CONVICTED (2021) | Lee O’Brien, born c. 1997, of Cecil Mount, Armley in Leeds – leader of a gang of violent dog-nappers
In April 2021 Lee O’Brien and two accomplices forced their way into a house in Kirton Lane, Thorne and attacked a man in an attempt to steal his three dogs.
The whole shocking incident was caught on the householder’s doorbell camera.
During the scuffle – in which one of the masked men can be seen brandishing a metal bar – one man does manage to get into the house, and is seen looking around, trying to find the barking dogs.
But just a few seconds later, a neighbour came to the man’s aid as he wrestled the other two men away from his front door – and the three men can then be seen scarpering off down the road.
O’Brien was identified by West Yorkshire Police when they reviewed the CCTV footage. He was arrested and later charged with Section 47 Assault and attempted burglary. His accomplices, named on social media as Kelsi Waller and Tyler Myers, are still being hunted by police.
CONVICTED (2021) | Malachy Doherty, born c. 1984, of Metcalfe Road, Tunstall, Stoke-on-Trent ST6 7AZ – stole a couple’s pet dogs from outside a shop
Dog-napper Malachy Doherty and an unnamed teenage accomplice stole Labradors Denzel and Welly from outside M&S
The disappearance of Labradors Denzel and Welly sparked a massive reaction on social media as thousands of people shared an appeal for information. That led to a tip-off, with police officers tracking down the dogs three days later to Tunstall.
A neighbour had seen the pets and had become suspicious.
Malachy Doherty was arrested and went on to plead guilty to theft and failing to surrender to bail. He was sentenced to 27 weeks in prison.
His teenage accomplice, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was found guilty of theft following a trial held in his absence. A court warrant has now been issued for the youth’s arrest.
Bernice Campbell, prosecuting, said the dogs’ owner Dale Robson had been walking them through Nantwich town centre on March 27, 2020.
He popped into M&S and left Denzel and Welly tied up outside. Mr Robson returned a couple of minutes later to find they were missing.
Store staff alerted the police, who also gathered CCTV footage from the scene. It showed the two offenders running away with the dogs.
The 14-year-old subsequently texted someone offering two dogs for sale, although he later claimed they were different pets.
The court was told it had been an ‘opportunistic’ crime as they had chanced upon the Labradors.
In a statement read out at the hearing, Mr Robson said: “I cannot believe that someone can be so heartless as to steal two dogs who are members of the family.”
His friends helped scour the area for the dogs, aged seven and eight. But the pets had completely vanished.
They were later found safe and well at the address and have since been reunited with their family. Doherty said he had never intended to sell on the dogs and wanted to simply keep them as pets. He claimed he had no knowledge of his accomplice’s text.
Malachy with wife Mary Doherty. She is to be sentenced at a later date for her part in the dog-theft
He had asked his 28-year-old wife Mary Doherty to look after them at home. In court, she admitted handling stolen goods and her case was adjourned for a pre-sentence report.
Colin Drew, representing the couple, said they had experienced a torrent of social media abuse since they were linked with the theft of the dogs. He claimed that Malachy Docherty had even tried to take his own life.
“He has been very, very emotionally disturbed in relation to this,” added Mr Drew.
“The dogs were returned in good condition. Mary Doherty was looking after them well – maybe too well. It appears one of the dogs had put on a bit of weight. They were both being walked and fed.”
District Judge Nick Sanders described the dog-napping as an ‘abominable offence’.
He said: “This is not theft of a push bike. It’s the theft of two family pets. I cannot begin to imagine the distress you caused that family.”
Sentencing: 27 weeks in prison; £1,000 in compensation to the dogs’ owner; a total of £1058 in costs and charges. He was given an extra week in jail for breaching the terms of a previous court sentence.
CONVICTED (2019) | Leonard Edward Evans, born c. 1981, and partner Emma Louise Roberts, born c. 1985, both of Fron Heulog, Llangefni LL77 – stole a French bulldog from a garden and tried to sell him on
Dog thieves Len Evans and Emma Roberts, from Llangefni, Anglesey
Evans and Roberts were found guilty of theft after a trial. The pair had denied stealing Bruce, a black French bulldog belonging to Catrin Tudor, at Pwllheli in August 2019. Both maintained their innocence and showed no remorse, said a probation officer.
