CONVICTED (2016) | David Michael O’Toole, born 14 April 1986, of Birkett Road, Rock Ferry, Birkenhead CH42 4PR* – set his dog on his girlfriend’s pet tortoise and sent her videos of the attack.
Cokehead O’Toole could be heard shouting “go on, get him,” over and over again as the dog “bit chunks” from the helpless tortoise’s shell.
The owner of the tortoise, Lucy McDonald, was forced to give her pet to a rescue centre after being unable to afford to pay for treatment needed as a result of the attack.
O’Toole pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal and to sending an offensive, indecent, obscene or menacing communication.
Hannah Griffiths, prosecuting, told the court: “The victim had been at a family member’s house after a weekend away with the defendant, who is now her former partner.
“While at her family member’s address she received two videos of the defendant goading his dog into going for the defendant’s pet tortoise, which was upside down. In the background he could be heard saying ‘go on, get him’, over and over again.”
The court heard the incident was reported to the police who attended O’Toole’s address. Officers found the tortoise bleeding, and noticed it had chunks of shell missing, and arrested the defendant for animal cruelty.
Ms Griffiths said: “The complainant, in her statement, said she thought the defendant would kill the tortoise and described being extremely scared and upset.”
Sentencing: jailed for 20 weeks.
Liverpool Echo 24/03/2016
Liverpool Echo 18/01/2017
Update | February 2019
O’Toole was jailed for 30 months after being caught with a suitcase packed full of cannabis worth around £150,000 at Edinburgh Airport.
He was found to have around 15 kilos of the drug stuffed into in a purple suitcase before he attempted to get past airport security.
The drug addict initially claimed he had no idea what was in his luggage but Edinburgh Sheriff Court heard he had agreed to fly to Barcelona and bring the dope haul back to Scotland to “repay a drug debt”.
O’Toole pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supplying cannabis at Edinburgh Airport.
Solicitor Kenny McFarlane, defending, said his unemployed client had suffered from a “severe cocaine issue for a number of years” and had carried out the Spanish drug trip to “effectively repay a drug debt”.
Mr McFarlane added his client had been handed the suitcase packed with drugs by an unknown man in Barcelona and O’Toole had been “given the suitcase” but did not know what it contained.
The court was also told O’Toole was suffering from “depression after his girlfriend had left him” last year and that he had “turned to alcohol and drugs” as a result.
*Update | March 2023
We are advised that O’Toole now lives in Barnard Road, Prenton CH43 1TT.