Category Archives: Cats

Cruelty to cats

Wetherby, City of Leeds: Reece Glossop

April 28, 2024 misanthropic Leave a comment

CONVICTED (2024) | Reece Glossop, born c. 2000, of Wharfedale Lawns, Wetherby, Leeds LS22 6PU – abandoned two cats in an unhygienic flat littered with faeces and hazards.

RSPCA prosecution of Reece Glossop from Wetherby, Leeds, who abandoned his cats for 9 days

Glossop left his home over the festive season, leaving his cats Daisy and Mustafa behind for nine days to fend for themselves inside the filthy and hazardous flat.

No litter tray had been provided and RSPCA inspectors found faeces piled up on the floor which was also strewn with rubbish.

Glossop, who didn’t even have the decency to attend court for his first hearing, was found guilty in his absence of one offence under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.

In a a written statement read to the court RSPCA Inspector Emma Ellis described being met with a strong smell of ammonia in the communal area outside the flat during her visit on January 11, 2023.

The inspector met Glossop at the property, and he said he was cleaning to the flat.

She asked about the welfare of the cats and he said he had left on December 24 to go to London because of family issues. He said “someone was supposed to be looking after them”.

“He said he came back on December 28 to check on the cats, but he had to return to London and then he came back again on January 6. When I asked who was looking after the cats during that time he replied, ‘they were looking after themselves’,” said the inspector.

Glossop had left food in a bowl in the living room, but there was no water.

Daisy and Mustafa were in a normal body condition, but it was later found that Mustafa had a heart murmur, which could have been caused by stress.

In mitigation, the court heard how Glossop had been diagnosed with ADHD and suffered from psychosis. He had received therapy for a personality disorder while at a psychiatric unit.

Sentencing | 12-month community order with 20 hours of unpaid work and 15 hours of “rehabilitation”; £200 costs and £114 victim surcharge. Banned from keeping animals for just three years (expires April 2027).

LeedsLive

Animal Torture, Cats, Dogs, Lifers, Multiple Species, Serial Animal Abusers, Small Furries, Worst of the Worst

Tywyn, Gwynedd, North Wales: Aled Roberts

April 16, 2024 misanthropic 1 Comment

CONVICTED (2024) | Aled Wyn Roberts, born 6 May 1991, most recently of High Street, Tywyn, but originally from Pwlhelli, Caernarfonshire – beat a puppy before choking him to death after the ‘novelty’ of owning a dog wore off.

Prosecution of monstrous puppy killer and serial animal abuser Aled Roberts originally from Pwlhelli, Caernarfonshire, Wales

Roberts admitted causing unnecessary suffering to a black collie called Twm by inflicting blunt force trauma and violence including strangulation.

Prosecuting counsel Gareth Bellis said Roberts was described by a friend as having a history of failing to care properly for animals. He would leave them in cages and forget about them at his dirty and grubby flat. Roberts didn’t know a hamster was dead in a cage.

He had also allegedly smacked his cats.

Mr Bellis said, during a video call with a woman in April 2023, Roberts had complained about the behaviour of his five-month-old border collie.

“The dog was crying in its crate,” the prosecutor said.

The defendant appeared to hit the dog forcefully with his hand. He’d also been witnessed kicking and punching the dog.

The same morning the friend had received another call and grinning Roberts said the dog was dead.

Twm’s body was taken to a vet where Roberts told a receptionist he didn’t know how the pet had died.

Roberts had previously attempted to choke a cat with a headphone lead and screamed at a budgie and refused to feed it, the court heard.

Jailing him for 18 months Judge Timothy Petts at Caernarfon crown court banned him for life from owning any animal.

The judge told Roberts that after acquiring the puppy “you clearly had no idea how to look after him properly. The novelty had worn off.

“You went from neglect to being cruel and violent towards him,” Judge Petts added.

Eventually Twm had been strangled with a chain.

“The suffering he sustained must have been considerable,” the judge said. A post-mortem examination showed internal injuries to the “defenceless” puppy including fractured ribs.

Roberts’ lawyer said his client’s “mental health problems” had led to the sad situation and had urged the judge to consider a suspended sentence.

Sentencing | 18 months’ imprisonment. Lifetime ban.

Daily Post

Cats, Hoarders, Worst of the Worst

Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham: Marissa Faultless

April 14, 2024 misanthropic 1 Comment

CONVICTED (2024) | pet hoarder Marissa Faultless, born c. 1957, of Tower Road, Sutton Coldfield B75 5EA – kept dozens of poorly cats in disgusting conditions.

