CONVICTED (2023) | Katie Margaret Lynch, born 28 July 1991, previously of Bogroy Crescent, Cornhill, Banff and now 1 Wood Place, Portknockie, Buckie AB56 4NJ – refused to feed her ex’s dog after they broke up, leaving the dog to become skeletal.

Lynch admitted to Scottish SPCA inspectors that she had nothing to do with the dog – a lurcher called Dexter – after the split and just assumed her eight-year-old daughter was taking care of him.

When a vet examined the starving dog, he had a body weight of 15kg against a normal body weight for his breed of 25kg-28kg.

He was was given a body score of 0 out of 9 – a rating rarely used as it describes “skeletal cases”.

Dexter was only saved from certain death after Lynch’s mother intervened and rang the SSPCA, albeit lying that the dog was a stray.

The SSPCA collected Dexter and took him to a vet where it was concluded that he had suffered months of malnutrition.

The animal welfare charity issued a public photo appeal in a bid to trace Dexter’s owner. Multiple tip-offs named Katie Lynch as having the dog in her home.

They paid Lynch a visit and found she had two other dogs, a Staffordshire bull terrier and a schnauzer, running around her garden in good condition and enjoying a large run and kennel.

Charity inspectors interviewed Lynch and she denied ownership of Dexter, indicating he had belonged to her ex-partner.

When asked if she’d fed the dog herself, Lynch replied: “I think my daughter did. She kept sneaking out with food”, adding that she was “too busy with the break-up” to check.

She signed Dexter over to the SSPCA, who spent two months caring for him. After being nursed back to health and fed a proper diet, he was happily rehomed.

In court Lynch pleaded guilty to causing an animal unnecessary suffering.

Her defence agent Stephen Carty said she had been suffering from mental health issues at the time.

‘She was somewhat aware the dog was there’

“The break-up had a massive effect on her mental health,” he said. “The end of the relationship has probably been a positive thing for Miss Lynch.

“It appears at the end of the relationship her former partner has left the dog at the house.

“She has been somewhat aware that the dog was there but in her view, the responsibility for the care of the animal fell to her ex-partner, not her.

“It’s a matter of regret to her. If she had phoned the SSPCA I am sure they would have come out and helped.”

Referencing background and psychiatrist reports he added his client’s mental health was poor and “she had suffered a great deal herself”.

He added the first offender had acted “out of character” but had recently moved back in with her mother who was providing a “great source of support”.

Sheriff Robert McDonald, who was shown photos of Dexter at his thinnest, said the images and the body score were “shocking”.

He said he took into account Lynch’s personal circumstances at the time but that “doesn’t excuse the offence”.

He said he ordinarily “wouldn’t hesitate in imposing a disqualification order” in a case like this, but said he trusted the SSPCA would have acted if they had any concerns over the care of Lynch’s other two dogs.

SSPCA senior inspector Lesley Crocket said she would have liked to have seen Lynch banned from keeping animals.

She added: “Lynch claimed the dog belonged to her ex-partner, who she had last seen two or three months prior and that she was unaware if Dexter had been left behind in her garden.

“She claimed never to have heard the dog barking and thought her ex-partner had taken him away or sold him.

“We’re pleased that Lynch has received a sentence for the suffering she caused to Dexter. However, it’s disappointing that she has not received a ban on keeping animals in this case.

Sentencing | 90 hours of unpaid work; six-month supervision order. No ban or deprivation order.

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