CONVICTED (2022) | Callum Volter, born c. 2000, of Milton Avenue, Widnes WA8 7BQ – threw his partner’s cat at a moving car during a row.
Volter pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to an animal in addition to charges of assault in relation to his partner and her teenage son and criminal damage to a TV.
Tess Kenyon, prosecuting, said Volter’s partner, Stevie Delaney, had picked him up from Haslingden and they were returning to their address in Crawshawbooth, Rossendale, when he said he wanted to get out of the car and clear his head. About five minutes after she got home he returned.
“There was an incident, during which she was grabbed and pushed, which led to him leaving the house while he was holding the family’s pet cat,” said Miss Kenyon.
“Miss Delaney followed and approached him and he shouted “Watch this” before throwing the cat at a moving car.”
Miss Kenyon said the cat hit the car and bounced into the road.
“Miss Delaney’s immediate thought was that he had killed it,” said Miss Kenyon.
“Her son Cody confronted him and this led to him going for the younger man.”
She showed CCTV footage which showed Volter put Cody to the floor where he repeatedly punched him.
In a victim impact statement Miss Delaney said the defendant’s behaviour had scared her.
“He is nothing more than a bully,” she said.
Daniel Frazer, defending, said his client’s initial decision to leave the house had been a good one.
“What he can’t explain is why he picked up the cat and then why he threw it into oncoming traffic,” said Mr Frazer.
He said the incident involving Cody had initially been his client defending himself.
“He accepts that when he got him on the floor he should have stopped but he didn’t and he went too far,” said Mr Frazer.
The fate of the unnamed cat was not reported.
Sentencing | 18-month community order with 30 days Rehabilitation Activity Requirement and 200 hours unpaid work. He was ordered to pay £100 compensation to Miss Delaney and £100 to her son, £95 victim surcharge and £85 costs. He was banned from keeping any animal for five years.
CONVICTED (2022) | Emily Jade Matthews, born October 1997, of The Bent, Jacksons Lane, Heage, Belper DE56 2AA – for unlicensed dog breeding/pet profiteering.
Emily Matthews pictured with fiancé and co-director of Brook Working Dogs, Chad Brooks
Matthews, co-director of Brook Working Dogs Ltd t/a Dog Training B.W.D., advertised puppies for thousands of pounds while unlicensed to do so, despite repeated warnings.
She advertised puppies of several breeds on the Pets 4 Homes website over a 12-month period.
Matthews was qualified to breed and train puppies but was not licenced to sell them. However, while she was not paid to advertise the dogs that were for sale, she did so on behalf of both herself and third parties between August 2020 and August 2021.
At a court hearing on Tuesday, September 6, 2022, Matthews changed her previous plea of not guilty to one of guilty to one charge of carrying on an activity without a licence under the Animal Welfare Act.
Annabel Lenton, prosecuting, told the court that Matthews worked for Brook Working Dogs and as part of her work was licenced to undertake a range of activities including scanning, microchipping and breeding dogs.
However, she posted on the Pets 4 Homes website about several border collie and blue whippet puppies being for sale, as well as puppies of other breeds, with Miss Lenton stating that money was received for these.
On September 28, 2020, following a complaint made by a member of the public on September 11, 2020, a letter was sent to Matthews by Amber Valley Borough Council explaining that a licence was needed to advertise or sell puppies, but no response was received.
On April 19, 2021, a further complaint was received after advertisements were seen for fox red Labrador puppies, which Matthews had bred herself, and border collies. These animals were worth a combined estimated total of £10,800.
Miss Lenton said: “She did receive money for both litters. Further adverts were then found a for a German Shepherd, and a part-trained sheepdog, which was for sale for £6,000.
“On April 1, 2021, another guidance letter was sent by the council but there was no response. On April 28, 2021, a further advert was found for German Shepherd puppies, which did not belong to Matthews, but she did advertise them. On June 8, 2021, Labrador puppies worth £4,200 were advertised.”
Miss Lenton said that an RSPCA visit to the Brook Working Dogs site had found multiple puppies, which were on sale both on their website and on Pets 4 Homes in adverts placed by Matthews. However, they found no welfare issues at the site and no charges were brought against Matthews regarding mistreatment.
John Last, representing Matthews, said that the defendant was simply unaware that a licence was needed and placed the adverts for friends and associates “out of kindness”. He added that “dogs are her whole life” and that she was now expecting a child with the owner of Brook Working Dogs, where she had worked for some time.