RSPCA prosecution of cat hoarder Marissa Faultless from Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham — The court heard that pet hoarder Marissa Faultless was not ‘deliberately cruel’ and her behaviour was due to a mental health disorder

Nearly 100 cats had to be removed from Marissa Faultless’s chaotic home, which was described in court as smelling like death. One kitten was found dead while others had to be euthanised. Some had to have eyes removed due to cat flu.

On three occasions RSPCA inspectors were forced to raid the property where every area of the garden contained piles of fence-high rubbish while inside reeked of urine and faces.

Faultless refused to accept anything was wrong with the cats and denied they needed veterinary treatment.

Ultimately she admitted six animal welfare offences, albeit she made a last-ditch, thankfully unsuccessful, bid to reverse the pleas in a ploy to keep her cats.

RSPCA prosecutor Sara Pratt told the court there had been a ‘long history’ to the case. She said that police and Birmingham City Council had tried to work with Faultless following initial complaints and in April 2021 she was provided with copies of the Animal Welfare Act as well as a code of practice for looking after cats.

But Ms Pratt added that ‘nothing changed’ and a warrant had to be executed on September 2, 2021, which resulted in the removal of 34 cats and kittens. A further 24 were spotted outside but officers could not catch them and did not have the legal power to seize them.

Ms Pratt said: “Outside of the house there was piled high rubbish in the garden as high as the fence. Inside the property there were a large number of cats and kittens. There was an overpowering smell of urine and a build-up of faeces in the living room. There were no suitable litter trays. The house was in a cluttered state.”

A lot of the cats were suffering from cat flu as well as fleas.

Faultless refused to formally sign any of them over to the RSPCA. She was interviewed and accepted ownership of them but denied there were signs of flu or ringworm.

She also blamed Covid for failing to seek flea treatment but insisted the cats did not need to see a vet. She claimed she had not noticed the smell but admitted she struggled with how many pets she had, said Ms Pratt.

There were further visits to her home in June and July 2022 following more complaints which culminated in a second warrant executed in August.

Ms Pratt said: “The conditions at the property had deteriorated. There was an overwhelming smell of urine, faeces and what was described by others as ‘death’.”

A dead kitten was found at the home while 26 cats had to be removed. One four-week-old kiten was particularly emaciated and had to be euthanised.

A third raid took place in April 2023 when another 34 cats had to be taken away.

The court was told a small number of cats had to have eyes removed due to severe flu. At that point Faultless cried ‘no, no, no that’s not true’ as she broke down in tears in the dock. One cat died after being operated on by the vet.

Ms Pratt said: “Clearly all of the cats had suffered pain and distress. A reasonably competent and humane person would have sought veterinary attention.”

She told the court a number of cats died but the vast majority had been rehomed while some remained in boarding establishments awaiting to be adopted.

Queenie Djan, defending, said: “This is Ms Faultless’s first time offending. It is not the case she was deliberately cruel. It is directly linked to a mental disorder she is suffering from. There is a history of her owning cats before her offending with no issues. She is receiving support from other organisations.”

Sentencing | 12-month community order with 15 days of rehabilitation activity and 12 sessions of psychological intervention. Banned from keeping cats for ten years.

BirminghamLive
Daily Mail

Cats, Dogs, Multiple Species, Serial Animal Abusers

South Shields, Tyne and Wear: Bryan Owens and Katrina Elstob

April 3, 2024 misanthropic Leave a comment

CONVICTED (2024) | Bryan Owens and previous offender Katrina Bernadette Elstob of 48 Fox Avenue, South Shields NE34 9RN – failed to address their pets’ health conditions and weight loss.

RSPCA prosecution of South Shields couple Katrina Elstob and Bryan Owens in relation to a dog called Jack and a cat called Jess.

Elstob, who was previously banned from owning animals, and partner Bryan Owens admitted cruelty to an elderly Jack Russell called Jack and a cat named Jess. Jack was in poor bodily condition, suffering skin inflammation and dental disease and was infested with fleas, while Jess had an untreated skin condition.

RSPCA Inspector Trevor Walker visited the couple in September 2023 and was immediately concerned about the poor condition of Jack and Jess.

In his witness statement he said: “I observed an aged and very lean, Jack Russell Terrier type dog, that would have been described as tri-coloured at one stage, but now appeared more yellow possibly due to a heavy flea burden and his age.

“The cat, a medium long haired brown cat appeared in better condition, but once I had picked him up I could feel the very scabby skin under his medium long haired coat.”

RSPCA Inspector Walker transported Jack and Jess to a vet for further examination.

Inspector Walker continued in his witness statement: “Arriving at the door to the vet’s surgery, I noticed [Jack] was lapping the rain water that had collected on the top of the drainage cover, indicating that he was dehydrated.

