#MostEvil | Kirsty M McNeil, born 13 May 1981, previously of Nelson Avenue, Livingston EH54 6BY – neglected several animals with the emaciated remains of a dog found in her freezer.

Kirsty McNeil was found to have kept the remains of a dog named Cooper after he had slowly been starved to death.

The mother-of-three had admitted to causing the pet unnecessary suffering by failing to provide him with appropriate care and treatment.

During an earlier hearing, McNeill was banned from keeping any kind of animal for a period of five years.

McNeil was also found to have mistreated two other dogs and cats that she kept at her home.

After initially being given a structured deferred sentence in August 2021, Ms McNeil was given a second nine-month sentencing deferral in November 2021.

The decision was said to be to enable her to take full advantage of the help and support being offered to her by social work and other agencies.

Adjourning the case until 18 August 2022 for McNeil – who was not in court – to be of good behaviour, Sheriff Jane Farquharson commented: “I take full account of the significant efforts she’s made herself.

“Nine months gives her the opportunity to do what she needs, but gives her the security that the court is keeping an eye on things to ensure that she’s maintaining her progress.”

Glenn Fraser, defending, told Livingston Sheriff Court that his client’s mental health had been “extremely poor” at the time of the offence and she hadn’t been looking after herself or anyone else.

He said she had “grasped the help she is now receiving with both hands” and was making every effort to deal with ongoing issues in her life.

He said: “The charges are serious charges. If the help she’s got now had been available at the time, perhaps we wouldn’t be here now.”

Mr Fraser told the earlier hearing that his client had not ill-treated her pets because of deliberate cruelty.

He said: “This happened because she wasn’t coping at the time. She just went into a downward spiral.”

The case came to light on 24 November 2019 after an anonymous caller told the Scottish SPCA that two cats at McNeil’s then home in Nelson Avenue, Livingston, were not being attended to.

SSPCA inspectors found the floor of McNeil’s home covered in dog faeces and a strong smell of urine in the flat.

Cooper, whose body had initially been stored in the drawer of a broken freezer, was found in a shallow grave in the garden.

His fur was so matted that inspectors couldn’t identify what breed the dog was.

The dead animal had not been exercised or cared for properly for so long that his claws curved underneath the pads on his feet and there were clumps of faecal matter on his hindquarters.

Two other dogs – a cross-breed called Benji and a Yorkshire terrier named Max – had similarly overgrown nails through lack of exercise.

Sharply pronged carpet gripper was exposed around the edges of the faeces-covered carpet in one room and there was clear evidence that the animals had chewed and scratched the door frame in a desperate bid to escape.

The pets which were still alive were rescued and taken away in an SSPCA van. Cooper’s body was disposed of after a vet carried out a post mortem examination to establish the cause of death, which was organ failure caused by malnutrition.

McNeil pleaded guilty to failing to feed Cooper properly whereby he became emaciated with a matted coat, overgrown claws and faecal and urine staining on his fur.

She also pleaded guilty to failing to take reasonable steps to meet the needs of her two other dogs and two cats between the same dates, 24 September and 24 November 2019, by failing to give the pets suitable food and water and adequate exercise which would have allowed them to exhibit normal behaviour patterns.

In addition, she admitted neglecting her mother Agnes Woodside, for whom she was carer, and other individuals by failing (presumably her children) to provide them with adequate food and clothing.

Scottish SPCA inspector Fiona Thorburn said inspectors who visited the property had found Max, a Yorkshire terrier, who was very thin with a matted coat, and Benji, a small crossbreed, who seemed to be in fair condition with mild matting.

“Max was kept by the vet for treatment and the other animals were taken to an animal rescue and rehoming centre where they received the care and rehabilitation they needed.

“The suffering McNeil directly caused Max and Cooper by failing to provide food and the most basic of care was entirely avoidable.”

Sentencing: deferred until 18 August 2022. Five-year ban imposed (expires August 2026).

Edinburgh Live
Daily Record