Monthly Archives: May 2016

Domestic Violence - Animals Targeted, Reptiles / Exotics, Violent and Sadistic Pet Abusers, Worst of the Worst

Birkenhead, Merseyside: David O’Toole

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CONVICTED (2016) | David Michael O’Toole, born 14 April 1986, of Birkett Road, Rock Ferry, Birkenhead CH42 4PR* – set his dog on his girlfriend’s pet tortoise and sent her videos of the attack.

Animal abuser: David Michael Toole from Birkenhead, Merseyside, goaded his dog into attacking a tortoise. Pic: Facebook

Cokehead O’Toole could be heard shouting “go on, get him,” over and over again as the dog “bit chunks” from the helpless tortoise’s shell.

The owner of the tortoise, Lucy McDonald, was forced to give her pet to a rescue centre after being unable to afford to pay for treatment needed as a result of the attack.

O’Toole pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal and to sending an offensive, indecent, obscene or menacing communication.

Animal abuser: David Michael Toole from Birkenhead, Merseyside, goaded his dog into attacking a tortoise. Pic: Facebook

Hannah Griffiths, prosecuting, told the court: “The victim had been at a family member’s house after a weekend away with the defendant, who is now her former partner.

“While at her family member’s address she received two videos of the defendant goading his dog into going for the defendant’s pet tortoise, which was upside down. In the background he could be heard saying ‘go on, get him’, over and over again.”

Animal abuser: David Michael Toole from Birkenhead, Merseyside, goaded his dog into attacking a tortoise. Pic: Facebook

The court heard the incident was reported to the police who attended O’Toole’s address. Officers found the tortoise bleeding, and noticed it had chunks of shell missing, and arrested the defendant for animal cruelty.

Ms Griffiths said: “The complainant, in her statement, said she thought the defendant would kill the tortoise and described being extremely scared and upset.”

Sentencing: jailed for 20 weeks.

Liverpool Echo 24/03/2016
Liverpool Echo 18/01/2017

Update | February 2019

O’Toole was jailed for 30 months after being caught with a suitcase packed full of cannabis worth around £150,000 at Edinburgh Airport.

He was found to have around 15 kilos of the drug stuffed into in a purple suitcase before he attempted to get past airport security.

The drug addict initially claimed he had no idea what was in his luggage but Edinburgh Sheriff Court heard he had agreed to fly to Barcelona and bring the dope haul back to Scotland to “repay a drug debt”.

O’Toole pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supplying cannabis at Edinburgh Airport.

Solicitor Kenny McFarlane, defending, said his unemployed client had suffered from a “severe cocaine issue for a number of years” and had carried out the Spanish drug trip to “effectively repay a drug debt”.

Mr McFarlane added his client had been handed the suitcase packed with drugs by an unknown man in Barcelona and O’Toole had been “given the suitcase” but did not know what it contained.

The court was also told O’Toole was suffering from “depression after his girlfriend had left him” last year and that he had “turned to alcohol and drugs” as a result.

Edinburgh News

*Update | March 2023

We are advised that O’Toole now lives in Barnard Road, Prenton CH43 1TT.

Dogs

Stechford, East Birmingham: Mohammed Azad

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CONVICTED (2016) | Mohammed Azad, born 28 February 1982, of Orpwood Road, Stechford, Birmingham B33 – failed to seek veterinary treatment for a puppy injured by a hook that was used to tether him.

Animal abuser Mohammed Azad from Stechford, Birmingham - failed to get vet treatment for the pet dog he kept tethered

Azad was disqualified from keeping animals for ten years after a hook used to tether the eight-month-old Presa Canaria was in his skin for three days, causing an infection.

He pleaded guilty to failing to ensure the needs of the dog named Rex by not seeking veterinary treatment for the infection, caused by the holes.

RSPCA inspector Herchy Boal, who investigated the case, said: “I’ve never in all my 16 years as an inspector known anything like this. Rex was tethered in the garden with this carabiner hook – most commonly used in climbing – which went through his skin. Rex would have been in so much pain.

“The holes where the hook had gone through became infected – the vet who examined Rex said they had been like that for at least three days – and the skin had started to regrow around the carabiner.”

Inspector Boal added: “Rex is such a sweet dog and is doing so well, but initially he was really scared and timid because of what he had gone through.”

Sentencing | 18-month community order with 80 hours of unpaid work; £300 in costs. 10-year ban (expires May 2026).

