CONVICTED (2016) | Fiona Simpson, born 11 June 1982, of Shalfleet Drive, Alvaston, Derby DE24 0UR – starved four snakes to death.

Mother-of-three Simpson didn’t feed her four snakes for several months at a time. Two hadn’t been fed at all for seven months while two more were so badly emaciated they had to be put to sleep.

Simpson also failed to keep a tank heated for the four snakes and in one case left a boa constrictor for dead in a plastic bowl inside a bag. It was found at her home by an RSPCA inspector with its nostrils “crusted over” and “lying in stinking yellow liquid”.

Another snake, when examined by a vet, was found to have rotting skin in its jaws and was “wheezing and blowing bubbles from its mouth”.

And two other corn snakes were so malnourished they were “neglected to the point of emaciation”.

The court was told how all of the pets either died within days of being taken to the vet or had to be euthanised “on welfare grounds”.

John Sutcliffe, prosecuting on behalf of the RSPCA, said: “An expert snake vet who examined the reptiles said it was one of the worst cases (of neglect) he had ever seen.

“One of the snake’s bodies had simply shut down due to starvation while another suffered long-term starvation. One Boa was described as limp, floppy and lethargic and despite attempts to try and feed it, it could not swallow.

“Shed skin was blocking its nostrils and when she was interviewed, the defendant admitted she had not fed two of them for seven months and another for six months.”

The hearing was told how Simpson had bought the snakes in 2015 after “developing an interest” in them.

Andy Oldroyd, mitigating, said his client initially fed them “from instructions she read on the internet,” but had stopped as she was “unable to cope due to depression”.

Sentence: 12-month community order; £700 costs. Banned from keeping all animals for life.

Daily Mail