CONVICTED (2024) | Siem Tamrat, born 9 September 2000, of Mereton Mansions, Brookmill Road, Deptford, London SE8 4HS – neglected a puppy until she almost starved to death.
Tamrat denied the animal cruelty charges against him but was found guilty after failing to provide a three-month-old American bulldog puppy, Nala, with adequate food and water.
The pup was presented to PDSA vets in “a state of emaciation” on November 29, 2022.
Nala had been taken to the vets on November 15, with a history of being underweight. At that appointment she weighed 10.6kg.
Tamrat was advised to feed an appropriate diet of complete puppy food three times a day and return two weeks later.
When she was taken back to the vets, Nala weighed just 7.7kg and was subdued, barely able to stand, with muscles shaking, and standing with her head down.
The bones of her head, limbs, spine, ribs and pelvis were easily visible, the RSPCA said.
Tamrat was advised by the vets that Nala required intensive supportive treatment given her very poor condition.
He initially refused but then left the vet surgery to withdraw funds for treatment and failed to return.
As a result, the RSPCA were called to seize Nala along with police and investigate animal welfare offences.
In mitigation, Tamrat’s defence lawyer said his client’s autism and ADHD adversely affected his thinking and reasoning skills.
RSPCA Inspector Harriet Daliday attended the vet practice and described Nala as: “curled in a ball, on a drip, in her kennel and did not respond to noise or my voice.
“She did not respond when opening up her kennel and I had to gently lift her out and get support to hold her up in order to photograph her as she could not stand unaided.
“She was extremely underweight with all her ribs, her pelvis and spine easily visible.
“She was very roach backed and unsteady on her feet swaying back and forth and shaking.
“She was extremely lethargic and struggled to keep her eyes open.
“Her entire demeanour was the opposite of what you expect from a three-month-old puppy.”
Since her traumatic start to life, Nala has now made a full recovery and has been adopted by a new family.
Sentencing | 10-week custodial suspended for 12 months; 30 days of rehabilitation activity; £154 victim surcharge. A five-year ban (expires April 2029).
CONVICTED (2023) | Sean McWhinnie, born 16 August 1980, previously of Jackie Wigg Gardens, Totton, Southampton SO40 9LZ – caught on CCTV subjecting a six-month-old foal to a 90-minute beating while sister Maxine McWhinnie (details tbc) looked on unconcerned.
Sean McWhinnie received a lifetime ban on keeping all animals while sister Maxine agreed voluntarily not to be involved with horses for 10 years
In November 2021 Sean McWhinnie, a traveller with links to Larkhall in Scotland, went to a farm in Romsey where a young New Forest crossbreed foal named Faith, belonging to his sister Maxine McWhinnie, was kept and carried out a sustained attack lasting more than one-and-a-half hours which left the six-month old animal “terrified”.
The attack took place while Maxine and another woman sat outside in full view of what was going on inside the stable. Neither woman did anything to intervene and appeared unconcerned.
Prosecuting for the RSPCA, Hazel Stephens told the court the charity had been alerted after staff at the yard saw the attack on CCTV.
She said: “It is a particularly shocking case. Faith had been caused pain and suffering through deliberate and unnecessary abuse.
“In one video clip McWhinnie can be seen punching the foal in the face causing it to spin 180 degrees.
Maxine McWhinnie appears unconcerned as her brother Sean McWhinnie subjects a foal to a prolonged vicious beating
“He repeatedly hits it with a rope halter and chases it. At one point the foal rears up and falls backwards and is extremely distressed.”
She added the foal, which would have only just been weaned and had no prior human interaction, was being cared for by someone with “zero understanding and empathy of its needs”.
In interview McWhinnie seemed unable to recognise any wrongdoing, she added, and he asked the officer “Have you ever broken a wild foal?”
The foal was removed and has since been kept at a rescue centre in Somerset, run by World Horse Welfare (WHW).
