CONVICTED (2018) | Roy Busby, born c. 1959, of Bath Road, Bridgwater TA6 4PP – failed to seek veterinary treatment for his elderly dog after he was attacked by another of Busby’s nine dogs.
Bridgwater’s Roy Busby, who was allowed to keep his eight other dogs, failed to seek timely vet treatment for poor Binks’ terrible injuries
Busby admitted that his failure to provide timely veterinary care for lurcher Binks led to his suffering.
The elderly dog sadly had to be put to sleep by a vet because of the severity of his injuries.
Speaking about the case, RSPCA inspector Marie Griffiths said: “Our pets are reliant on us and when an animal is injured. It’s an owner’s duty to ensure they receive the veterinary care they need.
“It’s heartbreaking to think not only did Binks endure painful injuries but that he was left to suffer without the care he deserved.”
Busby’s daughter Emily Courtenay insisted that she and her father did “everything in our power” to save Binks, adding: “If we treated our animals badly we would not have been allowed to keep our other eight dogs”.
Sentencing: 80 hours of unpaid work; £225 in court costs. NO BAN.
CONVICTED (2018) | Brenda Cooper, born c. 1960, of Stanley Street, Seaham SR7 0AH – failed to take cancer-stricken pet cat Ava to vet
Cat Ava had to be euthanised but Alfie and four other cats were saved and are available for rehoming.
RSPCA inspectors visited Cooper’s home and found Ava with a large infected tumour in her stomach. She had never been seen by a vet The animal was also severely underweight and sadly had to be put to sleep.
Speaking about the case RSPCA Inspector Cathy Maddison said: “When I visited the property in April this year, I found a dog and five cats.
“One cat – Ava – was in an absolutely shocking condition. [She] had a very large infected tumour on her stomach which was open and filled with pus.
“She was also extremely underweight – just skin and bone. With the owner’s consent, I rushed her to the vet.
“Sadly, due to the inoperable and cancerous tumour, Ava’s condition was so severe that to prevent her suffering any further the vet decided the kindest option was to put the poor cat to sleep, also with the consent of the owner.
“This was an awful case as there was nothing that could be done for Ava by the time the RSPCA was made aware of the situation.
“But I’m just thankful that Alfie the dog and the other cats are in our care and they too are no longer at risk of suffering.”
Sentencing: Total of £430 in fines, costs and charges. Three-year ban on keeping animals (expired August 2021).
CONVICTED (2018) | Sarah Burnham, born 10 March 1991, and Louise Wood, born c. 1957, formerly of Hunloke Road, Holmewood, Chesterfield S42 5RZ – mistreated 19 dogs and three cats who were kept in filth and squalor.
Sarah Burnham and Louise Wood mistreated 19 dogs and three cats while they were being kept at a former shared address on Hunloke Road, Holmewood, Chesterfield.
The animals were kept in appalling conditions in dark rooms with excrement.
The pair pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to the animals by subjecting them to an environment which was detrimental to their wellbeing between October 2017 and January 2018.
Sentencing | Burnham, now of no fixed abode, and Wood, now of Edensor Court, Middlecroft, Chesterfield, were both fined £360 each and were each ordered to pay a £36 victim surcharge and £300 costs. Both Wood and Burnham were disqualified from keeping animals for life and no application to lift the order will be allowed for ten years.
#MostEvil | Darryn Carpenter, born c. 1981, Normandy Way, St Budeaux, Plymouth PL5 – beat a pet rabbit to death and dumped the battered body in the bin.
Father-of-two Carpenter, who has a conviction for domestic violence, was found guilty in his absence of causing Lucky unnecessary suffering on or about December 8 , 2017.
Police visiting Carpenter’s home on another matter found the animal wrapped in a plastic bag in the bin.
When questioned Carpenter claimed he had gone downstairs when he heard Lucky making noises, and after picking him up he dropped Lucky on the floor by accident. He said that when he put Lucky back into the hutch he was unharmed, but was found dead in the hutch the next day.
A post-mortem examination showed Lucky has suffered a severe injury to his thorax (the area between the neck and the abdomen).
He had a fracture dislocation of his spine and severe bleed to his chest cavity and into his lungs. It was concluded that he died as a “result of blunt force trauma”. Significant force had been applied to break the rabbit’s back. None of this was consistent with Carpenter’s claims that the rabbit had accidentally fallen to the floor.
