CONVICTED (2024) | Amy Cheeseman, born 7 April 1995, of Beverley Walk, Carlton-in-Lindrick, near Worksop S81 9JA – left a dog to starve to death in a filthy kennel strewn with rubbish.

Single mother of four Amy Cheeseman was prosecuted by the RSPCA after the dog, a Jack Russell-type called Buddy, was found dead inside his kennel in a run littered with faeces and torn bedding. The upsetting discovery was made on January 5, 2024 by RSPCA Inspector Daniel Bradshaw who had visited Cheeseman on two previous occasions due to ongoing concerns about the welfare of her dogs.

Cheeseman showed the inspector to the run outside the property and told him she’d thought the dog had escaped.

She called out his name, but when the inspector bent down and looked inside the kennel he found the body of the black and white coloured Jack Russell.

In a statement presented to the court, Inspector Bradshaw said: “The owner said the dog was alive the previous afternoon.

“There was no access to the kennel which was wet through and contained a mixture of shredded bedding and some faeces.

“So I went to my van and got a grab stick which I used to remove Buddy’s body from the kennel.

“He was stiff and rigamortis had set in, his teeth appeared in terrible condition with large chunks of tartar build-up and he also had a piece of stuffing located in his mouth.

“I saw the water in Buddy’s kennel had a green film over it and there was no clean dry area for him to lay comfortably.”

A post-mortem report found Buddy died because of an acute gastrointestinal haemorrhage, an episode which was complicated by his emaciated state.

A vet estimated the dog had not been fed properly for six to 12 weeks and possibly longer and stated in a report: “In the absence of a pathological process to explain his weight loss, we can assume his emaciated condition was due to starvation.”

Cheeseman pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to Buddy by failing to address the cause of his poor body condition and weight loss and she also admitted to failing to ensure the needs of the dog were met.

Magistrates said the matter was so serious they considered imposing a custodial sentence but decided to suspend the jail term after taking into consideration the defendant’s early guilty plea and mitigating factors.

The court was told that Cheeseman had been the victim of domestic violence and she suffered from poor mental health.

Speaking after the sentencing, Inspector Bradshaw said: “This poor dog was left to suffer by the defendant who failed to address his drastic weight loss while keeping him in appalling living conditions outside her home.”

Sentencing | 26-week prison sentence suspended for 12 months; 80 hours of unpaid work; 20 days of rehabilitation; costs of £400 plus £154 victim surcharge. Banned from keeping animals for 10 years (expires June 2034).

Worksop Guardian
Nottingham Post