“This defendant has always accepted that she placed adverts for the sale of dogs on various websites. That has never been an issue.
“She was not told that [she needed to be licenced] in the letters, which she ignored, we can’t get away from that. She explained that she did not receive payment for, in effect, being someone who with administration for people who had puppies for sale.
“She got no money from it. She was not doing it for money, she was doing it because her whole life has been dealing with dogs. She trials nationally and internationally with German shepherds – dogs are her life.”
Sentencing, District Judge Jonathan Taaffe said: “I have to say to you, that I do take the view that you knew full well what you were doing throughout this period of time, and you ignored, deliberately, the correspondence from the council, burying your head and carrying on with these activities.
“But I have to accept that this is a case where there are no welfare issues before me. You face one charge and that is basically carrying out an unlicensed activity. I will sentence you on that charge.”
Sentencing | ordered to pay a £1,000 fine, £1,267 in costs and a £100 victim surcharge. Judge Taaffe stopped short of banning Matthews from keeping or working with dogs, despite a request from the prosecution for a disqualification order, due to there being no animal welfare concerns.
CONVICTED (2022) | backyard breeders / animal hoarders Christopher Mark Bennett, born 22 July 1987, and Gemma Linda Brogan, born 4 December 1979, both of 24A St Philips Avenue, Eastbourne BN22 8LX – kept 36 neglected dogs in foul conditions with no food or water.
When RSPCA Inspector Cora Peeters and Sussex Police attended the couple’s address back in June 2021, they found several Yorkshire Terrier and Cavalier King Charles Spaniel dogs who were “skinny with matted fur and living in filthy and extremely smelly conditions”.
Inspector Peeters said: “The property smelt very strongly of faeces and urine even through the mask I was wearing.
“When we opened the door, the noise level trebled and was quite unbearable. We were greeted by a sea of little faces all standing on top of each other in desperation to get to the door.
“The room was poorly lit but I could still tell a large number of these dogs were extremely underweight, their coats looked crusty and dreadlocked and the smell of urine and faeces was awful in the stuffy and airless room.”
Inspector Peeters, her colleagues and the police worked together to remove 36 dogs in total from the property.
She said: “The dogs, on the whole, were friendly but nervous and were barking excitedly. The smell was overpowering and the conditions were extremely poor and filthy with slippery floors and dirty walls splattered with muddy dog prints. I saw no evidence of food or water, just two filthy metal bowls against a mud-encrusted wall.”
While most of the dogs were loose in the property, two were in a “filthy crate” without any bedding in the kitchen and another two dogs were found in a small bedroom which was cleaner than the rest of the house, however these dogs also had no access to food or water.
Tragically it was too late to save one dog, who was found deceased in the middle of the kitchen floor.
During the court hearing, a vet report stated that all of the dogs were “suffering” or would have began to suffer if they were left at the premises.
The vet examined the dogs, who were a mix of Yorkshire Terriers, King Charles Cavalier Spaniels and Border Collies, and found they were “skinny” and some of them were even completely emaciated, with one male Yorkshire Terrier weighing just 2.15 kgs.
As well as being extremely underweight, some of the dogs also suffered from overgrown claws, gingivitis, periodontal disease, alopecia. One male Yorkshire Terrier was suffering from a tumour to his testicle. The majority of the dogs also had matted coats which were soiled in faeces.
The vet’s report concluded: “It is my opinion that the majority of dogs suffered as a result of the conditions in which they were being kept. All those dogs with a condition score of 2 or less were, in my opinion, suffering as they were too thin. Dogs with a condition score of 3 were likely to suffer if left at the premises.
“The dogs with periodontal disease were also suffering as this condition causes pain and distress and can predispose heart and kidney disease. The period of suffering would vary for each dog but I would estimate it to be from four to 12 weeks.”
Inspector Peeters said: “This was a sad case involving a large number of dogs who sadly had been neglected, left in their own filth, and left to suffer. The sheer noise and smell of the house alone was overwhelming but to then see the conditions the dogs were being kept in was really upsetting.”
She continued: “I’m glad that we could rescue these dogs and they are now getting the care and love they deserve.”
The 36 dogs, some of whom were pregnant and had puppies to care for, were taken into the care of the RSPCA in Brighton, Kent and Surrey. They were all rehabilitated before being rehomed.
