CONVICTED (2020) |Daniel Christopher Lahey, born 10/04/1991, of Duke Place, Silverdale, Newcastle-under-Lyme ST5 6PE* but with links to Wolverhampton – locked a rescue dog in a shed to starve to death
Callous Daniel Lahey, who has a long list of previous criminal convictions including at least one for domestic violence, admitted causing unnecessary suffering to Staffordshire bull terrier Rex.
Lahey had provided a foster home for the dog, after completing a charity’s home checks. But months later charity volunteers discovered Rex’s starved body in a black bag.
The chef told RSPCA investigators that he had not buried the rescue dog because he could not afford a spade.
North Staffordshire Justice Centre heard Lahey took Rex home on December 1, 2018. For the first few months, Lahey sent the charity regular updates, including photographs and videos of Rex’s progress. But the charity was later unable to contact the defendant and then received a call from a relative to collect Rex’s body on April 2, 2010.
Vets discovered that the rescue dog was emaciated – weighing just 12.35 kilograms. A post-mortem examination gave the cause of death as emaciation.
The vet’s report stated: “There is a strong possibility that he was left without food for a few days. During this time he would be hungry, potentially cold at night as he was confined to a shed, and possibly psychologically distressed as scratch marks were found in the shed along with soiling.”
Lahey told the RSPCA that Rex had struggled to put on weight and that he had left the dog with someone else when he went away for a few weeks last March. He said he returned to find Rex dead.
Following the case, RSPCA inspector Charlotte Melvin said: “It is horrendous to think of the suffering which poor Rex went through during the period leading up to his death.
“The vet’s report states he had been left in the shed for a number of days at least as scratch marks could be found near the door as Rex had desperately tried to get out.
“There is never an excuse not to feed a pet or seek veterinary treatment – if people are in need of help there are also plenty of animal charities that can help or in this case the animal rescue centre where Rex had come from would have taken him back.”
A spokesman for Pebbles Legacy, which placed Rex with Lahey, said: “We are so upset about what has happened to Rex and the suffering he must have endured. He was fostered by Lahey so he could have allowed us to take him back at any time if he was struggling but there was no indication of this at all.
“We carried out a number of home checks on Lahey which he passed and he sent us weekly updates, including videos and photographs, showing how well Rex was doing. There was even one of him looking so happy playing in the snow.
“We have no idea why this changed and it was awful to go the property and find a dog who we had cared for dead in such awful circumstances.
“It has been terribly upsetting for all our volunteers.”
Sentencing: ordered to pay a total of £850. Banned from keeping animals for life.
*Update December 2021:
We are advised that Daniel Lahey lives at the following address with partner Stacey Poulton:
Neve Avenue
WOLVERHAMPTON
WV10 9BU
Another Mentally Disturbed Scum.
It makes you think : He Is Not Safe Around That Child.
Excuse me that is my stepdad and he is innocent he didn’t do it because he went on holiday and he comeback to this now don’t talk like that about my stepdad IDIOT!!!
Don’t believe his lies.
Everyone knows he killed the dog beat up a woman abuse kids threatening to take 14 yr old lads jaws gets you to bully disabled kids keeps your mom in the house with that kid cause trouble writes 5 page statements to the police film kids in there own gardens gets ppls house raided and thinks he’s bad then there’s you walking round like your a big man lmfao 🤣 karma is such a b@#$$ what goes around comes around