CONVICTED (2018) | Aiden Francis Daly, born c. 1996, most recently of Seymour Street, Chorley PR6 0SR – repeatedly kicked a man’s pet dog
Convicted animal abuser Aiden Daly from Chorley, Lancashire. Pic: Facebook
Career criminal Daly was given a 16 month jail term suspended for two years in January 2018 after admitting an affray in May 2017 in which he waved a machete at Jordan Reynolds.
But just over a month later he committed further offences against Mr Reynolds and his pet dog when he saw them outside a shop in Leyland.
Daly, who by the age of 21 had already amassed a long list of criminal convictions, admitted causing unnecessary suffering to the dog, a public order offence, and breaching a suspended jail term.
“At the time in February these offences were committed he found himself outside McColl’s where he saw Reynolds. He saw Mr Reynolds tie up his dog and go into the shop. He said before the complainant went in there he thought he had been staring at him and that made him upset.
Paul Cummings, prosecuting, said: “The defendant knows a man called Jordan Reynolds involved in the case from last May. As a result of that case it was said he was still very upset with Mr Reynolds
“He knew that dog could be vicious because he had been bitten by it previously but nevertheless he decided to kick it.
” When Mr Reynolds came out he said: ‘Kick the dog again and see what happens.’
” A fight then took place outside the shop. A scuffle took place on the pavement. After that came to an end he went over again and kicked the dog and then he walked away.”
Recorder David Swinnerton was told Daly, who is subject to supervision, smirked when probation officers had tried to assist him and had said: “Probation makes me laugh.”
Sentencing Daly he said: “You are 21 and are already amassing a lengthy criminal record. Since 2009 you’ve have 25 convictions for 44 offences.
” Not only were you on breach of the order, you had offended against the same person.”
CONVICTED (2018) | Raymond Carmody, born c. 1949, and Sarah-Louise Carmody, born c. 1970, of Pasture Lane, Lazenby, Middlesbrough TS6 – failed to treat their elderly dog’s tumour
The Carmodys admitted causing unnecessary suffering to their 16-year-old Staffordshire bull terrier Jack.
The Staffordshire bull terrier developed an ulcerated tumour on his foot in June 2017, leaving him in pain and unable to walk.
He was denied veterinary treatment for two months as the tumour grew bigger and bigger.
The court heard the Carmodys could not afford medical care after their flat was repossessed, and bandaged the wound instead.
The pair failed to seek vet care for a large, ulcerated tumour on Jack’s right foot.
The incident was described as a “blip” by their defence solicitor, who said the dog was otherwise healthy, well fed and regularly walked.
The Carmodys had asked that Jack be returned to them to die, but their request was denied and he will remain in the care of the RSPCA.
The animal charity said it was a “sad case” and representatives of the charity told the court: “It’s not usual for the RSPCA to prosecute people who are in difficulty.
“The reality is Mr Carmody didn’t realise he had done anything wrong.
“Unless the prosecution was brought, Jack would have to go back to a home that didn’t have enough money to care for it.”
Sentence: deprivation order. No other details available.
CONVICTED (2018) | David Rourke (since deceased), born 4 December 1958, of Farne Terrace, Newcastle upon Tyne NE6 4BS – killed a shih tzu with a hammer and set fire to his body.
The body of the three-year-old shih tzu, known as Charlie, was found in woods behind Mead Walk in Walker, Newcastle, in March 2017.
Charlie’s owner David Rourke was found guilty in his absence of failing to meet the needs of his dog by failing to meet his need to be euthanised in an appropriate and humane manner.
Crime scene: Charlie was found dead in a bag that had been set on fire
RSPCA Inspector Cathy Maddison said: “Poor Charlie was discovered when firefighters were called to extinguish a fire in the woods.
“He was inside a bin bag which had been set alight, presumably by a blow torch which was also found at the scene.”
Post mortem results found that Charlie died from a severe skull fracture as a result of blunt force trauma to the head, before being set alight.
It could not be determined whether he was struck once with immense force or several times in the same location.
Rourke gave no comment when interviewed and pleaded not guilty at the first hearing.
When he did not show up to court for the trial the case was heard without him and he was convicted.
In mitigation, the court heard that Rourke accepted hitting Charlie once with a hammer with the intention of killing him without causing unnecessary suffering.
He told officers he could no longer look after him.
He had tried rehoming him with family but it had not worked out, and he did not know what to do with him.
He had not attended the trial as he was working away.
Insp Maddison said: “Everyone involved in this case has found it upsetting to work on. I’d like to thank them all.
“We’ve been in the dark all the way through the investigation about what actually happened to Charlie and why as Rourke refused to give us any information.
