CONVICTED (2017) | Carrie-Ann Fothergill, born c. 1987, of Sutterton Grove, Boston PE20 3RQ – neglected her two pet Staffies; one dog had to have a toe amputated
Carrie-Ann Fothergill aka Caz Fothergill
Single mother-of-four Carrie-Ann Fothergill was convicted of causing unnecessary suffering to her two dogs and failing to meet their needs.
Staffies Coke (left) and Mitzy were badly neglected but have since recovered
Fothergill’s pet dogs Coke and Mitzy were in very poor condition when the RSPCA visited after a call from a concerned member of the public in March 2017.
Coke had to have one of her toes amputated after being neglected by Carrie-Ann Fothergill.
RSPCA inspector Rebecca Harper said: “Both dogs were in a real state when I first saw them.
“Coke had a very swollen toe which we thought was a result of a ingrowing nail but further exploration found she also had an untreated tumour and had to have it amputated.
“She had an untreated parasite burden which had lead to anaemia and dehydration, and needed to be put on a drip at the vets. She also had severe dental disease.
“Mitzy had an untreated skin condition and flea infestation resulting in the loss of some of her fur and had untreated ear infections.”
Both dogs went on to make a full recovery in RSPCA care.
Sentencing: three-year conditional discharge, ordered to pay £320; Banned from keeping animals for 10 years (expires October 2027).
CONVICTED (2017) | Robert J Loombe, born c. 1971, of New College Close, Great Yarmouth NR31 7DF – captured on camera dragging a five-week-old puppy along the pavement when she was too tired to walk
Backyard breeder Loombe was caught on camera pulling the tiny dog named Fatsy on her lead as her stomach rubbed along the ground.
Eye-witness Jade Barker was so upset that she filmed Loombe as he walked past with his two other dogs in Gorleston near Great Yarmouth. She claimed that he reacted angrily and swore at passers-by who urged him to stop dragging along his pet.
Miss Barker later handed the distressing footage to police who tracked down heavily tattooed Loombe at his nearby home and charged him with cruelty.
Speaking to the Metro newspaper, Miss Barker said: ‘I saw him dragging this poor little puppy behind him. I said that he needed to pick the puppy up and he told me to fuck off.
‘So I just carried on walking and then saw him still dragging it across the road so its face collided with the high kerb.
‘I just thought it was disgusting so I stood at the side of the Co-op and filmed him for 11 seconds. I was so upset that I was crying my eyes out.
‘He must have been dragging it on the lead for more than 60 yards. It was the cruellest thing I had ever seen.
‘The puppy was shaking and grunting and obviously very distressed. You could see that it didn’t like it and was getting hurt.
‘Five other people came up to him, saying he needed to pick the dog up and he responded with a load of abuse.
‘He must have known he was doing something wrong, but he was shouting at people.
‘He even said that he that he had been pulling it along since he left his house. He said, “You have got to teach it. You have to be cruel to be kind”.
‘The puppy was so young that it should not even have been out of the house, let alone dragged along the ground.’
Miss Barker said she was outraged that Loombe had not been banned by magistrates from keeping any dogs. She said: ‘He had two other dogs with him and it turned out that the puppy came from a litter of seven which he had at his house.
‘His sentencing is a joke. He should have been banned from having any animal. How can any dog be safe with him?
‘I am disgusted with his penalty. The justice system has let him off really lightly. I was told that the police took all his other dogs away – but now it looks like he might get them back.’
Sentence: £300 fine; deprivation order in relation to the puppy.
CONVICTED (2017) | Clare Hobson, born c. 1977, of Dollywood Close, Buxton, High Peak SK23 7NX – starved and neglected her dog
Clare Hobson is banned from keeping dogs for life after neglecting and starving her dog
The court heard how mother-of-one Clare Hobson failed to address cross-breed Labrador Coco’s loss of weight and her poor body and skin condition.
Labrador Coco was left with Clare Hobson when her owner Leo Gibson moved out. Gibson faced no charges in connection with her neglect.