Diane Williams, prosecuting, said Bruce was in the garden of his owner’s home in Pwllheli at about 2.30pm on August 25, 2019. She was in the house with the front door open and Bruce was running in and out. The court heard that she found the garden gate slightly open and said Bruce could not have opened it.
Realising the dog was missing, she began a search and later reported the matter to police.
Family members posted messages about the dog’s disappearance on social media and there were sightings of Bruce in the company of two men and a woman in the street and on a beach. The following morning, Roberts was seen waiting for a bus with the dog and was arrested in Porthmadog .
Stolen French bulldog Bruce was found in a distressed state and was very thirsty
Evans was arrested at his brother’s home the same morning.
A police officer said the two-year-old dog, who was valued at £1,500, was in a distressed state and very thirsty.
When Ms Tudor arrived at the police station, Bruce’s demeanour changed completely and he greeted her excitedly, said Ms Williams.
During the trial, Evans said he had been for a walk in the Abersoch area with Roberts and his brother Ben.
Passing Ms Tudor’s house, they had seen a dog which began following them, he said.
Thieving Evans and Roberts pictured outside court
Evans said he had ignored the dog at first but had asked an elderly couple if they knew who owned him.
He said they had also knocked on several doors in the area but got no reply. They had taken the dog with them to his brother’s flat and later went to the beach with the animal, he said.
Ben Evans told the court he had recognised the animal and told the others who owned it and to return it.
Both Evans and Roberts denied intending to sell the dog for £1,000
Sentencing |
Len Evans: 26-week prison sentence, suspended for 12 months; 180 hours of unpaid work; ordered to pay Bruce’s owner £50 compensation and £712 costs; 35-day probation service course. The court heard the offence took place just days after Evans was made the subject of a community order.
Emma Roberts: – 12-month community order; 150 hours of unpaid work; 10-day rehabilitation activity requirement. Ordered to pay £50 compensation and £680 costs.
CONVICTED (2019) | Andrew Alexander (since deceased), born 26 July 1984, originally from Dundee and more recently Ilford in London – stole a pug named Pixie who is believed to have died
Violent thug Andrew Alexander, who now lives in Ilford in London, was convicted of stealing a dog who has never been found.
Eleven-month-old pug Pixie went missing on July 16, 2018 from a flat in Stobswell, Dundee, while in the care of Andrew Alexander.
Following her disappearance, eye-witnesses reported seeing a dog matching Pixie’s description being hit in the face at Baxter Park and then being carried lifeless by a man through the streets of Dundee towards a bridge over the River Tay.
Now construction worker Andrew Alexander has been fined £250 after being convicted of stealing the dog. As there was no admissible evidence that he had killed or mistreated the animal, he faced no charges in relation to this.
To date, it is not known what exactly happened to Pixie but it is believed that Alexander dumped her broken body in the River Tay.
In a bizarre legal argument, Alexander’s lawyer Ian Houston told the court that as Pixie was dead she was “nobody’s property” and could not, therefore, be stolen.
Alexander was represented in court by dodgy lawyer Ian James Houston of Bruce Short Solicitors, Rattray Street, Dundee. Houston tried to get his client off with the theft charge on the grounds that the “property”, i.e. a much-loved family pet, no longer existed because she was dead. Houston insisted on proving to the court that the dog had died by showing the CCTV footage of Alexander carrying Pixie’s body through the streets despite the anguish of the dog’s distraught owner, who was present in court. How do these people sleep at night?
He was also found guilty of assaulting Ms Deuchars in August 2019 by seizing her on the body, placing her in a headlock and spraying an unknown irritant in her face.
Sentencing: Alexander was ordered to pay £250 to Ms Deuchars for the theft of the dog and a further £250 for the assault.
We originally published this article in August 2018 but had to withhold certain details at the time, so as not to jeopardise the prosecution case against Andrew Alexander. This is an edited version of that article. to reflect the latest developments.
Sometime after 3pm on Monday 16 July 2018 an 11-month-old pug named Pixie went missing from an address in Park Avenue, Baxter Park, Dundee. Pixie’s owner, Kelly, had gone out to do some shopping, leaving the tiny dog alone in the company of her flatmate, Andrew Alexander. Kelly had known this man for several years and he had given her no reason to distrust him.
When Kelly left, Pixie was sleeping and she told Alexander not to take her out. She was alarmed on her return a short while later, therefore, to find the flat empty and Pixie gone. As time passed with no word from Alexander, Kelly became increasingly anxious. As she didn’t have Alexander’s new mobile number she asked a friend to call him. The friend spoke briefly with Alexander who was described as angry, screaming down the phone that he would “speak to Kelly later”.