“Whatever possesses someone to think this is an appropriate way to end a dog’s life is going to remain a mystery to me.”
Sentencing | 12-month community order; 120 hours of unpaid work; £750 costs. Disqualified from keeping animals for ten years.
#MostEvil | Graham Thomas, born c. 1962, of 11 Rowan Place, Rhymney, Tredegar NP22 5DT – hung a border collie from a tree and lied that the dog had done it himself
Gypsy traveller Graham Thomas was convicted of causing unnecessary suffering to a Welsh border collie named Prince by hanging him by his neck with a rope from a tree in August 2017.
Three witnesses called the RSPCA after seeing the incident in the area of a farm in Rhymney.
Thomas told the court it was an accidental death, and said the dog had ran up the tree with a 20-ft piece of rope attached to his neck which became twisted around the tree.
Thomas said by the time he reached the tree, the dog had died.
Witnesses told the RSPCA that before the incident happened, they had seen Thomas shouting and swearing at Prince.
Speaking after the hearing, RSPCA inspector Emma Smith said: “This is such an unusual and disturbing case where a sheepdog was killed by his owner allegedly because he wouldn’t round up his sheep properly.
“Prince would have suffered immensely which resulted sadly in his death. This deliberate cruelty is just so horrific to fathom.
“Following the incident his body was then removed by the defendant and burnt. It must have been extremely distressing for the witnesses to have seen this.
“We are very grateful to them for reporting it to us and assisting with our investigations.”
Sentencing: 18-week custodial sentence. Total of £865 costs and charges. Banned from keeping dogs and sheep for life.
CONVICTED (2018) | Adewale ‘Ade’ Akere, born 10/02/1983, previously of Ilford and more recently 19 Woolwich Manor Way, Newham, London E16 2NJ – brutally killed his wife’s cat and his neighbour’s cat hours later
Demented double cat killer Ade Akere
Teaching assistant Akere strangled Louis at his home in Ilford on Christmas Day before stabbing him and putting him in a bucket of paint. He left the bucket outside a nearby school.
In the early hours of Boxing Day, Akere borrowed Tom, his neighbour’s four-year-old cat, so he could play with Louis. Once in his house he also killed Tom and decapitated him with a kitchen knife.
Shortly afterwards his wife alerted the police who recovered the bodies of both animals. In interviews Akere claimed he had carried out the killings because he thought cats were evil.
Sentence: 16 weeks in prison suspended for 12 months. 30-day Rehabilitation Activity Requirement. Ordered to pay £100 in compensation to each victim. A restraining order not to contact either cat owner for three years was imposed. Banned from owning or looking after animals for five years (expires March 2023).
CONVICTED (2018) | Bill Ripley, born c. 1972, and Moses Brinkley, born 25/09/1956, both of the travellers site in Claywood Lane, Bean, Dartford DA2 8BU – forced cockerels to fight to the death
Bill Ripley whose aliases include Shamo Bill and Shamo King Bill
Ripley, who is known in cockfighting circles as Shamo Bill or Shamo King Bill, and accomplice Moses Brinkley were investigated by the RSPCA and police after graphic videos were posted on Facebook.
The charity said the cockfighting was both “high level and organised” and one of the biggest cases it had seen.
RSPCA inspector Carroll Lamport said: “We joined police officers as they executed warrants at three plots on a travellers’ site in Bean, Kent, where we were able to identify some of the ‘venues’ shown online in the fighting videos.
Images taken at the cockfighting den based at a travellers site in Dartford, Kent
A total of 242 birds were found at the site, as well as fighting “paraphernalia” such as spurs and muffs, and books on the blood sport. A makeshift pit had been built next to a caravan for the birds to fight.
Officers downloaded videos of cockfights from social media accounts and mobile phones.
One video showed a fight during which cocks pulled out mouthfuls of feathers and pecked each other in the eyes with their sharp beaks. The fight continue for 10 minutes until one bird was drenched in blood and the other collapsed, struggling to breathe.
Prosecutor Andrew Wiles told magistrates cockfighting was outlawed in Britain in 1835, but remains prevalent in the UK and throughout the world.
These defendants deliberately fought birds, the result of which is to cause them suffering,’ he said.
‘The Facebook material, which is extensive, suggests Mr Ripley, has been breeding, keeping, selling and fighting cockerels for a considerable time. It shows an interest dating back to 1990,’ said Mr Wiles.
‘There were in fact a total of 45,000 images downloaded.’
The court heard Brinkley told the probation service ‘it is the culture of the travelling community’ and he and his friend ‘did it for fun’.
Speaking outside court, Inspector Lamport said: ‘For that level of organised fighting I would have expected a prison sentence.’
‘I’m somewhat disappointed because I think cockfighting is a very, very cruel activity and the level of what these guys were doing is at the very top.