“This condition was confirmed inside the consultation room when he drank from a bowl of fresh water for an entire minute, before it was removed.”

The vet said in their witness statement about Jack the dog: “There were four main concerns which included a very poor body condition score, which would have likely been present for at least a few months, a heavy flea infestation, secondary skin inflammation and severe dental disease.

“Based on the examination and the further test results; Jack had experienced unnecessary and avoidable suffering.”

Following the case, Jack and Jess were officially signed over to the care of RSPCA, where staff will now look to find them both loving new homes.

Sentencing |
Elstob – ordered to pay a fine of £164, a £66 victim surcharge and £250 in costs.
Owens -ordered to pay a fine of £80, a £32 victim surcharge and £250 in costs.
Both were given a seven year ban on owning all animals, with no appeal for five years (expires April 2031).

Shields Gazette

Animal Abandonment, Cats, Worst of the Worst

Newton, Chester: Natalie Hewson

April 3, 2024 misanthropic 1 Comment

CONVICTED (2024) | Natalie Hewson, born c. 1988, of Phillip Lawson House, Norfolk Road, Newton, Chester CH2 2LD – left her severely ill elderly cat to die alone in her abandoned flat.

RSPCA prosecution of Chester woman Natalie Hewson. Image: Nat Hewson - Facebook.

Hewson was prosecuted by the RSPCA after the 13-year-old pet, called Zippy, died alone in the empty flat in Norfolk Road, Chester.

During an appearance at Chester Magistrates Court she pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to Zippy and failing to meet her needs during August and September 2023.

RSPCA prosecution of Chester woman Natalie Hewson. Image: RSPCA

The RSPCA investigated Hewson after receiving a report that a cat had died after being left unattended at Hewson’s home. Zippy’s body had been removed from the property a week earlier by someone who knew Hewson and buried at another address.

In written evidence to the court, RSPCA Inspector Anthony Joynes who collected Zippy’s remains, said: “I was directed to the rear of the garden and observed a tabby and white female deceased cat which had been removed from a shallow grave prior to my arrival.

“The carcass of the cat was in poor bodily condition with ribs, spine and pelvic bones palpable through the skin.”

Post-mortem examination report showed Zippy had chronic kidney disease that had progressed to renal failure and led to her death on or around September 4, 2023.

Hewson later told Inspector Joynes her cat appeared “fine” three to four days prior to this.

Zippy, who was abandoned by her cruel owner to die.

The vet who carried out the post mortem said adequate supervision of Zippy should have alerted her owner to observe excessive thirst and the need to seek prompt veterinary advice regarding cause and treatment.

“A cat affected by chronic renal disease will display outward signs of clinical abnormality including weight loss – not unusual for a senior cat – but also excessive thirst and urination,” said the vet.

“Each of these observations relies upon the regular (at least daily) and frequent supervision of the cat in order to be able to identify such abnormalities.

“The evidence indicates that Zippy had been left unsupervised for repeated periods of four days, and when she was supervised this was for very short periods of time, just enough for the responsible person to provide further food and water without a significant period of observation of the cat’s behaviour.

“In my opinion the needs of Zippy had not been met due to a lack of adequate supervision with a failure to adequately monitor her and ensure she was not showing signs of illness or disease. The failure to meet the needs her needs also led to her having unrecognised chronic renal disease which had progressed to renal failure.”

Inspector Joynes made repeated attempts during October and November 2023 to contact Hewson to interview her about Zippy but got no response.

On November 15 the inspector spoke to a man at a property at Llay in Wrexham where Hewson was said to be staying and left a message asking her to get in touch urgently.

Numerous further attempts to make contact were made until an interview was finally conducted on December 6.

In it, Hewson told the officer she had left the property in Chester because of asbestos and that the council had taken longer than anticipated to fix it. She accepted she had been to the flat about ten times in 30 days, staying for about ten minutes at a time, but admitted she should have done more.

She said she was “devastated” when Zippy died and didn’t know she was unwell.

Speaking after the case Inspector Joynes said: “Life often throws changes in circumstance at us but it’s important to ensure the needs of animals you are responsible for are always met. Zippy was let down by her owner at a time when she needed her most and with tragic consequences.”

Sentencing | 12-month community order with 140 hours of unpaid work; £240 costs and a victim surcharge of £114. Two-year disqualification order applicable to all animals.

Chester Standard
CheshireLive

Cats, Hoarders

Burbage, Leicestershire: Teresa Hawtin

March 7, 2024 misanthropic 1 Comment

CONVICTED (2024) | cat hoarder Teresa Hawtin, born c. 1975, of Duport Road, Burbage, Hinckley LE10 – kept 58 felines in a faeces- and urine-covered flat.