Source: RSPCA News (link removed)

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

Failsworth, Manchester: Joel Finley

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#MostEvil | Joel Samuel Finley, born 23 November 1990, previously of Failsworth, Manchester and as of December 2021 living at Clifton Road, Birkenhead, Merseyside CH41 2SF – beat a gentle dog around the head and threw him in the canal

Dog abuser Joel Samuel Finlay originally from Failsworth, Manchester

Dingo was beaten and thrown in the canal by his former owner Finley – a British Army soldier. He was left with serious head injuries and suspected hypothermia.

Vet Darragh Kavanagh, who was called in to treat the poorly animal at the Hillcrest Animal Hospital in Chorley, said: “Dingo had been beaten with a blunt object. He had three fractures to his head and skull and we could see he had suffered a beating to his chest because had air trapped in his lung and had to have the air drained.

“He was suffering hypothermia from being in the canal in the middle of February.

“He was in a very distressed state and had marks to his face.

“He is such a nice dog. I know in my heart he never put up a fight at all. I can see from his gentle and friendly character he would have just taken it.

“It’s horrible to see what happened to him. People who live locally have said he was left all day, sometimes tied up in lashing rain. He had no love.

“He has been rehomed with a nice family so he can be a normal, happy dog – his whole life has changed.”

Police were called to an address on Smith Street, Adlington, to reports of banging and howling coming from the property.

There was no answer at the door, but as police were outside the house Finley approached the property with the cross-breed dog. He told police he did not live there and left again, still carrying Dingo, who was wet and bleeding. But officers followed him towards the canal and he eventually admitted it was his address.

Finley said he had given him a ‘crack’ and thrown him in the canal to “discipline it” for soiling in the house. The police seized Dingo, who was unable to move, and took him to Hillcrest Animal Hospital where he was put on a drip.

It later transpired Finley was producing cannabis at the property. He pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to an animal and producing a class-B drug.

Sentence: £1,172.31 compensation for Dingo’s vets bills and a £60 surcharge. Banned from keeping dogs for five years (expired May 2021). 

Lancashire Post

Animal Abandonment, Dogs, Worst of the Worst

Birkenhead, Merseyside: Linda Clark and Gordon Roach

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CONVICTED (2016|) Linda Susan Clark, born 03/04/1951, of Cannon Hill, Prenton, Birkenhead CH43 4XR – left an elderly dog to suffer arthritis for so long, most of his bones were broken; Gordon David Roach, born 17/05/1975, of Fairbrook Drive, Birkenhead CH41 7EF dumped the stricken dog in the cemetery.

Gordon Roach dumped neglectful Linda Clark's stricken dog Barney in a cemetery
Gordon Roach dumped neglectful Linda Clark’s stricken dog Trouble in a cemetery instead of taking him to a vet

Clark pleaded guilty to a charge of causing unnecessary suffering to her dog, called Trouble. The dog, named Elmo by vets after he was found abandoned in Wirral’s Flaybrick Cemetery, was in such poor condition when eventually seen by vets that he had to be put to sleep.

The case caused such outrage when it was first made public that an online petition was launched to demand justice for the dog.

The court heard that Clark, who had owned the 13-year-old cross-breed since he was a puppy, failed to provide adequate veterinary treatment to alleviate her pet’s suffering. She said she handed the dog over to a friend’s son who said he would take the dog to the RSPCA or a vet.

He was spotted the next day in the undergrowth in a remote part of Flaybrick Cemetery. X-rays showed he had multiple bone fractures and joint dislocations due to an untreated arthritic condition and would have been in “immense pain and discomfort.”

Convicted dog abuser Linda Clark of Birkenhead, Merseyside
Trouble as he was found in the local cemetery and the crocodile tears of his cruel owner Linda Clark

The man Clark had handed Trouble over to to take to the vet or RSPCA – Gordon Roach of Dundonald St, Birkenhead – admitted that he had dumped the dog.

After the hearing, RSPCA Inspector Anthony Joynes said: “This case obviously attracted huge public outrage and it is only down to members of the public that we have been able to fully investigate this incident and bring two individuals before the courts so I thank them for their assistance.

“Elmo had been left with multiple bone fractures and joint dislocations due to an untreated arthritic condition and would have been in immense pain and discomfort every day for many months, and probably much longer.

“That is completely unacceptable no matter what the mitigating circumstances of the owner are.

“Animals rely on us completely to provide veterinary care for them when they become ill or are injured. Failing to provide this is a criminal offence which not only the RSPCA but the courts take seriously.

