CONVICTED (2023) | Terrence Anthony Tovey, born 21 December 1956, of 56 Penyfan Road, Llanelli SA15 1JP – caught on CCTV subjecting a German Shepherd to a prolonged vicious assault.
A German Shepherd endured a horrific ordeal at the hands of this man, Terrence Tovey from Llanelli, Wales
On 29 August 2022 at around 11pm Terrence Tovey was filmed kicking his pet dog, named Dylan, repeatedly on his head and body. Tovey then drags the petrified German Shepherd along by his lead and proceeds to suspend him from a fence.
Horrifyingly, Dylan is seen to struggle to keep all four paws on the ground before he is subjected to even more violence
The dog is only saved from further brutality when members of the public run forward to confront Tovey. A discussion follows and Tovey then walks off with the dog down a footpath.
The footage was passed to RSPCA Cymru, who issued a media appeal for information in December 2022. This soon led to Tovey being identified and apprehended.
Dylan was immediately taken into the RSPCA’s care and underwent veterinary examination. Although underweight and clearly traumatised from his ordeal, he appears to have suffered no long-term physical damage.
The court heard from two witnesses – an elderly couple who are believed to be the ones shown on the video intervening. They said they were alerted by the sound of a dog “screaming” and went to investigate. They described how they saw Tovey stamping on Dylan’s head and thought he was being killed.
Tovey pleaded guilty and was sentenced on Thursday 11 May 2023.
He was given a 12-week prison sentence suspended for 12 months and ordered to pay £400 costs and £154 victim surcharge. He is disqualified from keeping domestic animals for 10 years (expires May 2033).
Happily Dylan was soon rehomed with a family. His doting new owners describe him as a little anxious especially around men but is otherwise “a sweet-natured and loving little soul, who loves to play and is extremely affectionate”.
CONVICTED (2022) | Paul Carrick, born 19 December 1979, previously of Gurlish West, Coundon. Bishop Auckland* – caught on camera viciously battering a cat multiple times against a wall before stamping on him repeatedly.
Paul Carrick received suspended prison sentence and lifetime ban on keeping animals.
This horrific act of animal cruelty, which took place in December 2021, hasn’t yet made the papers and we don’t want to risk it going under the radar, so here’s what we know.
A neighbour was woken up to the sound of an animal in immense pain and distress and looked out her window to see Carrick attacking a terrified cat.
Victim: although his body has never been found, it is believed that the cat, apparently named Felix (pictured), did not survive.
She ran downstairs immediately to confront Carrick, who told her that his girlfriend was pregnant and the cat was “spraying everywhere”. He claimed he had scared the cat away and denied killing him.
The woman couldn’t see any trace of the cat but spoke to another neighbour the next day, who provided her with CCTV footage showing exactly what had happened.
The witness saw Carrick take rolls of carpet away that same day and believes he may have hidden the cat’s body inside one of those.
Carrick, who works as a roads maintenance worker, appeared at Newton Aycliffe Magistrates on 25 August 2022 and was given a 23-week suspended prison sentence. He was ordered to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work and participate in a 30-day Rehabilitation Activity Requirement. He must pay a total of £2,452 in costs and victim surcharge. He was disqualified from keeping any animals for life.
Magistrates decided not to impose a custodial sentence after Carrick said he was a carer for his girlfriend who supposedly has mental health issues.
Update 8 September 2022
BBC News have now covered the case here. It states that Carrick is now living in the village of Annfield Plain, County Durham.
County Durham and Darlington Magistrates’ Court was told RSPCA inspector Christine Nisbet went to an address in Gurlish Terrace, Coundon, after a complaint from a member of the public.
She was shown a copy of CCTV footage, taken from a security camera nearby, and when she went to his home “immediately recognised” him as the man in the film.
The inspector searched two wheelie bins in Carrick’s yard, and the yard of a neighbouring property, but could not find any trace of the cat.
However, a vet who was asked to review video clips from the footage said that it was “very likely” that the cat had died as a result of the attack.
Carrick admitted hitting the cat against a wall but denied stamping on it.
Magistrates heard a statement from the vet which said: “It can be clearly seen on the footage that [the cat] was slammed into a wall with considerable force and was thrown to the ground.
“Once the cat was on the ground we cannot see him, but given the man leans on the wall where the cat landed and stamps in the same position three times, disappears from view and reappears to stamp in the same place again I think it is reasonable to assume he was stamping on the cat.”
Update October 2022
*According to an anonymous source Carrick is now living in Horden, Peterlee with his girlfriend, Gemma Gray (aka Jemima Doherty). He may also be found in Clavering Place, Annfield Plain, County Durham DH9 7XD, where his parents live.