‘This is organised and prolific cockfighting, causing immense suffering to the cockerels involved.
‘I think the disqualification was very light and I would have hoped they would have been banned for life.
‘These guys were doing organised and regular cockfights and promoting what they were doing, with people coming from all over the country and abroad.
‘It is a barbaric sport that was made illegal for all the right reasons.’
He added: ‘On a cruelty ranking, this is right at the top level where animals are forced to fight.
‘The wounds they get are horrendous and the suffering is caused over a long period of time.
‘This is an abhorrent act. Most people would be horrified to see the results of cockfighting and to think it goes on in this country is appalling.’
However, Brinkley’s daughter Violet Smith said the men, who lived on a travellers’ site, had been treated unfairly.
Bill Ripley with Moses Brinkley’s daughter, Violet Smith
She said: “That is a travellers’ community thing to keep animals. We aren’t cruel to animals. We’re the type of people who put food out for animals. I don’t think it’s fair.”
Ripley and Brinkley each pleaded guilty to three charges of being present at an animal fight, one offence of keeping a premises for use in an animal fight and one offence of keeping animals for use in fighting.
The charges include five fights between July 2016 and March 2017, during which two birds were killed.
Sentencing: Ripley was given a 14-week sentence, suspended for a year, and Brinkley a 10-week term, suspended for a year.
The men were ordered to undertake rehabilitation, pay £865 in costs, and were disqualified for two years from keeping game fowl.
CONVICTED (2018) | Mark Stephen Champion, born 14/12/1971, and partner Julie Whitehead, born c. 1965, of Barrington Crescent, Middlesbrough TS3 9JD – left their German shepherd dog to suffer with a variety of painful conditions for two years without treatment
Champion and Whitehead admitted two charges of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal.
The pair failed to seek veterinary treatment for German Shepherd Max, who was suffering painful skin and ear infections.
Sadly Max’s condition was so bad, that the decision was taken to put him to sleep.
Neil Taylor, prosecuting, said tragic Max would have been in severe pain for several years and “was constantly shaking his head and scratching his ears.
Max was in constant pain with skin and ear infections.
“The ears were hot to the touch. Julie Whitehead said she knew she had neglected him.
“She said she couldn’t afford to take him to the vet.”
When Max was taken to Stanhope Park Veterinary Hospital, in Darlington, he was found to be underweight and had patches of fur loss around his eyes.
As well as was “constantly rubbing his ears and rubbing his face against the vet,” he also had infections in his skin.
Mr Taylor said the dog’s suffering was “the worst the vet had ever seen” and Max is believed to have been in “intense pain for at least two years”.
The court heard the couple, who have two children, were in financial difficulties and could not afford veterinary care for Max.
A report prepared by the probation service said they did not ignore the problem, and attempted to treat Max’s issues without veterinary help.
The court heard Whitehead was “very very scared” about what would happen if she did approach the vets when his condition worsened.
Sentencing: Both were given an 18-week prison sentence, suspended for 12 months and ordered to each pay £265 in costs and charges. Both were banned from owning animals for life with no right of appeal for five years.
CONVICTED (2018) | professional dog walker Helen J Campbell, born c. 1958, of 97 Netherton Road, Anniesland, Glasgow G13 1LJ – left eight dogs in a hot van causing two of them to lose their lives
Milly lost her life after being left in a van for three hours during a heatwave by professional dog walker Helen Campbell from Anniesland, Glasgow
Campbell, who owned a dog walking business named nose2tailk9care, locked eight dogs in a van for three hours during a heatwave. This resulted in two – Milly and Cody – dying. Three other dogs were hospitalised and three others fell ill.
The temperature inside the van is thought to have been as high as 104 degrees Fahrenheit or 21C.
Instead of telling owners what had happened to their dogs, Campbell repeatedly changed her story which resulted in some animals receiving the wrong treatment from vets.
In court Campbell admitted causing the dogs unnecessary suffering by leaving them in her van for a prolonged period of time without proper ventilation. and failing to seek necessary veterinary treatment.
Commenting on the investigation and court case, Scottish SPCA Inspector Gillian Dick said, “This is a heart-breaking example of why dogs should not be left in hot cars.
“The van was a totally unsuitable environment for dogs to be kept, especially on such a hot day. The dogs were left alone for two and a half to three hours which is unacceptable.
“Campbell did not inform the owners as to what had happened to their dogs which resulted in dogs receiving the wrong treatment. Had Campbell been truthful more appropriate treatment would have been given and prevented the situation being made worse.