“It is also something that the public clearly won’t stand for and rightly so as animal cruelty and neglect is abhorrent and has no place in today’s society.”

Sentencing:

Linda Clark – three-month suspended prison sentence; £380 in costs; banned from keeping animals for 10 years (expires May 2026).

Gordon Roach – four weeks in prison, suspended for two years. Banned from keeping animals for five years (expired May 2021).

Liverpool Echo 11/05/2016
Liverpool Echo 20/05/2016

Dogs, ear cropping and tail docking, Pet Profiteering, puppy farmers / traffickers, kennels, backyard breeders, Violent and Sadistic Pet Abusers

Blackpool, Lancashire: Joe Bradley

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CONVICTED (2016) | backyard bully breeder Joseph Bradley, born c. 1989, of 55 Willowbank Avenue, Blackpool FY4 3NE – dangled a 12-week-old puppy in the air from his lead and hit him against a glass window.

Joe Bradley from Blackpool. Backyard breeder and convicted animal abuser. Picture: Facebook

A shop owner saw Bradley physically abusing the Staffy puppy, Blue, who was out on his first ever walk.

Jim Mowbray, prosecuting, told the court: “The woman heard shouting coming from across the road from near the bus shelter. She saw Bradley shouting down a mobile phone clearly angry about something he was walking around dragging the puppy and then swinging in the air once hitting the side of the bus shelter with the dog.

The lady decided to intervene and Bradley was threatening towards her. He was in her face.

A woman who worked in the shop contacted the police who arrested Bradley and in interview he told them: “It was the first time I had taken the puppy out – I was training him.”

Giving evidence, the woman said: “I was scared because he was so angry but I could not have just stood and watched what he was doing to the dog.”

Her employee told the hearing: “Bradley was mad – he acted as if the pup was not there. It last for about five minutes swinging it around before she went across to talk to him.”

Joe Bradley from Blackpool. Backyard breeder and convicted animal abuser. Picture: Facebook

Bradley told the hearing: “The dog was in a training harness attached to the lead. Blue was taken to the vet by the police and the vet said he had come to no harm.”

“I did tell the woman from the shop that she was a busy body and what I was doing was nothing to do with her.”

Bradley, who has a string of convictions to his name, was found guilty of using threatening behaviour and causing suffering to Blue.

Sentencing | fined £200 and ordered to pay £220 costs.

Blackpool Gazette

Additional Information

In May 2020 Bradley launched a dog-breeding business called Blackpool Bully Imports.

Most of the dogs featured on the business’s Instagram profile have their ears cropped.

Joe Bradley from Blackpool. Backyard breeder and convicted animal abuser. Picture: Facebook
Dog with ears cropped by Joe Bradley from Blackpool. Backyard breeder and convicted animal abuser. Picture: Facebook

Bradley doesn’t even attempt to hide his position on ear cropping, arguing that it’s no different than a child having their ears pierced.

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

Salford, Greater Manchester: Paul Barratt

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CONVICTED (2016) | Paul Barratt, born c. 1983, of Spruce Court, Salford M6 5EN: caught on CCTV beating his pet dog and punching her in the head.

Paul Barratt.

Barratt was arrested after video emerged of the owner violently attacking the dog, named Storm, in February 2016.

RSPCA officials told the court that Barratt had not let Storm out of his flat for 17 hours when she tried to defecate in the lift.

Barratt was seen entering the lift kicking and dragging the black Labrador by the lead.

Storm was removed from his care and placed into the hands of the RSPCA.

Sentence: six-week curfew period; £400 costs and £60 victim surcharge. Banned for keeping animals for four years (expired 2020).

Manchester Evening News

Dogs, Violent and Sadistic Pet Abusers

Abergele, Conwy: Martin Doyle

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#MostEvil | Martin Doyle, born 02/01/1984, previously of Blackfriars Road, Salford, and more recently (2020) Ger Y Mor, Station Road, Pensarn, Abergele LL22 7SX – filmed tormenting a terrified dog whose mouth has been tied shut with belt.

Martin Doyle and Morley
Martin Doyle and the dog he abused, Morley

Heartbreaking CCTV footage shows black and white bull terrier Morley, whose mouth has been tied shut, being taunted with food bowls before being drenched with dirty water by his evil owner, Martin Doyle.

The distressing clip shows the despairing dog sitting obediently while his jaw is clamped together with a fabric belt.

Still from video footage showing Morley looking forlornly out over the balcony as he sits with his mouth tied up.
Still from video footage showing Morley looking forlornly out over the balcony as he sits with his mouth tied up.