The source alleges that his girlfriend was never pregnant. She is said to be a heavy cannabis user. Claims in court that he is a carer for her are allegedly false as he works away from home.
Carrick works as a site supervisor for groundworks companies all over the UK, but has recently been based mostly in Reading.
Carrick and his girlfriend have/had a couple of dogs, including a pug who died last year. The cause of the dog’s death isn’t known.
CONVICTED (2021) Deborah ‘Debs’ Thomas of 3 Daisy Bank, Akeley, Buckingham MK18 5HW – caught on camera physically abusing a dog.
Ill-tempered Thomas, owner of a dog-walking business Doggy Day Care Akeley, was filmed rushing into her garden to berate a terrified rescue dog. She is shown picking the dog up and throwing him, causing him to slam onto the concrete ground. The matter was reported to the RSPCA by a concerned neighbour and Thomas was prosecuted.
On 17 September 2021 she was found guilty of two offences of duty of person responsible for animal to ensure welfare.
For the first offence she received a fine of £300, victim surcharge £34 and costs of £250.
The second offence was marked as ‘no separate penalty’.
She was not given a ban and it is not known if the dog she abused was returned to her.
CONVICTED (2020) | serial horse abuser Anne-Marie Becheley-Gordon aka Annie Wakefield, born 25 August 1990, of Grove Place, Southampton SO19 9QY – left an eight-month-old filly to starve to death in a stable
The filly, known as Brownie, was dying when discovered lying in her own diarrhoea by a horrified member of the public. She was emaciated and covered in sores. She passed away in the arms of her rescuer.
A previous horse owned by Becheley-Gordon – 18-month-old Echo – had died in November 2018 due to an untreated worm condition, but the mother-of-two was never prosecuted for this.
Becheley-Gordon also had a Shetland pony, who was seized and later died in RSPCA care. A fourth pony named Faith was also removed from her.
Sentencing: 12-week suspended sentence suspended for 18 months. Ordered to pay a total of £315 in costs and charges. Disqualified from keeping equines for five years (expires November 2025).
Source: own research (this case never made the papers).
Wording of our Facebook post (sadly removed for breaching ‘community standards on bullying and harassment)
This is a case from last year that never made the papers and the abuser in question – Annie Becheley-Gordon aka Annie Wakefield from #Southampton – is about to get a well-deserved wake-up call as her cruelty is unforgivable.
Mother-of-two Becheley-Gordon locked an eight-month-old filly in a filthy stable without food and water. When discovered by a horrified member of the public, the young horse, known as Brownie, was found covered in sores and lying down in her own excrement. She died in the woman’s arms.
In November 2020 Becheley-Gordon was given a suspended prison sentence and banned from owning equines for five years. A previous horse in her ‘care’, Echo, died months earlier from a worm burden with another – a Shetland – dying a short time after being seized by the RSPCA.
The self-described ‘princess’ is a shameless irresponsible menace who will never learn from her ‘mistakes’. If there was any justice she would be in jail and that ban would have been for life.
CONVICTED (2020) | William Ray Mitchell, born 9 July 1962, of Mitchfields Caravan Park, 191 South East Road, Southampton SO19 8LQ – left a tethered horse with overgrown hooves to fly-graze
The unnamed stallion, who Mitchell had used for driving, was tethered and fly grazed in a field near Southampton. He was eventually seized in April 2019 because he was deemed to be suffering.
The field where the horse was kept tethered.
The horse’s shod hooves were so long and bent up, he could no longer walk easily in his tethered circle.
Locals had to step in to feed and water the horse after his owner failed to attend to him, leaving him tethered in one area for several days at a time.
Sentencing: four-month curfew; costs and charges of £585; deprivation order on the horse. Two-year ban on keeping equines (expired March 2022).
Source: anonymous tip-off, confirmed at the courts.
CONVICTED (2016) | Dominic Lee-Woodward, born 16/03/1994, of Neptune Drive, Bridlington YO16 4EF, and Janine Marie Hartley, aka Janine Robinson, born 06/12/1986, of St Georges Avenue, Bridlington YO15 2ED – neglected and starved two dogs
Convicted dog abusers Dominic Lee-Woodward and his now ex partner Janine Hartley
Unfortunately there’s not much info on this case as it never made the newspapers.
We understand that the pair’s cruelty came to light when they took an emaciated dog to the vet, claiming they had found her. The vet was suspicious and alerted the RSPCA who attended the home the couple shared together. There, inspectors discovered another dog also starved and in very poor condition.
Both dogs were taken into the RSPCA’s care and slowly recovered from their ordeal.
Janine Hartley
Following an RSPCA prosecution in August 2016 Dominic Lee-Woodward and Janine Hartley – a mother of three – were banned from keeping animals for 10 years (expires August 2026).
We collate data on animal cruelty convictions in the UK