Speaking about the case RSPCA chief inspector Richard Abbott said: “This was a very upsetting case where Mr Carpenter inflicted a great deal of violence and cruelty on a defenceless pet, who was kept at his home.”
“Pets deserve to be treated with care and respect and it’s terribly sad that poor Lucky’s life ended in this way.”
Sentence: 18-week prison sentence, suspended for 12 months. Total of £615 costs and charges. Banned from keeping any animal for 10 years (expires August 2028).
CONVICTED (2018) | Courtney Marie Layton, born 15/04/1999, of Stockton-on-Tees TS19, and Ian David Tait, born 06/06/1973, of Dover Road, Stockton-on-Tees TS19 0JT – left horses starving in deplorable conditions
Travellers Layton and Tait both pleaded guilty to animal neglect charges between March 11 and April 1, 2018.
Their horses had been kept in shocking conditions at an allotments in Port Clarence, with one horse laying in thick mud and another so skinny an RSPCA inspector could feel his spine, ribs, pelvic bones and shoulder blades through his thick coat.
John Ellwood, prosecuting on behalf of the RSPCA, outlined the squalid conditions inspectors saw when they visited the allotment where the animals were found.
He said: “In the gaps and at the entrance to the make-shift stable there were exposed nails and wire which would present a hazard to the horses.
“While the inspector was on site Harley got his feet caught in a pallet and had to be released. There were no dry areas, no grass, no hay, no adequate shelter and no bedding.”
He added: “The entire allotment was thick with wet mud and faeces. There was lots of rubble, broken glass, wire and a long piece of barbed wire on the floor.”
All the animals were later seen by a vet who confirmed that the conditions the animals had been kept in were totally unsuitable for horses.
“The vet’s opinion is that Blaze and Little Man had been starved to the point of emaciation and were clearly suffering,” Mr Ellwood added.
Blaze and Little Man belonged to Layton, while Dinky and Harley were Tait’s horses.
The court heard how attention was first drawn to the allotment when the pony Blaze was seen to be collapsed on the floor.
Members of the public had been feeding him and alerted the RSPCA.
An inspector later found the pony lying in thick wet mud on his right side, making no effort to lift his head or stand up.
The court was told in mitigation that Layton had been heavily pregnant when the offence occurred and had struggled to go up to look after the horses each day.
Tait and Layton outside court
Danielle Hewitt, defending, said Layton, a mother-of-two, is a “vulnerable person” and “remorseful” for her actions.
The court was told she had been dealing with “a number of issues in her personal life” and that she has suffered with depression for as long as she can remember.
She added that the horses had only been kept at the allotments “temporarily”.
Discussing Tait, Ms Hewitt said he had only kept his horses at the allotment for one night.
After care from the RSPCA, the horses have made a full recovery and are now free from parasites. The two starved horses – Blaze and Little Man – have now reached a normal weight.
Sentencing: Layton was jailed for 18 weeks for causing unnecessary suffering to an animal. She was also given a 12-week jail sentence for failing to meet the needs of the horses, which will run concurrently.
Tait was given a 12-week jail term for failing to meet the needs of the horses.
The pair were also disqualified from keeping animals for 10 years (expires August 2028).
CONVICTED (2018) | Lisa Clements, born c. 1984, and Paul Rendle, born c. 1971, both of Chatsworth Gardens, Plymouth PL5 2JU – starved their dog to emaciation.
The pair admitted causing unnecessary suffering to Staffordshire bull terrier Diesel. .
RSPCA Inspector Jon Phipps visited the couple’s home after concerns were raised about the dog’s welfare.
Inspector Phipps said: “Diesel was sadly in a poor condition that could have been treated easily with the right care and attention.
“His condition has improved significantly simply with normal feeding.
“He almost doubled his weight in our care from 10kg to 19.6kg and is now at a healthy weight.
“There is never an excuse for failing to meet the needs of an animal and allowing them to get into such a poor and emaciated condition.”
Sentence: £280 each in court costs; 10-year ban on keeping mammals and birds (expires August 2028).
CONVICTED (2018) | Daniel William Waring, born January 1970 of Haithwaite Farm, Penton, Carlisle CA6 5QT – left hundreds of sheep to die through starvation and neglect.
Over 640 sheep died of starvation and neglect on one year on Haithwaite Farm, Penton, Carlisle
Waring, director of D W Waring Limited (since dissolved), pleaded guilty to numerous animal welfare and disease control offences.
In just one year over 640 of Waring’s sheep died due to starvation and neglect.
