CONVICTED (2011) | Hector Findlay, born 8 August 1955, of 12 Warnock Crescent, Bellshill ML4 2HS – beat an elderly West Highland terrier with a hammer and dumped him, still alive, in a wheelie bin
This horrific incident occurred in September 2011. Findlay returned home to find Westie Ben had fouled the floor of a newly decorated room. He took the defenceless dog outside and repeatedly smashed his skull with a hammer. He then dumped Ben, still alive, in a wheelie bin.
Findlay’s family alerted police but when they found the dog he was so badly injured he had to be put down.
Despite demands from animal welfare groups and an MSP for a heavy punishment, Findlay escaped a custodial sentence. Instead, he was given a community payback order of 250 hours’ unpaid work and banned from keeping any animal for five years (expired 2016).
Additional Reporting
Report directly from Hamilton Sheriff Court where Hector Findlay of Bellshill, Lanarkshire, was today (03.11.11) sentenced for bludgeoning to death an elderly Westie with a hammer.
Today I sat in court as sentence was passed, Findlay having pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to causing unnecessary cruelty to an animal. Findlay was accompanied by a woman, who we were later told was his wife, and two other adults. I sat just a few seats away from Findlay as he waited for his case to be called and made a point of turning my head towards him every so often to give him a cold hard stare. He avoided meeting my eyes.
Findlay was much smaller than I expected – no more than 5ft 6″. His wife, clearly upset, frequently dabbed a tissue under her eyes.
Finally Findlay’s case was called. His lawyer said that there was little that could be said in mitigation for his client’s actions which he admitted were “appalling”. He said that Findlay had a long-standing alcohol problem, which had caused him to lose his job in June 2011. He had been charged with a separate, unrelated, offence, which he also blamed on his alcoholism.
Findlay could offer no excuses for his cruelty towards the 15-year-old Westie, named Ben, other than that he had suffered what he had described as a “black-out”. His lawyer argued that it was positive that he had told his family what he had done rather than attempt to conceal it.
Findlay had been ostracised by the local community and had also received death threats, which had been reported to the police.
His wife and teenager children are standing by him.
Findlay’s lawyer pleaded with the judge not to pass a custodial sentence. His client, he said, was 56 years old and posed no threat to the community. The judge accepted this and ordered Findlay to carry out 250 hours of “community payback” work (the maximum was 300 hours). A five-year ban on keeping animals was also imposed. The court heard that the Findlays had no other pets.
Under Scots Law Findlay could have faced up to six months’ imprisonment. Instead he walked free from Court.