The welfare charity’s Field Officer Penny Baker said: “When I first got to the yard Faith was in a real state.
“She was very distressed and, when I tried to enter her stable, in self-defence she put her ears flat back, turned her bum towards me and tried to kick. She was terrified.”
Defending McWhinnie, Timothy Compton said he suffered his client was autistic, had ADHD and possible foetal alcohol syndrome.
He had suffered “many challenging situations” in his life including being placed in boarding school at the age of 13 due to his additional needs.
He added McWhinnie was from a traveller background and added: “In this society the approach to animals is not always the same as it is in wider society.
“He does [now] understand to a degree, given his difficulties, that the way he behaved was not the way he should have behaved.”
Career criminal McWhinnie, who has a history of violent offending (see here and here) admitted one count of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal.
He had earlier pleaded guilty to breaching a suspended sentence, intentionally causing alarm and distress, burglary, making off without payment, aggravated vehicle taking without consent and possession of class B drugs.
For these offences he was given a further 12 months in prison, also suspended for 21 months
The sentence for these offences had been deferred to give McWhinnie a chance to prove himself, the court heard.
Judge Forster said: “This case is truly shocking. The victim of what took place was a foal, and the animal was subject to unnecessary assault.
“[Vet] Dr Green describes in a report how the the foal was repeatedly hit, wrestled and terrorised within the stable.
“I make it clear that all right-thinking people take a serious view of any cruelty towards an animal, and parliament has increased the maximum sentence [to five years] for that offence to reflect the public concern of such behaviour.”
However, the judge said that despite the “shocking nature” of the offence he had suspended the sentence after taking in to consideration McWhinnie’s “difficulties in life” and said he believed his mental health challenges had contributed to his offending.
Commenting after the sentencing, WHW’s Penny Baker said: “We welcome the lifetime ban on keeping all animals, however, we are very disappointed that the prison term for this abhorrent offence was suspended because, in our opinion, this very young foal suffered terribly at the hands of Sean McWhinnie and the deliberate attack that he subjected her to.
“I feel – I’m sure along with the rest of this nation’s animal lovers – that this was worthy of a prison term with immediate effect.”
Sentencing |
Sean McWhinnie:five-month prison sentence, suspended for 21 months; 200 hours of unpaid work. Lifetime ban on keeping animals, although he can apply for this to be lifted after 10 years.
Maxine McWhinnie, who was charged with permitting the beating, agreed to a 10-year ban on keeping equines.
CONVICTED (2023) | backyard breeder Kyle Stephen Moore, born c. 2003, of Oldfield Road, Ellesmere Port CH65 8DE – left a French bulldog puppy to starve to death in a filthy flat strewn with rubbish.
Ellesmere Port teenager Kyle Moore let a French bulldog starve to death after ‘forgetting’ to feed her
Eight-month-old French bulldog Coco slowly starved to death over three months after being abandoned by Kyle Moore. The callous teenager had been paid to look after the puppy by his sister, Leanne Griffiths, after she and boyfriend Jon Brookshaw, moved out to set up home elsewhere. . Backyard breeders Griffiths and Brookshaw were also prosecuted in relation to Coco’s death and sentenced in January 2023.
Heartbreaking photos show French bulldog puppy Coco lying dead in a filthy flat after she was starved to death by a family-run group of backyard breeders
Moore watched as she became thinner and thinner while ‘forgetting’ to feed, water and walk her until she eventually died alone and in pain.
Her skeletal remains were discovered alongside children’s toys and piles of rubbish by agents acting for the landlords of the flat in Birkenhead, Wirral, following complaints from neighbours about the smell.
Leanne Griffiths was later traced to her new home.
It emerged that she and Brookshaw had taken on Coco for breeding purposes, but when Griffiths moved out in March 2022 she refused to take the dog to their new home due to the puppy not being toilet trained.
The flat was described as being in a terrible state, with dog faeces on the floor and no sign of any food or water for the dog.