Sentencing | Bennett: 18 weeks in jail and has been disqualified from keeping all animals indefinitely. Brogan: 18-week prison sentence suspended for 24 months; 100 hours of unpaid work; 30-day rehabilitation activity requirement; ordered to pay a total of £546.80 in costs and victim surcharge. Five-year ban on keeping any animal (expires February 2027).
Gemma Brogan is a dance teacher and runs her own children’s dancing school called Gemma Brogan’s Dance Club.
Update November 2022
The Daily Mail reported that Gemma Brogan and Christopher Bennett were jailed for six years after pleading guilty to seven counts of child neglect.
The prosecution in relation to the children followed the same police raid in June 2021 during which 35 dogs were removed from the couple.
Addressing Lewes Crown Court, Judge Stephen Mooney said that Bennett and Brogan had ‘frittered away £7,000 a month [in benefits] which should have been spent on the children’.
Detective Constable Fiona Ashcroft, of Sussex Police, said: ‘Upon entering the address, our officers were shocked about the state of the property and had major concerns for the welfare of all the children. ‘The stench as you entered the hallway hit officers hard; they were not able to breath normally due to the stench.
‘The state of the whole house was shocking and repugnant; it was cluttered and was strewn with discarded clothing, litter, rotting food and animal faeces.
‘It looked as if it had been filthy for a number of years.
‘There was a deafening sound of dogs yapping and barking coming from the room in front of the hallway.
‘When the door to the living room was opened, officers were shocked to see dozens of dogs climbing over each other to try and reach the open door.
‘All the dogs looked malnourished and skinny. Their fur was greasy, matted and covered in each other’s faeces.
‘In amongst the filth and melee of dogs, officers removed a sleeping child from the sofa, who was dressed in just a soiled nappy and had dogs jumping all over them.
‘All seven children, then aged between four and 17, were immediately taken into emergency protection and, following partnership working with the local authority children’s services, they were subsequently rehoused.
‘The four youngest children are now living with supportive families and are learning all the principle social, mobility and life skills that our society hinges on.
‘This was a particularly dreadful example of child neglect. The address is a three-bedroom property which had 10 occupants and 35 dogs crammed in.
‘It is impossible to paint an accurate picture of the full extent of degradation and filth these vulnerable children had to endure. It is unequivocally one of the most awful addresses I have ever been in.’
CONVICTED (2022) | pervert Robert Hurley, born c. 1970, of Griffon Close, Chellaston, Derby DE73 5PB – filmed his dog performing sex acts on a woman and uploaded the footage to a bestiality website.
A court has heard that after police seized the footage and charged Hurley, he told a probation officers that it was “two consenting adults” engaging in the behaviour. Now, having been convicted, he has lost his job.
In court, district Judge Jonathan Taaffe said: “To describe this matter, as you did to (the probation officer) as ‘two consenting adult behind closed doors, what does it matter?’ displays an error of judgement at best and at worst degenerate and depraved behaviour. Any right-thinking person would see the type of behaviour you videoed and uploaded, even with the consent of the other person, as some form of abuse.
“Little or no thought was given to the welfare of the animal involved and I am satisfied your attraction to depraved areas of bestiality has to be confronted full-on. It was you who videoed it and it was you who encouraged the dog to perform sex acts and then proceeded to upload the images on the website.”
Ben Payne, prosecuting, said police went to Hurley’s address on January 31, 2021, to investigate a domestic incident from which no charges have been brought. He said the defendant’s phone and other electronic devices were seized during the visit and on the phone there were 25 videos and three images. It was identified that it was the defendant on the footage and a woman and the dog was performing a sex act.
The prosecutor said: “It was a poodle and the dog was being incited to engage in various sexual acts with the female by the defendant. There was also evidence of him uploading videos to a bestiality website, which is an aggravating feature.”
Hurley pleaded guilty to possessing extreme pornographic images.
Sentencing | 40 rehabilitation sessions with the probation service; 100 hours of unpaid work; £180 in costs and victim surcharge. Five-year sexual harm prevention order.
CONVICTED (2022) | Jason Louis McAndrew, born c. 1977, of Marketgate, Arbroath – failed to treat his dog’s agonising skin condition.
Mac was put to sleep to end his appalling suffering after being neglected by his heartless owner, Jason McAndrew.