Councillor Celia Tibble, Cabinet Member responsible for Trading Standards, said: “This was a long and complex investigation which has been brought to a satisfactory conclusion.
“We support the farming community but where poor practice and unnecessary suffering are discovered we will intervene and take action.
“These animals were kept in terrible conditions, animal cruelty will not be tolerated.
“Laws are there for a reason, to control disease, to protect animals and to ensure the safety of the wider food chain.”
Sentence: 121-day prison sentence, suspended for twelve months; 110 days of unpaid work; costs of £17,783. Seven-year ban on keeping animals (expires August 2025)
Hayes’ Park House Football Club expressed its disgust after a dog that had been beaten to death was left behind by travellers
File photos. Spaniel shown was rescued from a travellers site in Esholt, Shipley, in 2016
Up to 40 caravans set up camp at the club’s pitches in Barnet Wood Road on Friday (August 17, 2018) after cutting locks off two gates.
A spokesman for Park House Football Club said: “Two people tried to stop them but they were threatened with death.
“They also said they would set fire to our club.”
Club representatives arrived the next morning when “donuts were thrown” at their cars as they endured a tirade of abuse.
During the incursion the clubhouse was smashed into and goods taken before police removed the travellers later that day.
The club spokesman added: “There was huge rubbish left behind, human excrement and a dog who was beaten to death in a field.
The dog was believed to be a terrier and the RSPCA has collected the remains.
Meantime, a charity called Friends, Families and Travellers slammed the local authority for seeking a High Court injunction and argued some travellers have no choice but to stay on illegal land.
CONVICTED (2018) | Theresa McGahey, born c. 1983, of Fort Street, Belfast BT12 7BH – starved her two dogs, one of which died from malnutrition.
The court heard backyard breeder Theresa McGahey of Fort Street, Belfast BT12 could barely look after herself never mind be responsible for animals
Irresponsible McGahey’s appalling neglect was discovered after she contacted Belfast City Council to ask them to remove the dog’s body. A council official discovered the dead brindle-coloured Staffy, named Tyson, lying in the rear yard of the property.
The court heard that a second “extremely skinny” Staffordshire Bull Terrier was lying on top of the dead body of her companion, alive but in a “poor state.”
When found, Tyson weighed just 7kg against a normal weight for the breed of 17kg. A vet later determined ulcers were found in Tyson’s stomach, which compounded with starvation would have led to a “painful and miserable” death in “appalling conditions.”
It was concluded that Tyson had died in “considerable distress” and in “filthy conditions”. As well as starving the dog, McGahey also failed to obtain medical treatment which amounted to “a criminal act that went on over a period of time” as it would have taken the dog “days if not weeks to starve”.
Court documents stated McGahey’s abuse of Tyson occurred over a 14-month period between January 2016 and March 2017.
Backyard breeder McGahey, who frequently advertised puppies for sale via Facebook, initially claimed Tyson had been poisoned and denied having deprived him of food.
It’s understood the other dog found at her home has since been returned to health and rehomed.
When local newspaper Sunday Life called to McGahey’s property and asked about the dog starving to death, she said: “And what?”
Sentencing | 12-month conditional discharge. Banned from keeping animals for life.
CONVICTED (2018) | Richard Curtis and Claire Fradgley, both born c. 1982, of Loweswater Road, Denton Burn, Newcastle upon Tyne NE5 2SN – starved a boa constrictor snake to death
An RSPCA inspector found the dead snake in a cold tank at the rented home of Richard Curtis and Claire Fradgley.
A post-mortem revealed starvation was the only possible cause of death.
Speaking about the case RSPCA inspector Kirsty Keogh-Laws said: “Curtis and Fradgley admitted that they knew the snake was thin but they didn’t do anything about it.”
“This snake suffered and died as a result.”
The couple initially denied any wrongdoing, despite the charity claiming they had caused the reptile to suffer needlessly for more than two months the previous winter.
But just before their trial at Newcastle Magistrates’ Court was due to start, they both entered guilty pleas to four charges.
The pair admitted causing unnecessary suffering to the animal, along with failing to ensure the snake’s welfare.
They were caught when the landlord of their old Newburn Road property in Newcastle found the unnamed snake.
The attending RSPCA officer discovered the vivarium in which the snake was found didn’t even have a heat lamp.
Magistrates have now banned the pair, who are parents to three boys, from keeping reptiles again.
Sentencing: Curtis: a total of £865 fines and costs Fradgley: a total of £700 fines and costs Both banned for life from keeping reptiles