RSPCA prosecutor Peter Mitchell said that police were called to a flat on Dorset Gardens on Old Chester Road in Birkenhead on May 12, 2022, following a request by the landlord Magenta Housing.
‘They were due to carry out an eviction on this premises,’ Mr Mitchell said. ‘There was a strong smell and numerous flies coming from the flat.
‘They entered the property whose registered occupant was Leanne Griffiths, who is the defendant’s sister. There was no person present. However, it was discovered that there was a dog dead in the premises, a black and tan bulldog type dog.
‘The police officer stated that the flat was in a terrible state, with dog faeces on the floor and no sign of any food or water for the dog. The RSPCA was contacted and Inspector Anthony Joynes attended the same day.
‘He was overwhelmed by the smell of decomposition, faeces and urine. He saw the dead dog on the floor.
‘There was faeces over every floor of the flat. There were multiple piles of dried diarrhoea. There were food and water bowls on the kitchen floor, empty and dry.
‘There was no food found on the premises. He did discover post pertaining to Leanne Griffiths and Jonathan Brookshaw, her fiance. He made enquiries and discovered the dog’s name was Coco, originally owned by another person but ownership was transferred to Miss Griffiths.’
When questioned, Griffiths said: ‘We’ve been struggling yeah. I was there three or four days ago, she was skinny but she was alive. She couldn’t come with us because she was shitting and pissing everywhere.’
Griffiths said she had been given the dog on breeding terms months earlier but did not bring Coco to her new home as they claimed the puppy would be attacked by their other dog, Molly.
Dog killers and backyard breeders Jon Brookshaw and Leanne Griffiths from Birkenhead, Wirral, Merseyside. Pic Facebook
She admitted she had visited Dorset Gardens since moving, saw water and biscuits but agreed the ‘place was a shithole’. She said she had last seen the puppy alive about three to four days previously and that she was ‘skinny but alive’.
She added that she thought her brother was caring for Coco.
Moore said he was going about two times per week to feed Coco, believing that his sister was going as well. He admitted he forgot to feed Coco ‘quite often’.
Mr Mitchell added: ‘He accepted that there were days quite often missed when the dog was not seen at all. He recognised that the dog was getting thin and on one occasion was barely alive and needed feeding. He noted that Coco had been losing weight for about three months.’
A vet’s report said Coco, who weighed just 4.6kg, had been suffering from hunger and starvation for a period of several months prior to her death.
‘She will also have experienced periods of time where she had no access to water and will have suffered from dehydration,’ the report said.
‘The environment in which Coco was housed was totally inadequate for her as it was not clean and sanitary, nor did it provide her with a clean, dry, comfortable and safe place to rest.
‘Of more concern than the poor environment is the complete lack of socialisation and companionship provided to Coco who was spending up to a week at a time with no interaction or social activity at all.
‘It is my expert opinion that Coco was caused to suffer from hunger, weakness and lethargy over a prolonged period of time as a result of the intermittent starvation and dehydration that she was enduring from the failure to provide her with an adequate and sufficient diet on a daily basis.’
The court heard that Kyle Moore knew the animal was “barely alive” but believed it was not his responsibility
In mitigation for Moore, who lived with his mother, defence lawyer Laura Flynn said her client was on the autism spectrum, adding: ‘He is really sorry in his way that the dog died but that ability to demonstrate the appropriate remorse and demonstrate an appropriate sadness was completely lost on the probation services. It is not a criticism but it is because they do not know him.
‘Anyone who is a dog lover is going to be offended by these offences, it’s as simple as that. I did not want you to think that this is someone who was completely careless. It is not that. There are fundamental issues here.
‘The fact that his sister has given the dog to someone who cannot organise himself, never mind anything else, was very remiss. Did he think there was something wrong with the dog? Yes.
