Underwood caused unnecessary suffering to a Staffordshire bull terrier called Coco by failing to explore and address her chronic skin condition. Coco was ordered to be rehomed.
Sentencing: ordered to carry out 80 hours of unpaid work and to pay a total of £385 costs and charges. Banned from keeping dogs for five years (expired December 2022).
Horrifying footage filmed by a concerned passer-by shows the dog, named Sconehead, being kicked in the face while being walked by Doolan down a busy street in Dingle on August 16, 2017.
Such was the force of the attack, Sconehead was lifted into the air before flinching every time Doolan lashed out at concerned members of the public trying to protect the animal.
In court, Doolan admitted causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal and using threatening words or behaviour likely to cause alarm or distress.
After leaving court, local newspaper the ECHO confronted Doolan to ask if he’d like to comment on the incident, but he showed very little remorse and claimed he beat the dog because it had bitten him and his brother.
He told the reporter: “I didn’t beat up a dog, go away … I didn’t beat up a dog. I kicked a dog, so what?
“I kicked a dog, it f*g ripped the end of my finger off so I kicked it.
“Listen, the dog was biting him [Gavin’s brother] for months. I’m sat on the bus and it started chewing on my finger. I apologise, I pleaded guilty, You’re hounding me now.”
Visibly angry, Doolan then went on to claim people “shouldn’t be concerned about animals”.
He added: “I am remorseful. I shouldn’t have kicked the dog okay, what more do you want me to do? When a dog is hanging off your finger you might think differently.
“There was a six month old baby killed by a dog because the father was p****d on the couch. Not my dog, but people shouldn’t be concerned about animals.
“Animals are like secondary, you should consider children more than animals.
“I’ve been threatened and everything over that dog. People on Facebook saying we’re going to this that and the other, so whatever.“
The court heard that Doolan had 31 previous convictions for unrelated offences and was last convicted in March 2017 of theft and battery.
Doolan was handed a 12-month community order and a home curfew on that occasion, meaning he was in breach of the order at the time of this incident.
Doolan told the court he had mental health issues and had been “unwell”, so had not seen the probation service since August or completed a thinking skills course.
Ms Fletcher requested further information from the probation service and an adjournment for a pre-sentence report, which was granted by magistrates.
Doolan was due to be sentenced in 22 January 2018 but no details were ever published in the press.
The dog, who was renamed Sconehead recovered from his ordeal and was rehomed.
Gypsy traveller Connie Mullane, who was previously given an ASBO alongside brother Edward Mullane for fly-grazing offences, admitted carrying out a vicious attack on a pony.
A CCTV camera captured the moment Mullane repeatedly smashed a piece of wood into the face, head and body of a pony.
Injured and terrified, the pony rears up in fright, but was attached to a racing trap and couldn’t escape as Mullane returned to rain blows down on her.
“This is an absolutely horrific case of animal cruelty,” said RSPCA Inspector Miranda Albinson.
“There is never an excuse to treat an animal in this way.
“CCTV footage clearly shows Connie Mullane hitting the poor horse in the face with a piece of wood in an incident which would have caused pain and left the horse terrified,” she added.
Mullane admitted a charge of causing unnecessary suffering to a pony on May 20, 2017, by inflicting blunt force trauma and physical violence, contrary to Section 4 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006.
Sentencing: 24 weeks in prison, suspended for two years. Ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work and to pay a total of £615 costs and charges. Disqualified from keeping equine animals for life.
Irish traveller Knight, a convicted paedophile previously based at the notorious Hall Lane caravan site in Farnworth, admitted six counts of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal.
The RSPCA launched an investigation in 2016 following a number of complaints from members of the public who had bought puppies that had fallen ill and, in some cases, had died.
During one raid, officers found two female dogs, a pug and a dachshund-cross, being kept in makeshift pens in an outbuilding in the rear garden.
Inspector Pippa Boyd said: “We found a crossbreed called Patsy and pug called Phoebe living in horrendous conditions in dark, dank and cold pens with no warm bedding or dry areas off the floor. It was a completely inhumane environment to keep dogs.
“Thankfully, we got to them in time and removed them. They were incredibly itchy and Phoebe had serious breathing problems. But they’ve been doing well in our care since and we have lovely new homes lined up for them.
“Sadly, we were too late for some, including a little puppy whose body we found wrapped up in a plastic bag at the house.”
Knight advertised the dogs online and passed himself off as a responsible, reputable breeder.
He offered to deliver puppies to new owners or arranged to meet them in car parks away from his home.
Knight’s lawyer said her client was ‘remorseful’ and accepted responsibility for his actions.
She said: “You probably have little in terms of positive feelings towards Mr Knight. He is remorseful and, in his words, he wishes he could turn the clocks back.
“He accepts his culpability. He did not go out there to intentionally sell families sick puppies. Hindsight is a wonderful thing.
“From looking at the puppies, he could not tell they were sick but he accepts that he is responsible and had not taken care of them appropriately.”
The dogs that were cared for by staff at the RSPCA’s Warrington branch have already found new homes.