Prosecuting for the RSPCA, Andy Cash, told the hearing the charity had visited Hobson in 2016 over concerns about Coco. Hobson was given advice about the dog’s skin problems and apparent weight loss, but after a period of time Hobston stopped co-operating with the RSPCA.
Mr Cash added that the RSPCA had to execute a warrant to gain access to Hobson’s home to recover Coco, who went on to make a good recovery.
Coco should have weighed 20Kg but weighed only 14Kg when she was taken into the care of the RSPCA, according to Mr Cash.
A vet reported that Coco’s spine and ribs were visible from a distance and the dog had suffered from lesions and hair loss and also had a urinary tract infection.
RSPCA inspector Heather Morris said: “Coco was such a sorry sight and she was in a poor condition. When we took her away, she was so quiet. She was clearly a very poorly dog and she looked really down.
“Coco really is a totally different dog today.
“It is hard to believe that she is the same dog who I took into our care earlier this year. Back then she was so quiet and clearly suffering, but now she is so playful and happy. It goes to show what difference love and care makes towards a dog.
“When I saw her the following week she was a completely different dog and the change in her was obvious.
“It was so nice to see the change in her demeanour. The problem was that Hobson quite simply was not feeding Coco and as a result Coco was getting thinner and weaker.”
Coco looking fully fit and well after being cared for by the RSPCA
Inspector Morris said: “Hobson did initially follow advice a year ago, but sadly she stopped following this advice earlier this year which led to us becoming involved again.
“Poor Coco’s skin condition seemed to be caused by an allergy to so many things – grass, dust, mites, pollen and fleas.
“If your pet is in clear discomfort then you are legally responsible to ensure they do not suffer – something which Hobson failed to do.
Hobson admitted there had been a lack of care but explained this had been down to a lack of funds.
The defendant pleaded guilty to failing to ensure Coco was protected from pain and suffering by not adequately investigating skin and weight problems between March and June 2017.
She also admitted causing unnecessary suffering by failing to address Coco’s poor body condition and to a further count of causing unnecessary suffering by failing to investigate a skin problem.
Dog abuser Clare Hobson with Leo Gibson, who left his dog behind when he moved out of the property he shared with Hobson and their daughter. He has since returned
Defence solicitor Lisa Tinsley told a previous hearing Coco had been Hobson’s partner Leo Gibson’s dog but that he had moved out, leaving the dog behind.
Hobson suffers with depression, according to Ms Tinsley, and she had child care issues and financial concerns.
Sentencing: 12-month community order with 120 hours of unpaid work; ordered to pay total of £765. Banned from keeping dogs for life.
CONVICTED (2017) | Fraser Paul Grant, born 03/06/1989, of Pitlands Farm, Gloucester Road, Swainswick, Bath BA1 8BH – killed a Jack Russell terrier dog by kicking him repeatedly while wearing steel toe-capped boots
Company director Fraser Paul Grant and Patch who lost his life after Grant launched a violent attack in retaliation against his girlfriend
Grant, a company director who runs a vehicle towing business named Bath Recovery Limited, kicked his girlfriend’s pet dog to death while wearing steel toe-capped boots after the couple rowed.
CCTV captured the moment the thug kicked the Jack Russell, who was named Patch, several feet into the air and ruptured the animal’s liver. The little dog died from his injuries a short time later.
Grant had initially pleaded not guilty, claiming he acted in self-defence against a dog, who was described in court as happy, friendly but scared of Grant.
He said Patch was spinning around and attacked his ankles and legs, causing him to fend him off with his boots. He said he picked the dog up but was bitten in the face. However, CCTV footage clearly shows the dog on the ground in front of Grant when he begins his vicious assault.
Even Grant’s own lawyer conceded that “nothing that the dog did when on the ground justifies what was done to him”.
Patch was described in court as a happy and friendly dog, but he was scared of Grant.
A post-mortem on Patch concluded that the dog’s liver was ruptured and that “in all probability Patch died as a result of blood loss from the liver”. He had suffered blunt trauma to his body caused by the force of the kicks and impact of landing.