‘But did he not think it was his place to do something about it. It did not occur to him that it was his responsibility. That does not make him less culpable, it just explains what was going on. It was not his dog and he did not live with it. He did for a short time but not for a long time before it died,’ she said.
After the case RSPCA Inspector Anthony Joynes said: It’s hard to prepare yourself to walk in and deal with an incident where a dog has been starved to death.
‘You know you can’t do anything to help at that stage, and all you can do is remain professional and investigate the case to ensure that the animal’s suffering does not go unanswered.
‘I noted that the dog was wearing a collar with a tag containing the name ‘Coco’ engraved onto one side but it was far too big, providing some indication of how big the dog may have been at some point before losing body condition, as people generally don’t put collars on their dogs that are far too big and can just slip off.’
‘It remains one of the saddest sights I’ve ever seen in 14 years, Coco just lying there dead, emaciated and alone surrounded by children’s toys and bits of rubbish, having been completely let down by the people she relied upon.’
Sentencing | 18 weeks’ imprisonment suspended for 12 months; 15 rehabilitation activity days; 50 hours of unpaid work; victim surcharge of £154. Disqualified from owning an animal for the next five years (expires March 2028).
CONVICTED (2021) | backyard breeder James Jason Haydon, born 6 November 1998, previously of Mount Park, Higher Bebington, Wirral and now Island Road, Reading RG2 0RP – sold sick puppies on Facebook and kept dogs in a cupboard under the stairs.
James Joseph Haydon, who now lives in Reading in Berkshire, kept 11 dogs and puppies, some of which were living in crates filled with faeces and urine.
Haydon pleaded guilty to two offences under the Animal Welfare Act.
The case against Haydon’s partner Kirsty Jayne Burke, who appeared in court alongside him, appears to have been discontinued.
RSPCA officers were called to an address in Higher Bebington in December 2019 and January 2020 after concerns were raised by members of the public about skinny dogs. Officers were concerned about their weight and the conditions they were living in so left an improvement notice.
The court heard how inspector Naomi Norris was called to a local kennels a few weeks later to see a dog called Freyer who had been handed over by Haydon.
Six dogs were kept in two pens in the garden, where they were “walking in faeces”.
Naomi said: “She was very thin and had saggy teets that still contained milk. It appeared as though she’d recently had puppies and I was concerned for their welfare. “I returned to the house two days later to follow up on the improvement notice. Haydon shouted out of a window, became aggressive and refused us access to the dogs.”
On February 5, 2020, Naomi and her colleagues joined police as they executed a warrant at the address. Naomi said: “In a cupboard under the stairs in the hall we found four six-week-old puppies. “I could see their ribs and spine and the vet said they needed to come out as soon as possible.
“They were on a cold floor with no bedding, no light and no ventilation.
“There was a large fawn-coloured dog in a small cage in the lounge. He had no bedding, food or water and the cage was far too small for him.
One dog was found in a crate so small he was unable to turn around in it.
“Outside, there were six large dogs in two runs in the garden. They all looked thin and the runs were thick with faeces.
“As the dogs were moving around the faeces was splashing up into the air. There were upturned buckets but no water available to them.
“These dogs appeared to have deteriorated since the last time I had seen them through the gate on January 3 and I was immediately concerned about them.
“While we were outside I heard a male voice shouting aggressively at something inside. I went into the kitchen but the police were in control, as far as I could see.
Many of the dogs appeared to be dehydrated and two were considered seriously underweight.
“An officer said Haydon had shouted at the dog in the cage in the lounge, Aries, and the dog had cowered in response and defecated. At that point I looked through the serving hatch and noticed a hammer hanging next to the cage.”
Some of the dogs had cropped ears and docked tails and another, Storm, had a swollen untreated wound to his led and was found wearing a shock collar, which was removed by officers. Eleven dogs and puppies – all cane corso types – were seized by police and taken into RSPCA care.
The adult dogs – Aries, Winter, Brille, Artemis (female), Diosa, Storm and Akhira (or Hera) – were all taken into the charity’s rescue centres.