McAndrew admitted causing unnecessary suffering and failing to provide appropriate care and treatment in relation to nine-year-old German shepherd Mac. Very sadly the dog was put to sleep because of his poor condition. He had fractured teeth, an infected wound and dermatitis.
McAndrew was fined £150 and given a two-year ban on keeping animals. The sentence has been criticised by the Scottish SPCA, which had hoped for a longer ban.
A member of the public first reported concerns about McAndrew’s injured dog to the animal welfare charity on October 22, 2020.
Inspector Karen Cooper said: “The dog was taken to a nearby veterinary surgery.
“Mac was later transported to a Scottish SPCA animal rescue and rehoming centre for further care and attention.”
An initial assessment revealed wounds down the dog’s legs and around his scrotum, where the top layer of skin had disappeared.
Ms Cooper said: “The wound was clearly very tender as Mac was unwilling to let anyone near it.
“All of the wounds were infected and weeping discharge which had become matted in to the hair around them.
“There was an obvious pungent smell coming from Mac and he was extremely sore because of his wounds.”
Later test results showed Mac had an auto immune condition where his body was “attacking its own skin.”
“This was likely to have been a condition that built up over time and was present for months if not years,” said Ms Cooper.
“His condition was potentially treatable and leaving his condition untreated led to Mac being caused unnecessary suffering for a prolonged period of time.”
Later that week, McAndrew agreed to sign Mac over into the care of the charity.
“Sadly, the difficult decision was made to put Mac to sleep on veterinary advice due to the extent of his injuries,” said Ms Cooper.
She added: “We would have hoped to have seen a lengthier ban as McAndrew was responsible for the welfare of Mac and sadly his needs were not met.
“We understand that veterinary treatment can be expensive, but ignoring Mac’s condition was not the way to handle the situation and caused him an unnecessary amount of suffering.”
She urged anyone with concerns about an animal to contact the Scottish SPCA hotline.
Sentencing | fined £150. Two-year ban on keeping animals.
CONVICTED (2022) | Laura Baverstock, born 5 December 1981, of 26 High Street, Finedon, Wellingborough NN9 5JN – dug a grave for her dog as he lay dying from unexplained ingestion of a significant quantity of antifreeze.
Baverstock, who has links to Luton, Bedfordshire, should have sought veterinary care for her German shepherd Rek, who became severely ill with symptoms of antifreeze poisoning.
But instead, she told her neighbours he was dying and a hole was dug in the ground while he continued to be in pain. The RSPCA tried to intervene but nobody answered the door.
On August 31, 2022, the 40-year-old was jailed for 18 weeks in what a prosecutor described as being close to one of the worst cases of its kind.
The court heard that on October 9, 2018, Baverstock approached her neighbours and asked if they would assist in digging a hole so Rek could be buried. Her neighbours, who had heard the dog barking that day, asked what his condition was.
Prosecuting, Adam Williams said: “They were told he was not dead but was dying.”
Baverstock’s neighbours refused to help dig the grave and instead went to see Rek. They described him as appearing very ill and weak and droopy eyed, the court heard.
They were so concerned they called the RSPCA who dispatched an officer to the High Street flat. When he arrived the lights at the address were on but nobody answered the door and a calling card was put through the letterbox. He went to the communal back garden where he saw the hole had been dug but was empty.
The next day at 10.30am another RSPCA officer attended and was told that Rek had died overnight.
Rek
Baverstock said her dog had eaten weedkiller three days earlier. The court heard that she said she had spoken to a vet she found on Google, who said that he would be sick but would be fine.
Rek’s cause of death was found to be renal failure from antifreeze poisoning. The court heard that, because of the size of the dog, he must have had at least two-thirds of a pint of concentrated antifreeze for renal failure to kick in. There was no finding of fact over how the antifreeze entered his system.
Mr Williams said: “This is not something that would have been found in weedkiller. This is not something the animal would have stumbled across in any safe home or outside area.”
Rek was also found to be suffering from heart and lung disease – and that any ‘reasonable’ dog owner would have noticed a change in their behaviour weeks earlier.
Mr Williams added: “Putting the antifreeze aside there should have been at least a three week warning that the animal was sick.”
Baverstock was later charged with causing unnecessary suffering to an animal and denied the offence but was found guilty after a two-day trial in July 2022.