“Patch would have suffered pain, injury and distress as a result of the injury he received.”
In a personal impact statement Patch’s heartbroken owner Beth Davies told the court how the death of her beloved dog, whom she had had since he was a puppy, and the trial had taken a huge toll on her physical and mental health.
She said she had been on a long course of prescribed medication for depression and anxiety, as well as other health issues that the stress of the ongoing trial “exacerbated”.
Beth also revealed that she has moved away from her family and friends because being in such close proximity to Grant and his family was a “continual source of distress”.
She may look like a Barbie doll (with as many brain cells) but beautician Tina Mccolgan (owner of Mulberry House – Hair & Beauty in Corsham) is as nasty a piece of work as the man she’s defending
She had, she said, been subjected to verbal abuse and taunts on social media from Grant’s family and friends. In her words: “The response from some quarters was that Patch was ‘just a dog’; such a callous and brutal act by Fraser was treated by some of them as nothing more than a joke.
“Although I tried to ignore the comments that were at best insensitive and at worst provocative and cruel, they seriously aggravated the pain I was in.”
The statement from Miss Davies also said the defence mounted by Grant “unnecessarily prolonged the trial” and “cruelly misrepresented” Patch as an aggressive dog.
She called Grant’s late guilty plea “a huge waste of everyone’s time” and said it also resulted in a four-month delay in being able to get Patch’s ashes back.
Miss Davies concluded her statement by saying how grateful she was to the RSPCA.
Sentencing: 18-month suspended jail sentence; 100 hours of unpaid work; costs of £2,700 and £300 in compensation to Miss Davies. No ban was imposed and Grant was allowed to keep his own dog, Storm.
Sources: Bath Chronicle and The Mirror (articles removed)
CONVICTED (2017) | Jamie Birtwistle, born 31/05/1986, of Nuttall Street, Accrington BB5 2HL – left a dog and cat to starve to death and hid their bodies in a cupboard in his home.
Birtwistle pleaded guilty to failing to ensure the welfare of a Staffordshire Bull Terrier called Bella (pictured) and a cat called Storm by providing them with adequate food.
When new tenants arrived at the property as Birtwistle was moving out, he told them not to go in the cupboard. The tenants ignored the warning and contacted the RSPCA and police after finding the dead animals
Birtwistle admitted to not feeding the animals enough and only doing it ‘every other day’. Although he was aware they were losing weight he did nothing to address this.
The new tenants found 30 portions of cat food and a tin of dog food in the property.
Laura Haywood, defending, said it was a ‘very sad set of circumstances’.
She told the court: “The defendant never set out to intentionally cause harm to these animals.
“The issue seems to be when his girlfriend moved out of the premises.
“He does have mental health issues and has been to his doctor who has referred him to The Mount in Accrington.
“He is also on medication. He describes himself as hearing voices.
“He does understand the reason why they died and that’s due to him failing to feed them. He understands that he should have sought help.”
Miss Haywood said Birtwistle ‘had monetary issues at the time’ and is in receipt of benefits.
Career criminal Birtwistle has multiple previous convictions including for violence against women.
Sentencing: Jailed for 12 weeks. Banned from keeping any animal for a mere five years (expired October 2022).
CONVICTED (2017) | James Warner, born c. 1954, of Kirklandhill, Tyninghame, Dunbar EH42 1HX – tied his poorly dog in a pillowcase and left her behind a cement works
Cruel James Warner tied Lily in a pillow case and dumped her at a cement works. She was discovered barely alive and had to be put to sleep.
James Warner admitted abandoning terrier-type dog Lily, who sadly had to be put to sleep. He was prosecuted following a Scottish SPCA investigation.
After accepting a plea bargain Warner was given a £600 fine, but not banned from keeping animals.
Commenting on the investigation and court case, Scottish SPCA inspector Stephanie McCrossan said: “Whilst we respect that Warner has been dealt with by the courts, the outcome is particularly disappointing.