“The temperature inside the van is likely to have reached at least 40 degrees centigrade. These conditions would be difficult for even a human to cope with never mind a dog that can’t sweat, as they have no sweat glands in the majority of their skin surface. The main way for a dog to cool down is through panting, which is much less effective than sweating and makes a dog much more prone to heat stroke.
“As a dog begins to overheat it will become very weak, have an increased heart rate and blood circulation which leads to dizziness and ultimately the dog will collapse and lose consciousness.
“Even in cases where dogs do not die, they can suffer from long term illness and the experience is extremely distressing.
Sentencing: 176 hours of community service. 20-year ban on owning, keeping, transporting or working with all animals.
CONVICTED (2018) | Kathryn Showell, born 1957, of Charles Street, Sileby, Loughborough LE12 7SH – caused the death of five horses through a catalogue of neglect.
Showell pleaded guilty to six counts of causing unnecessary suffering and a further 11 charges of failing in her duty of care to ensure the animals’ welfare.
The offences related to a total of 16 ponies over a five-month period between August 2016, and January 2017.
She also admitted a further 11 charges of failing in her duty of care to ensure the animals’ welfare.
Little Shetland Bobby could not be saved after suffering months of neglect at the hands of Kathryn Showell.
The court heard that the defendant kept ponies in fields at five different locations – Leicester Road, Thurcaston; Greengate Lane, Birstall; Cotes Road, Barrow upon Soar; Farnham Close, Rothley, and Station Road, Cropston.
Kevin McCole, prosecuting, said that a vet with several decades’ experience had said the neglect of one pony, which ultimately had to be put down, was “the worst he had ever seen”.
Mr McCole said: “The defendant was known to the RSPCA, who had regularly given her advice concerning the welfare of the ponies in her possession.
A field in Thurcaston where Showell kept some of the ponies.
“Concerns had been raised previously and culminated in a site visit on June 22, 2016, to a field off Leicester Road, Thurcaston.”
Two senior RSPCA inspectors, a police officer and a vet visited the location, where they spotted more than 20 ponies.
A return visit was made at the start of August 2016 and a formal warning issued after it was found the defendant had failed to provide veterinary treatment for two Shetland ponies named Bobby and Pixie.
The animals, who were in an “emaciated state”, were handed over to the RSPCA several weeks later and examined by a vet.
They were found to have diarrhoea and passed worm balls the “size of tennis balls”.
Cob pony Stella was so emaciated she had to be put down
Blood samples detected a worm infestation in both animals. Bobby was blind and both ponies had ulcers and infections, and teeth that were so rotten and painful that they could not eat properly.
Mr McCole said the neglect in Bobby’s case had probably been going on for “easily two years” and resulted in him being put down.
Cob ponies named Stella and Pearl also had to be put down after being recovered in an emaciated state from a field in Cotes Road, Barrow upon Soar.
Mr McCole said that in Stella’s case a vet reported that she was “emaciated and as thin as a pony can get whilst being able to stand up”.
In an operation carried out by the RSPCA and Leicestershire Police on January 19, 2017, a further 11 of Showell’s ponies found to be “suffering” were removed from five locations, with 19 remaining with the defendant.
Mr McCole said that despite the prosecution against her, it had recently been established that the number of ponies owned by the defendant had since risen to 34.
A probation report read to the court said that despite the defendant’s eventual guilty plea, concerns remained over her apparent inability to accept her wrongdoing and responsibilities for the ponies in her care.
In mitigation, Showell’s solicitor, Kim Lee, said horses were his client’s “whole life” but she had been living “beyond her means”.
He said that while living on state benefits, she would often go without herself in order to feed and water her animals.
Mr Lee described the defendant as someone who was “vulnerable”, “socially isolated” and suffered from depression and anxiety.
He said that she claimed she had also been pressured into buying some of her horses by members of the travelling community but had become overwhelmed by her responsibilities.
District Judge Sally Fudge told Showell that, while she accepted that there was no “intention to cause harm”, her failure to provide proper care to her ponies had caused them terrible suffering.
Sentencing: 14 weeks in prison, suspended for one year; total of £265 costs and charges. Disqualified from keeping ponies for just four years (expired March 2022).
CONVICTED (2018) | Natalie Botham (aka Natalie Western), born c. 1978, Berkshire Court, Leslie Street, Eastbourne BN22 8JE – neglected her two dogs.
Botham was found guilty of causing unnecessary suffering to Staffy Princess, by failing to address the causes of poor body condition and weight loss, which resulted in her emaciated, collapsed and unconscious state.
She was also found guilty of failing to take steps to meet the needs of another Staffy called Smooch.
The condition or fate of the dogs was not reported.
The cases were brought by the RSPCA and the verdicts were proved in her absence.
Sentencing was adjourned until March 15 2018 for reports to be prepared; however no further details are available.