In a state of panic Kelly rushed over to the nearby park and asked dog walkers if they’d seen Alexander or Pixie but no one had. She returned to the flat and waited anxiously.
When Alexander finally returned home at 7:30 pm he was alone and there was no sign of Pixie. When Kelly asked him where the dog was, Alexander shouted “lost!” in a manner that was more irritated than concerned. He said that Pixie had run off in Baxter Park at 4pm and he’d been unable to find her. He then told Kelly, somewhat bizarrely, that he was “away to jail” but didn’t elaborate on what he meant and left in a taxi to go to a girlfriend’s house.
Kelly texted Alexander the following morning to tell him he was no longer welcome at the flat. His response: “I’ve already moved out lol”
Alexander returned two days later while Kelly was out to collect his things and left for good.
Remorseless dog killer Andrew Alexander jokes about Pixie’s disappearance with his moronic friend Bob Ramsay of Happyhillock Road, Dundee DD4 8LU
In the following days Kelly posted a number of desperate appeals on Facebook. Her posts were shared extensively in the local area, the charity DogLost got involved, and multiple reports of sightings from pedestrians and motorists started to come in. The news wasn’t encouraging, however, with witnesses reporting seeing a man resembling Alexander carrying a pug-type dog that appeared to be lifeless.
One pedestrian recalled seeing the man holding a dog in his arms.
She said: “The dog was very still and I thought that was strange as a dog wouldn’t usually allow itself to be held like that without moving at all.
“He avoided passing close to me on his way towards the city centre – probably because I watching him. It was very clearly a pug and in retrospect, it seemed utterly lifeless.
“The man appeared red and flustered. I wish I had stopped him and asked if the dog was okay.”
Another witness – a young girl – said she had seen a man in Baxter Park pick up a pug by the neck and punch her in the face. The girl had been too afraid to challenge him.
These sightings took place as late as 7pm on the evening of Monday 16 July 2018 – three hours after Alexander said that Pixie had disappeared.
Police Scotland were contacted and on 27 July, 2018 they issued an appeal for information through the local newspaper and social media. Their statement read:
“There have been numerous sightings of what appeared to be a man carrying a small dog resembling Pixie in the Stobswell and Waterfront areas in the following few hours.
“The dog appeared to be lifeless or ill, and the man was described as in his mid 30s-40, tall, large build, and wearing a red t-shirt and blue shorts, possibly with stripes down the side.
“He was last seen shortly before 6pm near the bottom of Crichton Street. These sightings have been confirmed on CCTV.
“We have already received a large amount of relevant information from the public regarding this incident and are currently following a positive line of enquiry.
“We have also attempted to contact a number of witnesses who have been identified to us, but have not been able to get in touch with them.
“We would therefore like to ask anyone who has information about this incident who we have not already spoken to, to contact us – in particular if you saw the described man in the area of Baxter Park, Arbroath Road, Blackscroft, Dock Street, the Tay Bridge, Slessor Gardens or Crichton Street, between 3pm and 7pm on Monday 16th.
“We are also very interested in a report given to us regarding a man being seen possibly mistreating a dog in Baxter Park around that time.
“Anyone with any information should contact Police Scotland on 101, quoting CR/17475/18 or speak to any police officers”.
In the meantime, Kelly and her friends formed the Facebook group Justice for Pixie with the aim of spreading awareness about the case and campaigning for justice. Sadly that justice never came when Alexander walked free from court with a nominal fine for dog theft.
Update | January 2021
We understand that Andrew Alexander has died. His death is believed to have been related to drugs. Squalid life, squalid death. How apt.
CONVICTED (2019) | unlicensed animal trader Bradley Michael Tomes, born 27 April 1995, of Moss Lane, Hesketh Bank, Preston PR4 – kept dozens of exotic animals in filthy conditions and with untreated injuries.
Tomes pleaded guilty to 15 offences under the Animal Welfare Act after dozens of neglected exotic animals had to be rescued by the RSPCA.
The offences relate to six iguanas; two mara (large rodents from South America); 16 peafowl; two pelicans; three agouti (a rodent native to America and South America); five porcupines; one green parakeet; two jardine parrots; one golden pheasant; one green winged macaw; one white necked raven and one cape parrot.
