CONVICTED (2017) | Shane Charles Gibson, born 15/01/1979, of Holland Street, Hull HU9 2JB – slammed a dog against a wall in a fit of anger, breaking her leg.
In a fit of anger, Gibson grabbed lurcher Sky by the scruff of the neck and slammed her against a wall. The impact broke the dog’s leg in two places and it later had to be amputated.
Gibson attacked the defenceless animal after smashing a window to gain entry to his ex- fiancée’s house at 4.30am while drunk, convinced she was with another man.
Philip Brown, prosecuting, said: “The noise woke Gibson’s ex- fiancée’s daughter – who was alone at the house with Sky and another dog.
“The defendant ran up the stairs in an excited state looking for his ex- fiancée after fearing that she was with another man.
“The teenager recalled that Gibson was drunk, staggering, swaying and smelt of alcohol as he made his way into her room.
“Both of the dogs by this point were jumping up at the defendant and in his anger, he picked up Sky by the scruff of her neck and slammed her against the wall.”
Brown, prosecuting, said Gibson’s ill-treatment of Sky started in November of the previous year when an object purported to be either a mirror or a shelf fell on the young pup.
The defendant didn’t take Sky to the vets and his ex- fiancée soon noticed that her pet was displaying signs of an injury.
Brown said: “The dog’s injuries were left for a period of time before treatment was sought for the dog.
“As such, the dog had started to re-heal but the bones had misaligned causing pain to the dog.
“She suffered a broken femur which had started to re-heal but the bones had not healed properly so a surgeon had to re-break the bones and use pins to fix it.”
Gibson, who has since been slammed by the RSPCA for his “appalling'” treatment of Sky, initially denied two counts of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal.
But magistrate Tom Cave convinced him to change his pleas to guilty with a promise that he wouldn’t be jailed immediately.
Tim Hibbert, defending also argued his client was emotional due to his partner’s infidelity.
Hibbert said: “He was upset because he thought she had stayed out and spent the night with another man which turned out to be true.
“He had clearly consumed some alcohol and he accepts recklessly causing that injury.”
Sky has since been re-homed by the RSPCA.
Sentencing | 18 weeks in jail suspended for two years; ordered to pay a total of £265 costs and charges to be deducted from his benefits. Banned from keeping pets of any type for five years (expired July 2022).
Update January 2021
Gibson was jailed for 30 months after attacking his pregnant partner, knocking out two of her teeth. He was convicted of occasioning actual bodily harm. A further offence of threats to kill will lie on file.
The court heard about Gibson’s extensive criminal record which included domestic violence offences against former partners and a conviction for inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent in 1999 which involved a 12-year-old boy.
The judge told Gibson: “Your record shows a propensity for violence, particularly towards those weaker than you, whether it is a former partner or a 12-year-old boy.”