Insp Boyd said: “This should be a major flag to anybody looking into buying a puppy.
“A genuinely responsible breeder who has the best interests of their dogs in mind will be happy for you to visit the puppies in the environment they were born and see them interacting with their mother, siblings and people.
“We would advise anyone thinking of getting a puppy to first consider adopting a dog from a rescue centre.”
Sentencing:
16-week jail term; £150 victim surcharge. Disqualified from keeping animals for life.
Martin admitted to causing unnecessary suffering to the 22-year-old horse, known as Delta.
The mare was left in the field, unsupervised, with no access to a well-drained area where she could stand or rest.
She was found dead in a spring in the field.
The council said the field in Talke had become so flooded earlier in 2017 that its animal health officers had not been able to reach the horse for eight days.
A spokesperson said: “The horse was found underwater and our officers presumed she had drowned, although we can’t say for certain.”
In her defence, Martin was said to be unaware of the spring in the field.
“People who keep any animal have a duty to ensure they are well cared for and kept free from harm,” said Cllr Gill Heath, the council’s leader on trading standards, following the hearing.
“The judge in this case recognised that a horse was left to suffer in totally unsuitable conditions, and banned this person from keeping horses for three years.
“Our trading standards animal health officers work with businesses and horse owners to make them aware of the legislation — the vast majority are responsible and play an important part in Staffordshire’s economy.
“However, where there is neglect they will take prompt action.”
Sentencing: ordered to pay £1,579, plus costs. Banned from keeping horses for three years (expired December 2020).
Serial offender Martin was back before the courts on animal cruelty charges, this time in relation to a badly injured young lurcher named Poppy. She was given a community sentence and further three-year ban extended to all animals. Full details of the case here.
Six-year-old Dalmatian Bella was taken in by the Dalmatian Adoption Society and Rescue after a member was tipped off about the appalling condition she was in.
The charity’s founder Sue Bell said Bella’s skin condition was so bad that she was biting and scratching herself to get a little bit of relief. She said Bella was also emaciated with her bones clearly visible through her skin.
Sadly, a few days after being rescued Bella died in the night from a condition called bloat, or gastric dilatation-volvulus, which is when a dog’s stomach fills with gas, food, or fluid, making it expand and twist.
Sue said: “Ironically, the starving and skin condition didn’t kill her, but I think it must have happened because she started eating again.”
The rescue contacted the RSPCA about Bella’s condition, who prosecuted her owner, mother-of-three Aimie Louise Bennett.
Bennett admitted causing unnecessary suffering to Bella between March and June 2017 by failing to explore and address her deteriorating physical condition.
Speaking about the case RSPCA inspector Nick Jones said: “This poor dog was in a shocking state.
“She was emaciated and had a terrible skin infection which had caused her to self-harm.
“Her whole body was covered in sores where she had chewed her skin until it was raw to relieve the irritation.”
Bennett said she had taken Bella on after her previous owner moved away and that she had issues with her skin from the start which she had treated herself when they escalated.
RSPCA inspector Jones said: “It is every owner’s responsibility to provide vet treatment for their pets when they need it.
“It would have been clear to anyone that Bella was suffering and needed professional help.”
Sentencing: £150 costs. Disqualified from keeping dogs for five years (expired December 2022).
Source: Hartlepool Mail (article removed).
Eight-year-old German Shepherd cross Lenny had a gaping 10cm wound in the side of his face , extending from his ear to the corner of his mouth caused by an injury that was allowed to go untreated.
When Lenny’s owner, Theresa Dixon finally took him to the vet, she claimed the wound had only appeared in the previous half an hour.
She also said she had tried to treat the dog’s infection herself after consulting the internet.
But when the wound was examined, it was found to have maggots inside it and veterinary evidence suggested the dog had been suffering for weeks.
Lenny was put to sleep by the vet to prevent him from further suffering.
Veterinary evidence concluded that the wound was probably self-inflicted by Lenny who was scratching his ear because of an infection.
Dixon had been convicted in her absence at a previous hearing of one offence of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal. She appeared in person for sentencing.
Chris Murphy, prosecuting for the RSPCA, said: “The animal was left in excruciating pain as a result of the wound to its face.
“The wound was extremely severe and went deep under the skin, and maggots were also visible within it.
“The animal’s coat was also heavily soiled and matted with dirt.”
After the dog was put down, Dixon was visited at her home by an RSPCA inspector. He reported that the house itself was “immaculate” but the dog was banished to an outside kennel.
Gary Lawrenson, defending, said Dixon had had a “torrid time” after her husband drank himself to death and she was also injured in a home invasion.
Chairman of magistrates, Peter Sanders, said: “Dogs have no voice – the voice of that dog is this court.
“Animal cruelty cannot and will not be tolerated.”
Speaking after the case, RSPCA inspector Anthony Joynes said: “The wound was extremely severe and it extended under the skin 3cm, 5cm and 10cm at its deepest – half of his face was literally missing. The fact that there were maggots inside it suggests it had been there much longer than the half an hour as claimed by Dixon.