In January 2019 the RSPCA were called by police to a farm on Taylors Meanygate in Tarleton and found the animals being kept in squalid and unsuitable conditions. The charity then attended a second address on Moss Lane, Tarleton where a shed-type building at the back of the premises contained a number of animals.
RSPCA Deputy Chief Inspector Alison Fletcher said: “Some of these animals were species we as RSPCA inspectors of many years’ experience had never dealt with before, and it was a shock to see them kept in such conditions.
“Both locations were filthy. Many of the animals were in accommodation that was obviously completely unsuitable, did not have access to food or water, or were suffering.
“At the farm, we found two mara inside a small plastic transportation crate on the floor of one of the make-shift buildings. Mara are a large rodent who stand up on their hind legs. The height of the crate was 300mm, or just 12 inches. The depth of the crate was 560mm, and the length was 870mm giving no real room for them to move around.
“A squalid enclosure at the same location housed three agoutis, two pelican and 13 peafowl (pictured above).
“Four porcupines (pictured right) were in a pen which was wet and muddy with just a small structure for shelter – temperatures on site were close to freezing with snow and driving rain.
“At the second address a macaw was found in a black crate, similar to a dog crate. The bird’s tail feathers were touching the sides of the crate.
“The iguanas were at this location too – all six of which were in poor body condition and four had injuries to their tails.”
Two animals, an Agouti and a Mara, subsequently died, and the court heard further dead birds and animals were discovered at the same locations but are not subject to charges, as the cause of death cannot be established.
In mitigation the court heard that Tomes had an interest in animals all of his life and had been employed as a zoo keeper.
He had signed all of the animals over in February 2019 and pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity. He had gone through a difficult break up but had now turned his life around and had a new job and new relationship.
The surviving animals were rehomed to specialist keepers.
Sentencing: 20 weeks in prison suspended for 12 months; 25 rehabilitation days; 120 hours of community service; total of £615 costs and charges. Disqualified from keeping all animals for five years with no appeal for two years (expires July 2024).
Bradley Tomes was jailed for two years and eight months after pleading guilty to stealing £25,000 of rare birds including two penguins from South Lakes Safari in Cumbria.
Zoo-keeper Tomes was jailed for nearly three years after breaking into his former workplace to steal rare birds.
The former zoo-keeper had worked at the safari park for four years up until 2016, on two occasions.
He carried out the ‘carefully coordinated’ burglaries in July and October 2018 but was caught red-handed when he tried to transport the penguins to a collector’s home in January 2019.
Tomes pleaded guilty to stealing 12 spoonbill birds on July 22, 2018 and then two Humboldt penguins and three macaws on October 27 of the same year. He also admitted transporting and selling the animals.
Sadly, none of the 12 spoonbills valued at more than £20,000 were ever recovered.
CONVICTED (2019) | Martin Carter, born, c 1986, of Mercers Meadow, Keresley End, Coventry CV7 8RF – stole a dog from Birmingham Dogs Home and cut off his ears to avoid capture.
Mastiff cross Marley was stolen from Birmingham Dogs Home by his callous former owner, Martin Carter.
The court heard that Martin Carter stole the three-year-old Mastiff cross – known as Marley – during a burglary at Birmingham Dogs Home in November 2017.
Birmingham Dogs Home never gave up searching for Marley and released stills from CCTV footage in the hope of identifying the thief
Staff at charity never gave up the search for the pooch and after a number of appeals police recovered Marley from an address in Keresley, Coventry.
The court was also told that cruel Carter had arranged for the dog’s ears to be surgically cropped off in an attempt to conceal his identity.
He even had the dog’s microchip surgically removed and replaced with another.
Marley pictured before his ears were cruelly mutilated by his former owner, Martin Carter
Carter’s court appearance came after a police investigation across the West Mercia, Warwickshire and West Midlands Police regions.
An application by the prosecution for Carter to be disqualified from owning animals again was not granted.
Sentencing | six-month custodial sentence for handling stolen goods and three months for the animal offence – to run concurrently.While an application by the prosecution for Carter to be disqualified from keeping animals was not initially granted, this was overturned on appeal in November 2019 and he is banned from keeping animals for life.
Nine members of a violent gang of travellers, who committed more than 200 burglaries in 11 months across multiple counties in the East of England region have been jailed for a total of 71 years.
Gang members would mask their faces using balaclavas and smash or force open doors or windows in broad daylight.
