CONVICTED (2018) | Julian A Bradbury, born c. 1971, of Somerville House, Waterson Croft, Solihull B37 6TY – left dogs to die in a baking car and buried their bodies in a field

Julian Bradbury admitted causing unnecessary suffering to  West Highland Terriers Ted and Poppy after leaving them inside his car for nearly 80 minutes in 26C temperatures. The incident took place on the day of an England World Cup game.

Bradbury said he simply forgot the “family members”  were in the car.

CCTV footage shown during the court hearing showed Bradbury, wearing an England football shirt, returning to his vehicle at 4.42pm – some 78 minutes after parking up near his home.

One of the dogs appeared limp and the other panted and gasped for air, the court heard.

Bradbury grabbed both pets before attempting to resuscitate and give mouth-to-mouth to the dog, which appeared motionless.

It was claimed the lorry driver put both dogs in the bath but they died of severe hypothermia.

At 10.25pm that evening, Bradbury was seen leaving the block of flats where he lived with both terriers wrapped in a bundle.

During an interview, he said he was taking their bodies to a garage.

He told the investigation he buried the dogs in a nearby field the next day.

The bodies were dug up as part of an RSPCA probe triggered when CCTV footage was reviewed by council officials looking into complaints of dog fouling in the flats.

Rafe Turner, prosecuting, explained how body temperatures of dogs reaching 43 degrees or more lead to multiple organ failure and death.

“The defendant was ultimately interviewed and, it’s fair to say, he was forthcoming,” Mr Turner said.

“He didn’t give an explanation yet both dogs were left for 78 minutes.

“He mentioned it wasn’t his normal routine and he had difficulty with his children, saying he thought it had been half-an-hour.

“He simply said: ‘I forgot’ and while he was remorseful and clearly upset, he didn’t offer an explanation.

“Considering a vets was close by, why didn’t he take dogs for further treatment? It would have been a few minutes in the car at most.

“But he didn’t and accepted he later wrapped up the dogs and had taken them to a garage to bury them.”

Summing up, District Judge Ian Strongman told Bradbury: “I accept you didn’t deliberately cause this suffering to the dogs.

“Your history of care of dogs is such that you just forgot they were there.

“It was a very hot day. The car would have been extremely hot when you first got in prior to collecting your son.

“The dogs would have been distressed by the car, yet you were stupid enough to leave them for over an hour.

“You showed an awfully low level of care to the animals.”

RSPCA inspector Herchy Boal, who investigated the case, said: “These dogs were left in the full view of the sun during the heat wave for one hour and 18 minutes so they must have suffered a long and lingering decline.

“It was the day when England played Croatia in a World Cup match in the evening and people will, I am sure, recall it was very hot.

“The RSPCA’s annual campaign ‘Dogs Die in Hot Cars’ states how you should never leave your dog in a parked car for even a few minutes as they become dangerously hot very rapidly so to leave them for such a long period is terrible.

“A vet said these dogs would have started suffering within a few minutes and their suffering would have been protracted.”

Sentencing: total of £885 fines, costs and charges. Banned from  keeping animals for life.

BirminghamLive