CONVICTED (2017) | Leslie Michael Bishop, born 7 August 1965, of Maple Street, Middlesbrough TS1 3DS – kept three thin and hungry Akita dogs named Nikita, Storm and Niko in squalid conditions.
The RSPCA found Niko and Nikita in a back yard among an “extensive accumulation of faeces”. Both dogs appeared hungry and thin and their coats were molting and dirty.”
Storm had been kept indoors where conditions made for a “hazardous environment”.
There was urine on the floor, flies circling around rooms and a foul smell. One of the dogs had a severe ear infection.
Career criminal Bishop pleaded not guilty to five charges but refused to attend the trial via video link from prison where he was remanded in custody for another unrelated matter. The trial was however continued in his absence and the case against him proven.
Sentencing:
Jailed for 18 weeks. Banned from owning animals for 10 years (expires July 2027).