“Warner admitted at interview that he believed the dog, Lily, was dead, but was not entirely sure when he deliberately dumped her inside a pillowcase not far from his place of work.
“As can clearly be seen from the photographs Lily was in desperate need of treatment and was suffering from a number of chronic skin conditions which I believe would have been causing her considerable pain and discomfort.
“When I realised that Lily would have been trapped, alive inside that pillowcase for a number of days I felt sick.
“I lost sleep over this case and to find that he accepted a plea bargain and only received a £600 fine without a ban has been a heavy blow.
“This case really highlights our push for tougher and more consistent sentencing.
“There is no excuse for animal cruelty and more animals like Lily are suffering needlessly.”
Sentencing: £600 fine. No ban on keeping animals was imposed by the court.
CONVICTED (2017) | Teresa ‘Tez’ Sharon Long aka Terri Brooks, born 29 April 1970, of St George’s Avenue, Yeovil BA21 – failed to get treatment for her West Highland terrier who was left with almost no fur on her body.
Teresa ‘Tez’ Long
The RSPCA found the Westie, called Spirit, in a pitiful state when Inspector Marie Griffiths visited Long’s home address in April 2017.
The nine-year-old dog was suffering from a skin condition, later confirmed as demodectic mange, which had left her body almost entirely bald. She also had infected ears and overgrown claws.
Long admitted one offence of causing unnecessary suffering by failing to investigate and treat the cause of Spirit’s skin condition.
Westie Spirit before and after treatment
Inspector Griffiths said: “When I visited the property I found Spirit in the house. The smell of her skin when I found her was disgusting. It was pungent and there was pus in her ears caused by an infection.
“Her claws were overgrown and she had been scratching herself raw. The owner had put a jumper on her to try and stop her scratching, but if anything that just made the skin condition worse.
“When I took her to the vet, they said it was the worst skin case she’d ever seen.”
The court issued a deprivation order against Long and a new home for Spirit, who has made a strong recovery, has already been lined up by the RSPCA.
“Generally, in cases like this where the skin has got so bad it never fully recovers, but she’s got so much fur now she looks like Tina Turner.
“She’s a real little trooper. She was obviously suffering, but she had such a feisty attitude it was like she just decided to battle on regardless.
“The sentence shows how series the court viewed the case. Every owner has a responsibility to their animals. Veterinary advice or attention should always be sought. Ignoring situations is not acceptable and could have serious consequences,” added Inspector Griffiths.
Sentencing: 80 hours of unpaid work; ordered to pay £585. A five-year ban on keeping dogs (expired October 2022).
CONVICTED (2017) | Anthony ‘Tony’ Makin, born 16/01/1975, and wife Sally Makin, born 01/01/1975, of Dale Avenue, Bromborough CH62 – breached a disqualification order and neglected their new dog
Already banned from keeping animals following a 2015 conviction, Tony and Sally Makin failed to walk their dog Sky for fear of detection.
The Makins pleaded guilty to two offences: causing unnecessary suffering to a Rottweiler named Sky by failing to provide veterinary care for lameness, and being in breach of a disqualification order.
Sky had become overweight as a result of not being walked – because his owners were scared of being found out.
The court heard that the couple were originally disqualified from keeping animals in September 2015 after being convicted of an Animal Welfare Act offence.
But in June 2017, the RSPCA received a report that the couple had a dog at their home address.
RSPCA inspector Anthony Joynes contacted Tony Makin, who admitted that they had a rottweiler called Sky.
Inspector Joynes said: “They admitted they’d had him for seven months, but during that whole time he hadn’t been for a walk because they were scared of being found out. As a result, the dog was drastically overweight and had overgrown claws.
“On top of that, he had problems with his leg, which the Makins had self-diagnosed as arthritis. But when I got him checked out by a vet, it turned out he had a bone tumour on his front right leg – a type which was notoriously painful – and the cancer had actually spread to his lungs.
“Sadly the tumour was inoperable but he was such a lovely dog and we wanted to give him as long as possible, so he was put on pain relief.
