

RSPCA inspectors and police raided Gill’s home in September 2012. When they entered the property, he said: “You’re not taking my pets, you are not touching the snake or the fish, no way.”

Inside, they found 20 fish, a corn snake, two Staffordshire bull terriers called Zane and Patch, two terriers called Dufus and Meg, two cats and six kittens.

Serial animal abuser Andrew Gill from Hull, UK
2022 photo of serial animal abuser Andrew Gill

Miss Bryer said Dufus and Meg were confined to the kitchen and had been eating out of the bin. Zane and Patch were in the garden, which was littered with rubbish including broken glass jars, rusty metal tins and exposed metal chair springs.

Gill admitted breaching his disqualification order and failing to meet the welfare needs of the dogs.

In 2007, Gill spoke of of his devastation after an arson attack on his shed killed his 300 rats, two rabbits, two hamsters, two guinea pigs and three hedgehogs.

Sentencing: 12-week prison sentence, suspended for a year, 200 hours of unpaid work, £250 costs.  Banned from keeping animals for 20 years (expires April 2033).

Source article (Hull Daily Mail) removed.

Dogs

Cannock, Staffordshire: Christine Smith

1 Comment

CONVICTED (2013) | Christine Smith, born 30 July 1962, of Maycroft Close, Hednesford, Cannock WS12 4SJ – failed to treat her elderly dog’s severe skin condition, leaving her in agony.

In April 2013 psychiatric nurse Christine Smith was sentenced to six months behind bars for allowing her 12-year-old collie Lucy to suffer with a skin infection so severe even vets, who were forced to put the dog to sleep, were shocked.

But just seven days later a Stafford Crown Court judge reduced the sentence to 20 weeks and suspended the jail term for 18 months.

Judge John Wait heard how Smith had failed to take Lucy for treatment, telling RSPCA officers she had been afraid she would lose the dog which she had cared for since she was three weeks old and saw her as a ‘child’.

After the pet suffered for eight weeks and with Smith on holiday, her 21-year-old son decided the dog’s condition had got so bad he took her to the vets. The vet carrying out the post mortem described the skin condition – called deep pyoderma – as the worst case he had ever seen in his career.

During initial sentencing, chairman of the bench Mr Paul Ensor criticised Smith for going on holiday when the pet was in obvious pain.

She was found guilty in her absence of a charge of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal, and another of being a person responsible for an animal and failing to ensure its welfare between June and August 2012.

But at the appeal hearing, the prison sentence was suspended. Miss Jo Clark said the sentence had been ‘excessive’ and had not taken into account Smith’s previous good character.

She added Smith, who works in Cannock as a psychiatric nurse for children and adolescents, was remorseful and risked losing her job if she was kept locked up.

Judge Wait said it was a ‘sad’ case as she had ‘let Lucy down’ in the last two months of her life. The ban of 10 years for keeping pets was not altered.

Sentencing: 20-week custodial sentence suspended for 18 months; 200 hours of unpaid work; contribution of £1,200 towards costs. 10-year ban on keeping animals (expires April 2023).

Express & Star