RSPCA prosecution of cat hoarder Teresa Hawtin, from Burbage, Hinckle, Leicestershire. Image: RSPCA.

Two of the 58 cats found at Hawtin’s flat were were dead when the RSPCA entered the property. A third cat was put to sleep after being transferred into the charity’s care.

Hawtin claimed to be a “caring cat lover” who had previously run a cat rescue service.

However, in the preceding six months or so, the number of cats she was looking after had “increased dramatically” due to people asking her to “take in stray cats and cats that had been abandoned”.

RSPCA Inspector Helen Smith said Hawtin’s flat in Shilton Road, in Barwell, Leicester, was “one of the worst properties” she had attended in her 25 years as an inspector. She added the smell of urine and faeces was “overpowering”, with excrement covering “every surface” in the flat except for a small sofa.

Litter trays were overflowing, she said, and there were pools of diarrhoea on the floor. There were also “hundred of flies alive and dead”, the RSPCA said.

All of the remaining cats have since been re-homed, the charity added.

Ms Smith said: “The environment was completely unsuitable, and the smell from the ammonia was overpowering.

“The defendant also claimed she had run a cat rescue, but the conditions these cats were kept in were completely inappropriate for such a large number of cats.

“The RSPCA had tried to help the defendant on a large number of occasions – but she chose to ignore any offers of support.”

Hawtin was well known in her local area for collecting cats

Hawtin pleaded guilty to failing to ensure the needs of the majority of the cats were met, and failing to ensure they had a suitable, hygienic and safe environment. She was found not guilty of causing unnecessary suffering and of not providing timely and appropriate veterinary treatment for eight of them.

She told the court she had tried her best and felt those eight cats did not need veterinary treatment at the point at which she was looking after them, prior to the RSPCA attending. She added that she realised there were too many to look after and that was the reason she signed them over to the care of the RSPCA.

Sentencing | ordered to pay £100 in costs, a fine of £230 and a victim surcharge of £92. Banned from keeping cats for just two years (expires March 2026).

LeicestershireLive

Cats, Lifers, Violent and Sadistic Pet Abusers, Worst of the Worst

Skirpenbeck, East Riding of Yorkshire: Rachel Smith

March 3, 2024 misanthropic 3 Comments

CONVICTED (2024) | Rachel Louise Smith, born c. 1992, from Skirpenbeck, near Stamford Bridge, York YO41 – strangled her pet cat to death.

Smith, who is said to be mentally ill, is banned from having any role in owning or caring for animals for the rest of her life after pleading guilty to killing a cat named Chico.

RSPCA prosecutor Phil Brown told the court Smith had strangled the pet because he had urinated on her clothes.

Mr Brown said a mental health team had contacted Humberside Police after Smith told them she had shot the cat.

She later told an RSPCA inspector she had strangled him having “lost her temper” when he damaged her clothes.

Mr Brown said the RSPCA was aware of Smith’s mental illness and had prosecuted her so that she could be banned from having control of animals in future.

Smith’s solicitor Kevin Blount argued that Smith’s mental illness meant she had not dealt with the incident in the way someone who was not mentally ill would have dealt with it.

Mr Blount said she had been given the cat by someone who thought having a pet would help her with her difficulties.

“She soon realised that was not the case,” he said.

Mr Blount said the defendant had “complex psychiatric needs” and that she had a “very complex and tragic history”.

She had tried to arrange for the cat to be rehomed without success.

Smith was already working with health professionals to deal with her mental illness and the probation service could not help her, the court heard.

Her illness meant it was not possible for her to do unpaid work or be put under a curfew.

That left the judge with the choice of giving her a conditional discharge or a prison sentence, said Mr Blount.

District judge Adrian Lower said prison was not appropriate for Smith although he would normally consider jailing someone for killing a cat.

“There is no excuse for killing Chico,” he told Smith. “But I have to take into account your poor mental health as it was then and is now.”

Sentencing | three-year conditional discharge; £200 prosecution costs and £26 statutory surcharge. Banned from keeping, owning or caring for any animal for life but can ask for the ban to be reviewed after 10 years.

York Press

Cats, Traveller Animal Crimes, Violent and Sadistic Pet Abusers

Pershore, Worcestershire: Richard Loveridge

March 2, 2024 misanthropic 1 Comment

CONVICTED (2024) | Richard Loveridge, born 2 December 2004, of Stonebow Road, Drakes Broughton, Pershore WR10 2AP – for kicking a cat.

