CONVICTED (2016) | Paul Turner, born c. 1965, of Brookmead Road, Croydon CR0 3AR – left an emaciated elderly German Shepherd to die in a filthy kennel.
Collapsed, emaciated and matted in filth, German Shepherd Max was found barely alive at the bottom of his owner Paul Turner’s garden.
The RSPCA had been tipped off that a dog had died in his squalid kennel on a grim winter’s evening.
Tragically, nine-year-old Max was so poorly that there was nothing that could be done other than end his suffering.
For Inspector Anthony Pulfer the sight of Max in his pitiful state will live long in the memory.
Turner, who shares the property at Brookmead Road with wife Jane Turner, aka Jane McArdle, and their two sons, pleaded guilty to animal welfare charges of causing unnecessary suffering to Max and not taking steps to ensure he had a suitable environment.
Speaking after the case, Inspector Pulfer described how he had gone to Turner’s address in Brookmead Road, Croydon, on January 4, 2016, after concerns that there was a dead dog in the garden.
The inspector said: “I can understand why the caller thought Max was dead.
“When I arrived he was completely collapsed in an emaciated state in a dirty kennel at the bottom of the garden but alive – just.
“He was in a shocking condition, the worst I have ever seen. He was not moving and I had to carry him to my van and take him straight to the vet.
“Sadly, there was nothing they could do to save him and he was so poorly that he had to be put to sleep to prevent further suffering.
“This was a horrible case of extreme neglect and I don’t think I will ever forget the sight of the poor dog lying there in filth in such a collapsed state that winter’s evening. Who knows how long he had been lying there in that terrible way?”
Sentence: jailed for six weeks (though he was bailed pending an appeal, the outcome of which is unknown). Banned from keeping animals for 10 years.