CONVICTED (2015) | serial animal abuser Jennifer Maslen, born c. 1958, most recent known address Tristan Close, Calshot, Southampton SO45 1BN – lived in a dirty, cramped caravan with seven dogs
RSPCA inspectors discovered Jennifer Maslen, who is known to have two previous convictions for animal cruelty, was living in a “dirty” and “cramped” caravan that smelt of urine with seven dogs.
One of the dogs was suffering with a skin infection, which had caused him to lose his hair. Another had open wounds on his neck and leg. Neither dog had been taken to the vet. The court heard that she had treated one dog with medication that was more than ten years out of date and contained arsenic.
Maslen, who is originally from New Zealand and has used the names Cassidy Sinclair, Polly Campbell and Lisa Ballard in the past, had already been banned from keeping animals in Ireland and also has a lifetime UK ban on keeping horses under the name Jennifer Nowell Brooks (apparently she killed a horse by slitting his throat though we can’t find details of the case to confirm this).
This time she was accused of failing to provide a safe, clean and suitable environment for seven dogs and failed to meet the needs of three dogs by not seeking adequate treatment for them.
After concerns were raised about dogs living in the caravan in December 2013, RSPCA Inspector Patrick Bailey visited to assess the dogs.
Giving evidence, Inspector Bailey said one dog, a lurcher called Reggie, had lost 40% of his fur and had “red raw” skin.
Four of Maslen’s dogs raised no concerns, but a greyhound named Pooh Bear had a large wound to his neck and another on his leg, which Maslen said was caused by a fox fight.
Maslen told him she had not taken either dog to the vet because she had been treating them herself. This included a treatment for cattle which expired in 2002 and tablets prescribed for a dog she no longer had.
Inspector Bailey said: “One of the products being used isn’t even designed for dogs so I would expect a reasonable person to consult a vet.”
Concerned about so many dogs of that size living inside such a small space, Inspector Bailey inspected the caravan, which he described as “dirty and grubby” and smelt of ammonia.
He was told the room at the front of the 18ft caravan was the “poo room” for the dogs and found conditions “wholly unsuitable”.
All six dogs were taken into the care of the RSPCA.
Prosecutor Mrs Wheadon also told the court that another of Maslen’s dogs, a lurcher called Mandy, was taken into RSPCA care in June 2014 over concerns she had a skin infection and was being left for up to nine hours a day.
Giving evidence Maslen told the court she had taken Reggie off someone else after she found him living in “horrific” conditions.
She said she feared going to a vet as she felt she was in a “vulnerable” position.
When under cross examination about the conditions in the caravan she insisted there was enough space for the dogs to be comfortable.
She added that she did take Mandy to a vet but not Pooh Bear as he was not displaying any changes in behaviour.
Sentencing: 12-month prison sentence suspended tor 24 months. £2,000 costs. 10-year ban on keeping dogs (expires May 2025). Deprivation order on her remaining dogs.
Previous cruelty case from May 2008 when Maslen lived in Abbeyleix, Co Laois, Ireland.
Maslen, who at the time was known as Cassidy Sinclair and ran a dog rescue centre, was found guilty of cruelty to more than 40 animals under her care.
The Irish court heard that the dogs were living in a 12-inch deep “slurry mixture” of their own excrement and urine and that many of them had open wounds requiring immediate surgery.
Sergeant John Malone, of Abbeyleix Garda Station, told the court that on entering Ms Sinclair’s house he “had to go back out a few times on point of vomiting due to the smell of faeces and dog urine.”
He said there was a pile of dog faeces in the kitchen measuring two-foot high by four-foot wide and that there were “animal bones scattered on the floor”.
Brendan Hughes, animal welfare inspector with the ISPCA said he called to Ms Sinclair’s house on March 12, 2008.
Mr Hughes said he found 20 dogs living in a compound measuring 20ft by 30ft and a small garden shed.
He said there were also many dogs living in horrific conditions inside Ms Sinclair’s house.
Many of the dogs had bite wounds caused through fighting over the bones and that there was no fresh water left out for the animals.
Mr Hughes returned to Sinclair’s house the following day accompanied by gardai and a vet and seized 27 dogs.
The ISPCA subsequently seized a further 19 dogs from Sinclair in follow-up searches.
David Fagan, the vet who attended the scene, told the court that 12 of the dogs needed urgent treatment to wounds and that eight required stitches and five required antibiotic treatment for infections.
Mr Fagan said the dogs had been “living in fear and distress” and they had been allowed to “suffer unnecessarily”.
Ms Sinclair told the court she had been “running a dog rescue of sorts” and that from January to March of 2008 “things went berserk”.
She said she sought help from rescue groups including the ISPCA but that she did not receive any.
She told the court she “was going nuts” and that people were leaving dogs tied to her gateposts.
Judge Haughton said he had never seen anything like this in his 17 years on the bench and said there was evidence of long-term neglect of the dogs in Ms Sinclair’s care.
He fined Ms Sinclair €500 and prohibited her from keeping any dog again for the rest of her life. Sinclair later appealed unsuccessfully and a six-month suspended prison sentence was applied to her sentence.