“He came into the care of our Wirral branch and, because of his size, we renamed him Maximus. He spent his days behind the reception and he constantly got fuss. He was a favourite with the staff.”
Sadly, a few weeks after arriving in the RSPCA’s care, Maximus took a turn for the worse.
“At that point the vet said it would be kinder to put him to sleep,” said Inspector Joynes. “We were all devastated but we were pleased to have given him a few weeks of plenty of treats and fuss.
“If we hadn’t have intervened then the Makins would have just found him one day collapsed. He would have been in immense pain.”
Sentencing: 12-month community order, 20-week curfew; ordered to pay £335 each. Disqualified from keeping animals for five years (expired 2022).
CONVICTED (2017) | Lewis Robert Fox, aka Lewis Monroe or Zachary Monroe Fox, born 29/03/1995, of Southsea Avenue, Minster, Kent ME12 2LU – tortured and killed four hamsters and two rats
Father-of-one Lewis Fox killed four hamsters and two rats. He repeatedly threw one defenceless hamster against a wall until she died, strangled another with a phone cable lead and squeezed the life out of a third.
A court heard Fox boasted of setting fire to a fourth hamster after she bit him. The next time his teenage girlfriend, Jessica Bradbrook, saw the animal, her fur was scorched and her toes had been burnt off with a lighter.
Miss Bradbrook had bought the first hamster after she and Fox discussed having a baby together. She wanted to see if he was capable of caring for an animal before trusting him with a child.
But within a week he had killed the rodent because he believed the animal ‘preferred’ her to him.
In March 2016 the scaffolder killed another hamster and sent text messages containing images of her dead body to Miss Bradbrook.
Fox later told police he had no feelings ‘for anything or anyone’, and did not even love his mother.
Fox admitted causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal between January 1, 2015, and November 7, 2016.
He also pleaded guilty to engaging in controlling and coercive behaviour in an intimate relationship between December 30, 2015, and November 25, 2016.
This involved him burning her with a cigarette, holding a knife to her throat, pinning her down on the bed and putting his hands around her neck.
Fox has a distinctive tattoo of a fox on his chest.
Fox also accused her of cheating while he dated other women, verbally abused her, monitored her social media accounts, told her how to dress and flirted with her friends.
“He spat in her face on many occasions but perhaps most disgustingly of all, she describes how he would pick his nose and then the bloody contents on his finger would be wiped into her hair,” said Mr Wright.
A previous court hearing was told Fox’s mother reported his behaviour to police after the couple broke up in November 2016.
A psychiatric report presented to the court diagnosed Fox with a personality disorder with left him with “callous unconcern” for others and a disregard for social norms and rules.
Jailing Fox, who also suffers from ADHD and has a history of substance abuse, Judge Julian Smith said prison was inevitable for such ‘persistent aggression and cruel behaviour’.
He added the sentence was ‘relatively moderate’ considering the impact of his offending but reflected Fox’s mental health problems.
“It was a relationship in which you quickly became controlling and undermining. You used violence and force upon her, blaming her for the injuries you caused,” he told Fox.
“You were cruel and contemptuous of her in your conduct towards her. It was distressing, it was debilitating in its effect upon her.”
Referring to the pet rodents, Judge Smith continued: “You killed them all, in various ways, each characterised by cruelty.
“It was distressing to Miss Bradbrook. You were cruel to those creatures, you were cruel to your partner.
“It is apparent you struggle to see what you have done wrong, why it is an issue. It’s just what you do.
“It’s not an excuse, it’s a worry. Your persistent aggression and cruel behaviour causes this court and the doctor that interviewed you real concern for the future.”
Fox, who has a fox tattoo on his chest, told his mother and girlfriend from the court dock that he loved them.
The couple met in December 2014 and throughout their relationship Miss Bradbrook suffered bruising from Fox pinning her down, kicking or punching her.
“If he did anything to her he would tell her it was her fault and it was she who would have to apologise. He would then tell her to forget it had ever happened,” said Mr Wright.
The court heard that on her 18th birthday in July 2015, Fox verbally abused Miss Bradbrook, threw her cake on the floor and then kicked her out of his house.
