CONVICTED (2023) | hoarders Suzanne Wimbledon, born c. 1979, of Aylmer House, Eastney Street, London SE10 9NU, and Shuman Rashid, born c. 1974, now of Oakley Lane, Lambeth – starved four large dogs kept in squalor at their tiny flat.

Suzanne Wimbledon, aka Suzanne Rachid, and partner Shuman Rashid starved their pets because they didn’t want them to defecate inside the flat. The four dogs ended up so emaciated they could barely walk and one of them died from malnutrition.

The pair first came to the RSPCA’s attention in March 2022 when their emaciated Great Dane named Zara died in an animal hospital. Inspectors attended the couple’s flat in Eastney Street where they found a husky-type dog called Rocky and a Staffie cross called Kiko. Both had been severely neglected.

RSPCA Inspector Natasha Wallis said: “The small flat appeared to be that of a hoarder’s property. There were multiple boxes stacked on top of one another, with little room to manoeuvre inside.

“When I stroked Rocky along his back and sides, I could easily feel the bones along his spine, hips and rib cage indicating he was significantly underweight. He appeared wobbly and weak when walking.

“Kiko had little space to move inside a small cage which only contained a blanket.”

RSPCA Inspector Harriet Daliday said that she was told by a vet that Rashid said he “did not feed his dogs the correct amount to stop them defecating inside the flat”.

Rashid said he had rehomed a Neopolitan Mastiff called Kali in January 2022.

A vet told the court: “Kali was never a healthy weight from August 2018 until January 2022, when she was reportedly rehomed, while Zsa Zsa recorded the lowest possible body condition score between July 2021 up to March 2022 when she died from emaciation.

“Rashid and Wimbledon were instructed to feed the dogs more but claimed it “made the dogs produce more faeces”.

The vet added: “They frequently went against veterinary advice and frequently missed arranged appointments to check the weights of both dogs.

“The dogs attended all their appointments with coats on, even during the summer months, presumably to hide the fact they were severely underweight.”

In court Rashid pleaded guilty to five offences under the Animal Welfare Act, while Wimbledon pleaded guilty to three offences.

In mitigation, the pair claimed they had done their “incompetent best for the four dogs” but both have disabilities – Rashid has a back injury and Wimbledon is deaf.

The magistrates said it was an “appalling case of animal cruelty”, although they added that the defendants’ early guilty pleas meant they could suspend their custodial sentences. Both were given lifetime bans on keeping animals.

Speaking after the sentencing, Inspector Wallis said: “It was daily torture for these poor dogs to be kept in this flat – they were being starved in what appeared to be a hoarder’s property. Three of the dogs became emaciated and the other was confined to a cage. The defendants were repeatedly told to increase the dogs’ intake of food, but they didn’t and that is why Zsa Zsa died.

“But not only did they physically suffer from being starved but also mentally as they had no stimulation as they were confined in a small property for days on end, which would have been extremely depressing for the dogs.

“Since they have come into our care, Rocky has put on weight and has returned to a healthy condition. Kiko was a nervous and anxious dog, but thanks to the care and attention of staff at our animal centre he has really come out of himself.”

Sentencing | 12-week prison sentences, suspended for 12 months.; 100 hours of unpaid work each; a total of £428 each in costs and surcharge. Banned from keeping animals for life.

Independent
My London