Violent cat abuser Richard Loveridge, a traveller from Pershore, Worcestershire. — Richard Loveridge

Loveridge, a traveller, admitted animal cruelty in relation to a cat named Fefe. The cat’s condition was not reported. The incident took place in Kidderminster on June 28, 2023.

The charge he admitted reads: “Cause unnecessary suffering to a protected animal – namely the cat, by an act, namely kicking, and you knew or ought reasonably to have known that the act would have that effect or be likely to do so.”

Sentencing | one-year community order with 30 rehabilitation activity requirement days; fined £40 and ordered to pay £50 in compensation and £114 victim surcharge.

Worcester News

Cats, Lifers, Violent and Sadistic Pet Abusers, Worst of the Worst

Heywood, Greater Manchester: Robert Lay

March 2, 2024 misanthropic 3 Comments

CONVICTED (2024) | Robert Lay, born c. 1991, from Heywood, Rochdale – killed a cat in a washing machine.

Cat killer Robert Lay from Heywood, Rochdale, Greater Manchester.

Lay put the cat, called Buddy, into the washing machine then switched it onto a wash cycle. He then dumped the animal’s horrifically injured body behind a bush in a cemetery.

In court Lay pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to an animal on or around February 11, 2023, at an address in the Queensbury area of Bradford.

Phillip Brown, prosecuting on behalf of the RSPCA, said the facts show an individual had committed a “sadistic act of cruelty”.

In a statement, the RSPCA said they were alerted to Buddy’s killing after Lay admitted to it in a Facebook chat group.

Messages showed Lay had said he had committed the act because the cat had scratched him and his girlfriend at the time had told him to do so or else she would end their relationship.

After the cat’s body was discovered, he was taken to a vet who was able to find the owner through the cat’s microchip.

The RSPCA said: “The court heard that a post mortem examination showed Buddy had a number of injuries, including fractures, bruising and skin lacerations consistent with being placed in a washing machine on a high heat.”

An expert vet’s witness statement, presented to the court, said Buddy had attempted to grip onto the drum with his claws as it was going around on a program ‘likely of high heat’ in the washing machine.

It said: “The cat would have experienced suffering via mechanisms of fear, distress and pain for a period of at least several minutes, possibly longer.

The court was told Lay had associated with a group while living in alternative accommodation to where he is now.

In mitigation, Lay’s lawyer claimed the group took advantage of his client’s significant disabilities.

Speaking after a sentencing hearing, RSPCA Inspector Natalie Taylor, who investigated the case, said: “This was a deeply distressing case involving intentional harm and cruelty to a defenceless cat. It is heart-breaking to think about the pain and suffering Buddy endured.

“We are grateful to the people who worked with us on getting this case to court.”

Sentencing | 14-week custodial suspended for 12 months; 30 days of rehabilitation activity; ordered to pay a total of £550. Banned from keeping any animal as a pet for life.

Manchester Evening News
Telegraph & Argus

Animal Abandonment, Cats, Paedophiles / Sex Offenders

West Midlands Paedophile Benjamin Thomas

February 4, 2024 misanthropic 1 Comment

CONVICTED (2024) | convicted child rapist Benjamin Thomas, born c. 1991, most recently of a holiday park in Looe, Cornwall, but originally from the West Midlands – went on the run and left his cats behind to starve.

Paedophile and animal abuser Benjamin Thomas abandoned his two pet cats after going on the run.

In 2012 at Worcester Crown Court Thomas was jailed for five years and made subject to a sexual harm order after being convicted of child rape.

Following his release he has failed on numerous occasions to adhere to the terms of his sex offenders registration which oblige him to keep police informed of any change of address.

In June 2023 Thomas was living in a flat in Lancashire with his girlfriend but vacated the property after falling behind on rent, leaving two cats behind.

When contacted by the property manager, he explained there’d been a bereavement and claimed he had returned to feed the cats. However, when the property manager attended there was no sign anybody had returned and the cats were feeding off scraps. The pets were taken into RSPCA care.

Thomas had fled to Cornwall but was soon apprehended by police and charged with failure to comply with notification requirements as a sex offender between August and December 2023.

Representing Thomas, Barry Hilliard said his client “made an error of judgement”.

Sentencing Thomas, Recorder Richard Stead said Thomas has “numerous previous convictions for failing to comply”.

He added: “You seem to fail to understand the extreme seriousness of the first offence of rape and reasons you’re subject to the requirements of the sex offenders’ register. If you did you’d ensure you provided police with the new address when you moved.”

Sentencing | 12-month custodial.

CornwallLive

UK Animal Cruelty Files