They would don forensic suits in a bid to outwit police and were so prolific that in one day in July 2017 they committed seven burglaries, eight the next, and a total of 50 for the whole month.
On one travellers’ site Cambridgeshire Constabulary found seven stolen Labrador puppies in the boot of a car as well as an arsenal of deadly weapons.
Nine of the gang pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit burglary:
Charlie Albert Webb, 20, from Newton Flotman, Norfolk – jailed for five years.
John Eli Loveridge, 42, of Greenways, Carleton Rode, Norfolk – jailed for seven-and-a-half years.
John Stanley Loveridge, 23, of Greenways, Carleton Rode, Norfolk – jailed for six-and-a-half years.
Joseph Holmes, 21, of Schole Road, Willingham – jailed for four years.
Danny Stone-Parker, 28, of Braintree Road, Great Dunmow – jailed for six-and-a-half years.
Timothy Stone-Parker, 24, of Clay Way, Ely – jailed for six-and-a-half years.
Joe John Spencer Loveridge, 19, of Winchester Road, Sandy, Bedfordshire – jailed for four years.
Richard Oakley, 27, of Sandy Park, Beck Row, Suffolk – jailed for five years.
Johnny Oakley, 25, of Sandy Park, Beck Row, Suffolk – jailed for five-and-a-half years.
A tenth man, Simon Oakley, 45, of Alburgh Road, Hempnall, Norwich, was found guilty of conspiracy to burgle on 31 October following a trial. He was jailed for nine years.
Detective Inspector Craig Harrison, who led the investigation, said: “These sentences reflect the scale and impact of this gang’s offending.
“Every one of their crimes had a victim so the trauma and devastation caused in quite a short space of time was immense. They clearly had no care at all for the impact their offending was having on communities, particularly in south and east Cambridgeshire, which were particularly badly hit, and, indeed, across the region.”
The gang targeted homes in rural areas, where they could make easy getaways and stole high-performance vehicles to give themselves a better chance of out-running police.
Offences were committed across Cambridgeshire including Littleport, Wisbech, Fordham, Burwell, Prickwillow, Dullingham, Ely, Waterbeach, Soham, Abington, Cambridge, Chippenham, Little Shelford, Isleham, Sawston, Hardwick, Willingham, March, Histon, Swavesey, Longstanton, Little Downham, Stow cum Quay, Doddington, St Ives, Stretham, Chippenham, Balsham, Cottenham, Cheveley, Elsworth, Swaffham Bulbeck, Fulbourn, Newmarket, Teversham, Boxworth, Yaxley and Friday Bridge.
Two other men – James Pateman, 55, of no fixed abode, and his brother, Thomas Brown, 54, of Fen Road, Chesterton, Cambridge – were also found guilty of handling stolen goods on 31 October following a trial at Norwich Crown Court. The court heard the men were involved in the disposal of jewellery between 12 March and 7 November, 2017.
Pateman was jailed for three-and-a-half years and Brown eight years.
Simon Oakley, who owns Stratton Quick Fit, a garage and workshop at Elite Business Park, in Salamanca Road, Norwich, had previously admitted possession of a firearm without a certificate and handling stolen goods.
He provided false registration plates and directed others to commit crime. He helped to hide stolen vehicles and pass them off as legitimate.
CONVICTED (2017) | horse thief Joanne Yvonne Donnelly, aka Joanne Beckett, born May 1980, previously of Beckford Road, Alderton, Tewkesbury and more recently (August 2020) Redwing Close, Walton Cardiff, Tewkesbury GL20 7SJ
Mother-of-six Donnelly, who is married to Anthony Donnelly (he faced no charges but there are allegations that he was involved), distressed several horse owners when she sold their animals without permission.
She admitted five offences of fraud and two of theft and was given a three-month suspended jail term.
Donnelly’s victims included Denise Scarrot who asked her to find a new home for her horse Shadow who was suffering an ulcer and needed veterinary treatment.
“Ms Scarrot was adamant Shadow was not to be sold but given a retirement home,” said prosecutor Mary Cowe. “But she later learned from others that the defendant had sold Shadow at auction.
“Ms Scarrot said it was very upsetting to discover this. Shadow was a horse she had bred and hand reared and he was of great sentimental value to her. The fact he had been sold at auction caused her much personal pain.”
Horse thief Joanne Donnelly with husband Anthony Donnelly
Donnelly then told her thieves had taken Shadow and was demanding money for his return.