“Lenny would have been in excruciating pain. His condition can only be described as a catalogue of neglect. Not only did he have a large, gaping hole on his face but his ears had traces of e-coli and faeces inside them, and his fur was long and matted.
“Around that time we were having a spell of warm weather and poor Lenny would have had that long, matted coat during the heat. He would have been so uncomfortable.
“When I interviewed her, Dixon said that when she first noticed the wound she cleaned it with a solution of white vinegar and water which she read about on the internet – but something like this needs to be treated by a vet.
“It is not acceptable to treat an animal yourself using advice from the internet when a vet is clearly the best option for the animal.
“The pain and discomfort he must have felt would have been just unimaginable.”
Sentencing: 20-week custodial sentence, which was suspended for two years. Two-year community order, including a 20-day rehabilitation activity requirement and 60 hours of unpaid work. Ordered to pay £500 costs and a £115 victim surcharge. Lifetime ban on keeping animals.
The pair admitted failing to provide veterinary care for two of their cats, a tortoiseshell and a white cat named Dotty.
Both animals had severe cases of gingivitis and dental disease.
Both defendants’ guilty pleas were taken into account and it was also acknowledged that Mrs Smith has mental health issues.
The court heard the couple spent large sums of money on cats in their care and they had sought veterinary attention to reduce the number of cats they had, accepting they were “out of their depth”.
They were both ordered to pay a £408 fine, a £40 victim surcharge to fund victim services and £425 to the Crown Prosecution Service.
They were not banned from keeping animals.
When rescued the Dalmatian, known as Marley, was severely underweight with his skeleton prominent through his skin. He also had pressure sores on his limbs and went on to develop severe behavioural issues because of his treatment by his previous owner, John Mooney. Very sadly the Scottish SPCA had no choice but to put him to sleep as he wasn’t safe to rehome.
In court, Mooney pleaded guilty to causing the dog unnecessary suffering by failing to provide him with a suitable nutritional diet between September 21 and October 21, 2016. Despite the cruelty involved, Mooney was only given a two-year ban on keeping animals. This expired in 2019.
Speaking about the case SSPCA Inspector Heather Lawson said: “Marley was severely underweight with his hip bones and ribs easily visible. A dog of this type, sex and age should weigh in the region of 25-35kgs, whereas Marley weighed only 17.6kgs.
“Marley also had pressure sores on his front feet and left hind leg and cowered away when approached too quickly. Sadly, as Marley started putting on weight, other problems developed. He was showing increasingly aggressive tendencies, to the point that he was no longer able to be handled by trained staff members.
“The difficult decision was made by a vet to put him to sleep as Marley would have been a serious risk to members of the public in a home environment.”
Inspector Lawson added: “Whilst we are pleased that Mooney has been dealt with by the courts, we currently feel sentencing for animal abuse is very inconsistent in Scotland and we would like to see an increase in the maximum jail sentence which would provide the sheriff with a greater range of options.
“We hope Mooney will give serious consideration to his ability to care for animals in the future.”
Sentencing: 150-hour community payback order. Two-year ban from keeping, owning or being in charge of any animals (expired 2019).
Donaldson left a female white and black terrier-type dog called Bess and a male black terrier named Whiskey at a house in Straker Street, Hartlepool, without food.
The dogs were found dead on May 23, 2017, by the landlord of the house that Donaldson rented.
RSPCA inspector Lucy Hoehne said: “The smell was overwhelming and there was faeces, urine and bits of chewed up foam from a sofa all over the floor.
“The dogs were in the upstairs back bedroom.
“It was an absolutely heartbreaking scene, they were snuggled together in a corner where there was a duvet on the floor.
“If it hadn’t been for the smell, at first glance you might have thought they were sleeping.
“They had been dead for some time, likely as a result of starvation and dehydration, and were covered in maggots.”
The court earlier heard that Donaldson had previously lived at the house but left the dogs there when he moved to another address.
John Elwood, prosecuting, told the court at an earlier hearing it was not possible to say how long the dogs had been dead. He said: “For the dogs to be in the condition they were found, the period of neglect must have been prolonged.”
Donaldson refused to cooperate with the RSPCA investigation. He was convicted in his absence of two offences of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal between April and May 2017.
Donaldson was eventually arrested after a third warrant was issued when he failed to turn up at court.
RSPCA inspector Hoehne said: “What these dogs went through before they died doesn’t bear thinking about.”
Sentencing: 24 weeks in jail. Total of £415 costs and charges. Lifetime ban on keeping animals.
John Donaldson was jailed for three years after pleading guilty to robbery. His conviction followed an incident when he threatened a shop assistant with a screwdriver before stealing £280 from a till.
Donaldson, now of Miers Avenue, Hartlepool, had been in court 68 times before mainly for theft and burglaries.
His lawyer Stephen Littlewood said: “From the age of 15 he’s been in the grip of a severe heroin addiction.”
Mr Littlewood said Donaldson owed £1,400 to drug dealers who had threatened to kill him.
Donaldson was told he must serve up to half the sentence before he will be released on licence.