He also ‘borrowed’ £1,580 from a gift of £4,000 given to her by her father which he had saved since she was born. The money was never repaid.
In one violent incident Fox put his hand around her throat while gripping a hamster in his other hand and threatening to kill it.
Describing an occasion when she woke at 4am to find Fox with his hands around her throat, the prosecutor told the court: “She couldn’t breathe and thought she might die. He told her it would be so easy to snap her neck.”
When arrested and interviewed, he claimed he threw one hamster against a wall to kill it because it had suffered a broken leg after dropping it.
“He said the text messages (of another dead hamster) were attention-seeking, to make her feel bad that he couldn’t control her,” added Mr Wright.
“He described it as a ‘f*-up relationship. He continually stated they were just as bad as each other.
“He said he doesn’t have any feelings for anything or anyone. He said he once loved Jessica but now felt nothing, not even love for his own mother.”
Craig Evans, defending, said Fox, who has one previous conviction for a drug offence, had to give up his job because of suicidal and self-harming tendencies.
He added his family had done all they could to support Fox but he had failed to take advantage of the assistance offered by them and various organisations.
Sentencing: 14 months in jail. Banned indefinitely from keeping an animal.
CONVICTED (2017) | Carl Gallimore, born 03/04/1985, of School Close, Wirral CH46 8SU – caught on CCTV beating a cowering elderly dog in “a fit of anger”
Drunken Carl Gallimore beat his elderly dog in a ‘fit of anger’ on a busy street
Carl Gallimore pleaded guilty to beating his 12-year-old Staffordshire bull terrier, named Kiya, on a street corner.
The court heard how, on October 5, 2016, Gallimore was witnessed by several members of the public hitting the elderly dog so hard she fell to the ground.
Gallimore, who pleaded guilty at the last available moment, was captured on two different CCTV cameras punching the “terrified” dog in the back of the head as punishment for slipping her lead.
The footage shows Gallimore – who admitted to drinking several alcoholic drinks before the attack – first punching Kiya to the ground before kneeling on her and continuing the onslaught.
CCTV footage showing drunken thug Carl Gallimore beating his elderly Staffy in the street as she cowered in fear
He is then captured walking away and continuing the beating – despite members of the public pleading for him to stop
RSPCA inspector Anthony Joynes described how the attack left the dog “terrified”.
He said: “We received a number of calls from shocked people who saw Gallimore punch and kick his dog a number of times – it would have been a very distressing incident to witness.
“The first punch made Kiya fall to the ground, and Gallimore then knelt on the dog and punched her again.
“Gallimore walked away with Kiya and his other dog, Kane, but continued to attack Kiya as they are walking. People were shouting and pleading with Gallimore to stop but the beating continued.
Twisted: Gallimore shared photos to Facebook showing him kissing and hugging the dog he went on to brutally beat in the street
The RSPCA launched an investigation to find the person responsible. The following week, the RSPCA and the police executed a warrant at Gallimore’s house and the two dogs were removed.
An examination by a vet showed Kiya had no lasting injuries from the attack.
Inspector Joynes said: “Gallimore attacked Kiya in a fit of anger, because she had slipped out of her lead and ran towards a guide dog. When I interviewed him, he admitted he hit her and that he did so too hard, and that he had drank at least four cans of alcohol before the incident.
“There is never an excuse to treat an animal in this way. CCTV footage clearly shows Gallimore raining punches on Kiya in an incident which would have caused her pain as well as leaving her terrified. Kiya was very lucky that she did not suffer any serious injuries as a result of the attack.
“Even when being physically beaten, Kiya refused to defend herself and just took the brutal punishment Gallimore handed out to her.
“Dogs put all of their trust in us as their owners and this unprovoked display of physical violence towards her was just appalling and cowardly.”
Both Kiya and another dog named Kane were handed over to the RSPCA.
Sentencing: 12-month community order, and ordered to pay a total of £480. Banned from keeping dogs for just 12 months (expired October 2018).