It later transpired he had been sold at Beeston Auction in Wales. When Ms Scarrot was finally reunited with Shadow two years later his condition was much worse.
Facebook post alleging horse theft on the part of both Joanne and Anthony Donnelly
The prosecutor had told the court that another woman Donnelly knew asked her to look after her 17-year-old mare, Roxy.
“It was made clear Roxy was not to be ridden and was a ‘companion horse.’ The defendant agreed to take Roxy on. But less than a week later she sold the horse to a lady called Jane Dexter who runs a riding school. Donnelly told her she had ridden the horse herself and so had her daughter,” said Ms Cowe
“Ms Dexter paid £2,000 for three horses including Roxy, who she thought was worth about £500.
Further allegations against the pair
The prosecutor said another woman, Janice Cornbloom, agreed to let Donnelly rehome her horse Oasis in Oct 2015.
“The defendant told her she rescued horses and gave them a ‘forever home.’
“But in March 2016 Ms Cornbloom discovered Oasis had been sold to a dealer. She says she was struggling to cope with that.”
The prosecutor also outlined how Donnelly had bought a horse for £350 but did not pay – leaving the seller ‘cheated and out of pocket.’
She also bounced three cheques she gave to suppliers of goods including hay bales and horse rugs.
Defence barrister Robert Morgan-Jones said the probation service recommendation was a suspended sentence.
Judge Jamie Tabor QC told Donnelly: “These were silly, nasty, little offences. You must not offend again in this way or you will find yourself in very serious trouble.”
The judge added: “If you commit another criminal offence such as stealing someone’s hay or selling someone’s horse when you shouldn’t you will go to prison irrespective of how many children you have to look after.”
Sentencing: suspended prison sentence; costs of £150. She was ordered not to ‘purchase, acquire, take or look after any horses that are not presently already in her possession’ for three years (expired June 2020). Donnelly was also banned from acquiring or looking after any horses except those she already has in her care on her land.
CONVICTED (2017) | Steven Dicker, born 07/10/1963, of Wellingtonia Way, Edenbridge, Sevenoaks TN8 5RE – stole a 17-year-old Jack Russell terrier, battered her with a hammer and dumped her in the park
Dicker was jailed for six months for causing suffering to the elderly dog.
The horrific incident took place on Wednesday 21 September 2016.
Despite her desperate owners’ social media appeals, Lady’s body was never found.
Dicker had pleaded guilty to a charge of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal, but had denied breaking into a neighbour’s house to steal the dog.
2019 photo of motorcycle enthusiast Steven Dicker
He was found guilty of the second charge after a trial at Sevenoaks Magistrates Court in April 2017 and was sentenced to six months in prison.
CONVICTED (2016) – dog thief and violent career criminal Lloyd Bellamy, born c. 1994, at the time of Southsea, Portsmouth, but more recently (2018) of Hawthorn Crescent, Cosham, Portsmouth PO6 – snatched a dog from his owner in the street.
Bellamy, who is originally from Grimsby, Lincolnshire, initially struck up a conversation with the dog’s owner in the street. But then suddenly the then 21-year-old grabbed the lead of the dog, a Staffy known as Puma, and ran off.
The theft took place in Portsmouth on June 8, 2015.
Puma was never recovered after being snatched by Lloyd Bellamy
Bellamy was originally charged with robbery over the dog incident, but that was dropped after he pleaded guilty to theft and assault by beating.
The dog has not been seen since the theft.
Bellamy’s solicitor told the court that Bellamy had not sold the animal but got a taxi and gave the dog away to the Aqua Cars driver’s friend.
The court heard there was no evidence to support this.
In mitigation the court heard Bellamy had “a background of difficulties”. The solicitor added that his had mental health problems and autism and acted impulsively.
Judge Sarah Munro QC told him: ‘This offence involved you out at night confronting a man who had his dog with him, initially behaving in a friendly way to him but then forcing the lead out of the man’s hand causing soreness.
‘And when he tried grabbing the dog’s lead back, you pushed him away and called him a foul name.’
She added: ‘It has not been recovered and the man described that dog as having meant the world to him.’
‘That’s a very long time, you’ve never managed to stay out of trouble for two years,’ the judge added.
Bellamy has a previous conviction for possession of a bladed article, for which he was given a community order.
Sentencing | 12-month prison sentence suspended for two years; three-month tagging order.