The court heard mitigation that she ‘clearly cared a great deal for Rek’, demonstrated genuine emotion at the trial and had the case hanging over her for four years. Her legal representative argued the case for a community order.
But magistrates instead sent her to prison for 18 weeks and banned her from keeping animals for life, with a minimum period of 10 years before she could apply for the disqualification to be lifted.
Chair of the bench Richard Hawkins said there was no question that she had caused unnecessary suffering to Rek.
He said: “It’s really quite appalling what happened.”
Sentencing | 18-week custodial sentence; £7,462.60 in costs. Lifetime ban on keeping animals.
Baverstock lives with a partner and it’s unknown why he wasn’t also charged with animal cruelty.
A former neighbour of the pair told us this:
“I’ve reported them for cruelty to animals a number of times as I’ve heard them hitting the dogs, shouting at them. The previous dog before Rek they kept in a communal cupboard, no window no warmth and this was through the snow and freezing weather so I reported that too. The RSPCA and the dog warden were involved, then that dog disappeared.
“I honestly had fpir years of hell living beneath them, everyone who knows me knows how much I love animals and I’d do anything I can to protect them so as you can imagine having to hear those psychos treat their animals the way they did and not being able to doanything other than report them was so heart breaking….
“Because I reported them for Rek myself and my family were threatened on a daily basis from them, my children had knives waved at them out the window, I was chased with a hammer swinging it at me.
“We had four years of absolute torture but we are finally away from them in a new house but now they torture the new tenants of our old flat…
“They are horrendous and get away with because they just don’t answer the door to anyone, not the RSPCA, the police no one… I can’t tell you how ecstatic I am that something has been done.”
CONVICTED (2022) | serial animal abuser Paul Kerr, born 25 December 1977, of Clifton Road, Aberdeen AB24 4EL – starved his dog to emaciation.
Paul Kerr was already known to the SSPCA after being reported for failing to feed the same dog (Molly, pictured) a proper diet.
Kerr failed to provide adequate nutrition for his dog Molly. When she became abnormally thin, he neglected to take her a vet or seek advice for the health conditions she was suffering.
Molly was found to be “emaciated” by Scottish SPCA inspectors, who were able to feel her ribs and spine by running a hand along her body.
Scottish SPCA inspector, Fiona McKenzie, said, “On September 17, 2019, we received a call from a concerned member of the public about a dog at an address on Clifton Road that was not being fed properly.
“Paul Kerr was known to the Scottish SPCA as we had attended the property in January 2017 following a similar complaint. At the time, Molly was found to be underweight and her ribs and spine were visible.
“An animal welfare notice was issued and Kerr was advised to take Molly to his local PDSA veterinary practice for regular weight checks and feeding advice. Kerr complied with the notice and when we last saw Molly in July 2017 she was in good body condition.
“After a few attempts to contact Kerr, we finally gained entry to the property on 20 September 2019. On seeing Molly, it was visibly evident that she was emaciated. Molly’s bones were visible and could be easily felt by running a hand along the dog. She appeared bright otherwise.
“Paul Kerr was asked if he had taken Molly to the vet recently and he said his PDSA registration was out of date and needed to be renewed. He claimed Molly was fed three to four feeds a day consisting of wet and dry food but that she often had diarrhoea.
“Molly was immediately removed from the property due to concerns for her welfare and taken to a vets to be examined. Blood tests were carried out but no underlying medical cause could be found for her weight loss.
“Molly was taken in to the care of one of our animal rescue and rehoming centres, and when I examined her six days later she had already gained 1.3kg in weight and her coat was glossy. She had no vomiting or diarrhoea.
“Molly continued to gain weight with no issues while in our care. She received no specialist treatment other than being fed a diet which was easily digestible.
“It was extremely disappointing to find Molly in such poor condition again. From the previous experience Kerr should have known and recognised Molly’s weight loss and ensured she received an adequate diet to prevent her suffering.
“It’s incredibly concerning that Kerr had not learned from the first investigation in that he allowed it to happen again and for Molly to get in even worse condition than the first time.
“We are pleased that Paul Kerr has been banned from keeping dogs for three years.
“However, at one point, Molly’s weight was 15.85kg after our first intervention in 2017. To allow her to lose 5kg and not recognise a problem or show concern is deeply worrying and we would have liked him to have received a longer ban.
“We hope Kerr will seriously consider his ability to look after any animal in the future.
