CONVICTED (2013) | Christine Smith, born 30 July 1962, of Maycroft Close, Hednesford, Cannock WS12 4SJ – failed to treat her elderly dog’s severe skin condition, leaving her in agony.
In April 2013 psychiatric nurse Christine Smith was sentenced to six months behind bars for allowing her 12-year-old collie Lucy to suffer with a skin infection so severe even vets, who were forced to put the dog to sleep, were shocked.
But just seven days later a Stafford Crown Court judge reduced the sentence to 20 weeks and suspended the jail term for 18 months.
Judge John Wait heard how Smith had failed to take Lucy for treatment, telling RSPCA officers she had been afraid she would lose the dog which she had cared for since she was three weeks old and saw her as a ‘child’.
After the pet suffered for eight weeks and with Smith on holiday, her 21-year-old son decided the dog’s condition had got so bad he took her to the vets. The vet carrying out the post mortem described the skin condition – called deep pyoderma – as the worst case he had ever seen in his career.
During initial sentencing, chairman of the bench Mr Paul Ensor criticised Smith for going on holiday when the pet was in obvious pain.
She was found guilty in her absence of a charge of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal, and another of being a person responsible for an animal and failing to ensure its welfare between June and August 2012.
But at the appeal hearing, the prison sentence was suspended. Miss Jo Clark said the sentence had been ‘excessive’ and had not taken into account Smith’s previous good character.
She added Smith, who works in Cannock as a psychiatric nurse for children and adolescents, was remorseful and risked losing her job if she was kept locked up.
Judge Wait said it was a ‘sad’ case as she had ‘let Lucy down’ in the last two months of her life. The ban of 10 years for keeping pets was not altered.
Sentencing: 20-week custodial sentence suspended for 18 months; 200 hours of unpaid work; contribution of £1,200 towards costs. 10-year ban on keeping animals (expires April 2023).
So sad, as she had cared for the Dog all of the dogs life, and taken her to the Vet previously for the same Condition, a couple of years back. Then when her Son eventually took the Dog to the Vet, it was to late.