Doyle is seen coming out of his flat onto the balcony with a mop and bucket – and then throws the dirty water all over the dog’s head.

He was found guilty of three counts of failing to meet the needs of an animal.

David McCormick, prosecuting the case on behalf of the RSPCA said animal welfare officers had been alerted to the treatment of the dog and visited on several occasions.

He said during one visit in June 2015 the dog was “clearly very hungry” and devoured the food offered to him. .

Mr McCormick added: “CCTV of the property showed the dog tied to a balcony with its mouth taped shut. Footage was taken to a vets and it was concluded the dog’s needs were not being met.”

The dog was not given clean drinking water, no comfortable resting place and was not in a place safe from injury.

Mr McCormick added: “Morley was not able to drink the water provided because of the material around the muzzle.”

Martin Doyle pictured leaving court

The vet also stated that at that time of year in the hot weather, the dog would not have be able to regulate its body temperature by panting.

Morley was taken to a rehoming centre.

When asked by animal welfare case workers about the treatment he said Morley was ‘a f****d up dog’, and had put the belt around his mouth because he had urinated and defecated in the flat.

An RSPCA spokeswoman said the dog had been tormented and punished.

Doyle was found guilty of three counts of failing to meet needs of an animal and given a community order.

Speaking after the case, she said; “It is clear that this dog has been subjected to regular periods of torment from its owner as the dog sits as still as possible to avoid being punished.

“The psychological impact this has had on the dog is clear from the footage. It is deeply disturbing to see someone treat an animal in this manner and this behaviour is totally unacceptable.”

Sentencing: four-month community order and curfew. Ordered to pay costs of £600 and a victim surcharge of £60. Banned from keeping animals for five years (expired May 2021).

Manchester Evening News

Cats, Dogs, Hoarders, Multiple Species, Reptiles / Exotics, Small Furries

Luton, Bedfordshire: Linda Gibson and Lewis Little

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CONVICTED (2016) | animal hoarders Linda Gibson, born c. 1972, and Lewis Little, born 1988, of Buxton Road, Luton LU1 1RE – kept multiple pets in squalor without veterinary treatment.

Linda Gibson and Lewis Little, who have since gone their separate ways. Pictures: Facebook.
Linda Gibson and Lewis Little, who have since gone their separate ways. Pictures: Facebook.

The horrible pair kept a menagerie of cats, dogs, snakes, gerbils, turtles and even a bearded dragon at their flat .

Several welfare visits by the RSPCA noted the home was overrun with household waste, and described as “uninhabitable” by RSPCA inspector Stephanie Law. Inspector Law even mentioned banging her head on the living room ceiling while stepping over mountains of mess.

In court, Gibson and Little were told they presented a continuing risk to animal welfare.

The court heard that Inspector Law attended the couple’s address on November 25, 2015, to return a Staffordshire bull terrier named Scar after he had been neutered and fitted with a buster collar.

A scene of chaos and pet neglect at the home Linda Gibson shared with Lewis Little. Pictures: RSPCA.

During the visit, Inspector Law instructed the couple how to administer medication and advised that Scar’s buster collar had to stay on to prevent him interfering with his wound.

Gibson then presented a large tabby cat named Soldier who had a hole under his right armpit.

“The wound was smelly and the flesh looked red raw,” noted the inspector.

Animal hoarder and abuser: Linda Gibson from Luton, Bedfordshire, UK

Inspector Law told Gibson that the cat needed urgent veterinary treatment but she refused to sign the cat over.

Inspector Law returned the next day to find the kitchen overflowing with rubbish to the extent that she “could not see the floor”.

Photographs were taken and Scar was seen running between the kitchen and the yard not wearing his buster collar.

On a further visit on December 4, Inspector Law noted: “I picked Scar up and I could see the scrotum was very swollen and the sutured wound appeared to be completely torn. Mr Little told me he had removed the buster collar on the day that he returned home.”

Both animals were removed by the RSPCA and taken to the vets for treatment. They have since been rehomed and are understood to be doing well.

Janita Patel, prosecuting on behalf of the RSPCA, appealed to magistrates to disqualify Gibson and Little from keeping pets.
Ms Patel said: “They are clearly not fit to look after themselves, let alone after animals.

“There’s also the worry that they didn’t have the funds to take the animals to the vet when they needed to.”

As magistrates disqualified the pair for ten years, Gibson wept. The pair said they still had two cats, two snakes and five gerbils in their home and were given 14 days to rehome them.