Sentencing | fined £135. Three-year ban on keeping dogs.
CONVICTED (2022) | career criminal Alexandru Chifor, born c. 1991, from Primrose Field, Harlow CM18 61U – punched a police dog repeatedly while holding her head underwater.
Romanian national Chifor attacked the dog after she repeatedly bit him when he refused to stop for police after they were called to a break-in in Rochford on July 2022.
Chifor and his co defendant Nelutu Stanga, from Wokingham, Berkshire, were sentenced at Basildon Crown Court on 1 September 2022.
Prosecuting, Paul Valder, said: “On July 3 at about 7.10pm the business owner was alerted to the break in and that intruders were on the site.
“They were caught on CCTV breaking into the business, they cut a fence post and the damage caused was worth about £1,000. Two catalytic converters were stolen which are worth about £1,000.
“The dog bit him a few times and Chifor was seen deliberately holding the dog’s head underwater. He then struck the dog twice to his head, punching it in a stabbing motion.”
The court heard Chifor was in breach of a suspended sentence which was handed to him by the courts following a burglary at a home and a driving offence.
Mitigating for Chefor Colin Pope said he has a wife and child and works as a painter.
Stanga, who was unrepresented, told the court he was sorry via an interpreter.
Both admitted theft, going equipped for theft and criminal damage to property valued under £5,000. Chifor also admitted causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal and Stanga admitted possession of a bladed article.
Chifor was jailed for eight months after being sentenced to six months for each of the three counts, to be served concurrently, and two months for breaching his suspended sentence. Stanga was handed a community order and ordered to carry out 100 hours unpaid work.
CONVICTED (2022) | Cindy Hancock, born 28 January 1986, of St Georges House, Charlotte Despard Avenue, Battersea, London SW11 5NH – left her poorly dog trapped in a shaft for three days before calling for help.
Hancock was jailed after being found guilty of causing unnecessary suffering to her dogs, Maya and Oscar.
In December 2021 the London Fire Brigade and RSPCA officers rescued Maya, a black spaniel, from a deep riser cupboard where she had been trapped.
Animal Rescue Officer (ARO) Mat Hawkins said: “Cindy Hancock showed me the hole where Maya was stuck down and confirmed that the dog had been there for three days before she called fire and rescue. The hole was so deep I didn’t manage to see the bottom of the area.”
In a witness statement read in court, a vet said: “It is deeply concerning that the dog was left in a service shaft for that period of time, during which her needs were not met and she would have suffered both physically and psychologically.”
While at Hancock’s house, the RSPCA examined Maya as well as her other dog, Oscar. Concerned about their welfare, he took the dogs to a vet who found that both were underweight and suffering from eye infections.
A vet told the court that Oscar was clearly underweight on presentation and his blood profile fitted with a diagnosis of malnutrition. Oscar’s eye infection was also causing pain and had been left untreated by Hancock.
“It is extremely clear in this case that through ignoring the eye injury, failing to provide adequate nutrition and failing to rescue the dog from the service shaft as quickly as possible, the owner’s actions have resulted in significant and unnecessary suffering,” the vet said.
Maya and Oscar have recovered in the care of the RSPCA and Oscar has since gained a substantial amount of weight. They are now looking for loving new homes.
Sentencing | 26 weeks’ imprisonment. Banned from owning any animals for 10 years.
CONVICTED (2022) | Terry Lee Brockhill, born 11 April 1984, of Kingfisher Grove, Allerton, Bradford BD8 0NP – forcefully kicked a dog in a domestic violence incident.
Brockhill had been drinking vodka and taking cocaine when he set about his partner and her sister at a house in Keighley on March 26, 2022.
He had stood up in the early hours and punched his first victim in the face and grabbed her by the throat, squeezing with such force that she had difficulty breathing, effectively throttling her. The second woman was punched and kicked.
When the unnamed dog then went to protect his mistress Brockhill kicked him “with force”
He pleaded guilty ahead of his trial to two charges of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
Both women sustained bruising and told the police they were very frightened during the attack. One said he had ‘a look in his eye’ and she was petrified. The second said she was also extremely afraid.
The condition of the dog was not reported.
Brockhill had 12 previous convictions for 16 offences but nothing for violence, the court was told.
Sentencing | jailed for a total of 20 months. He faced no animal cruelty charges and was not therefore banned from keeping animals.