After the verdict, RSPCA inspector Mrs Law said: “I’m happy with the outcome and it reflects the severity of the offence.”

Sentence:
Little – three-month curfew and ten days of rehabilitation activity.
Gibson – 100 hours of unpaid work
Both – £310 costs each. Banned from keeping animals for ten years (expires May 2026).

Luton Today

Update 2017

Lewis Little is now living in Rivergate House, Cheapside, Luton LU1 2HN.

Animal Abandonment, Dogs, Worst of the Worst

Worsley, Manchester: Lindsey and Sam Kearney

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CONVICTED (2016) | Lindsey Amelia Kearney, born c. 1971, and son Sam Kearney, born c. 1993, of Blackleach Drive, Worsley, Manchester M28 3GP – left their elderly dog to die pinned under an ironing board underneath the kitchen table.

Dog abusers: Lindsey Kearney and Sam Kearney from Worsley, Manchester

The Kearneys ignored the desperate cries of collie cross Barney after he collapsed on the floor, and left him there for at least TWO days, covered in his own urine and faeces.

The vet involved in the case said it was the ‘worst case of neglect’ he had seen in 34 years.

Barney was abandoned to die by Lindsey Kearney and Sam Kearney from Worsley, Manchester
Barney

Barney had acid burns all over his body and to his face from being left in his own urine.

He was in such a severe and devastating state, RSPCA officers had to immediately summon a vet to the house to put him to sleep as it would have been too painful to move the pet.

Lindsey Kearney pleaded guilty and Sam Kearney was found guilty after a trial to causing unnecessary suffering to the animal, including poor body condition and weight loss, and a further charge of causing unnecessary suffering for his collapsed state and urine scalds.

Prosecutor David McCormick said: “I think the vet summed up this case the best when he stated, ‘This was truly one of the most severe cases of neglect that I have ever seen in 34 years in this profession.’

“To this, I can add one of saddest cases I have dealt with in my 40 years as a prosecutor.

“The defendants had owned Barney for 18 years and yet could leave him to die lying on a hard floor under a table, in a pool of his own urine and with an ironing board propped across him.

“Sodden in his own length in his own urine where he had laid for days.

“What a sad and undignified end for a pet of 18 years.”

Passing sentence, District Judge Sam Goozee, told the pair: “A dog who you have loved as a family pet had to be put down as a consequence of neglect both of you showed towards him.

“The photographs were disturbingly taken while he (Barney) was still alive.

“His death was undignified and painful and nobody should treat a pet in this way.”

Sentencing |
Lindsey Kearney: 12 weeks in prison, suspended for 18 months; 200 hours of unpaid work; costs of £300.
Sam Kearney: 300 hours of unpaid work; costs of £300.
Both: 10-year ban on owning any animals (expires May 2026).

Manchester Evening News

Dogs, Violent and Sadistic Pet Abusers

Erdington, Birmingham: Lee Davies

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CONVICTED (2016) | Lee Michael Davies, born 14 January 1988, previously of South Roundhay, Kitts Green, Birmingham and as of June 2020 of 27 Gravelly Lane, Erdington, Birmingham B23 6UJ – left a 12-week-old puppy in agony with a broken leg (cause unexplained).

Daisy, victim of dog abuser Lee Michael Davies of Birmingham

Davies left his 12-week-old puppy to suffer with a fractured leg and did not take him to the vets. The cause of the fracture has not, apparently, been explained.

Davies pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to the puppy by failing to provide veterinary care and attention.

When an RSPCA inspector arrived at Davies’s house after a call from a member of the public, the puppy – named Daisy – had a bandage around her front right leg which Davies had put on himself.

RSPCA inspector Jon Ratcliffe, who investigated the case, said: “It was not enough to just a put a bandage on poor Daisy’s leg – this would have done nothing to alleviate the pain she was clearly in.

“When we got her to a vet, she yelped whenever her leg was touched or manipulated. This could easily have been avoided had she just been taken to the vets which was just half-a-mile away.

“If your pet is injured in any way, it is so important to get veterinary treatment for them as soon as possible to prevent them suffering any further.

“Daisy was only a few weeks old when this happened. It is so sad to think that she went through this pain and suffering at the start of her life. Thankfully she has now been rehomed with a family who gives her the love and attention that she deserves.”

Daisy is pictured when she first arrived in the RSPCA’s care, above right, and as she was after treatment.

Sentencing | 12-month community order, total of £360 costs and charges. Banned from keeping animals for three years (expired May 2019).

Dogs Monthly