The puppies Deloris, Ginny, Hermione and Luna – named after Harry Potter characters having been found in a cupboard under the stairs – were all rehomed by one of the charity’s branches. Haydon said Storm and Artemis belonged to two other individuals, one of whom confirmed that he’d been looking after his dog while his child was in hospital.
The dogs were signed over for rehoming but, sadly, Artemis was put to sleep on medical grounds due to serious health problems. Storm and Hera were rehomed together where they’re getting on really well with their new family.
Aries (now renamed Acer), Brille (now called Lola), Diosa (now called Callie) and Winter (now Roxy) also all found loving new homes.
The dogs, who all have new names, spent a year in the charity’s care before being signed over for rehoming. Callie and Lola were more nervous and wary of people, possibly as a result of their cropped ears and docked tails, and Acer and Roxy were more confident.
Haydon was also sentenced for three offences relating to a Cane Corso puppy, called Max, who was sold to a member of the public in September 2020 and was so poorly he had to be put to sleep.
The court heard how Andrew and Samantha Hood saw two Cane Corso puppies, Max and another dog named Storm, advertised on Facebook and paid £1,800 for both.
Haydon and a woman drove to the North East to take the puppies to the new owners and when they met he provided some registration documents.
Mr Mitchell said they noticed Storm had a mark on her head and some fur had fallen out, and Haydon claimed she had been bitten and had an abscess, handing them coconut oil to treat it.
He said the puppies were put in a crate and immediately suffered diarrhoea and Max appeared “in pain”.
They took him to a vet who discovered the puppy weighed just 1.9 kilograms when he should have weighed between eight and nine, and had “severely reduced muscle mass”.
Max also had multiple sores on his left ear and infected cuts and all four of paws had infections, which a vet said was as a result of “poor living conditions”.
Mr Mitchell said: “[The vet] felt the only available option was to euthanise that particular puppy.”
Sarah Griffin, defending, said Haydon “did the best he could” and had moved to a larger home “at great expense to himself” in efforts to care for the dogs.
She said he had “overcommitted himself financially” and as a result compromised the health of the dogs.
Ms Griffin said Haydon was £25,000 in debt and a “significant portion” was from trying to improve living conditions for the animals and added they weren’t “totally neglected” as he attempted to look after them.
She said after he pleaded guilty to the offences he signed the animals over to a charity.
Ms Griffin said Haydon has made “positive changes” and is “doing well” with the requirements of a current suspended sentence, which he received for the cultivation of cannabis.
She said he had an “incredibly difficult background”, had made an attempt on his life and has been diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome.
The court heard he has casual employment as a mechanic and lives with his partner, who is pregnant.
Sentencing: 12 weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months; 30 days of rehabilitation activity and thinking skills; £250 in costs. Disqualified from keeping all animals for five years (expires August 2026).
CONVICTED (2021) | Kierien Lee Harrison, born 25 December 1991, of Park View, West Street, Winshill, Burton-on-Trent DE15 0FD – threw his pet chihuahua downstairs and stamped on her back causing a “catalogue of injuries”.
Kierien Lee Harrison and Misty
Kierien Lee Harrison, who has a history of violence, inflicted so much pain onto his dog Misty that her injuries were consistent with that of car crash victim, a vet said.
The 29-year-old admitted an animal welfare offence of causing unnecessary suffering to the dog when he appeared before magistrates.
The court heard how the RSPCA was called to investigate the dog’s injuries by Staffordshire Police who had arrested Harrison for other matters on May 9, 2019.
When he was arrested a witness told police that Harrison had thrown his pet chihuahua down the stairs of his home and stamped on her back, although Harrison denied this.
RSPCA inspector Kate Levesley took Misty to a nearby vets for examination and it was found that she had suffered a catalogue of injuries.
Misty was found with severe injuries to the pelvis, making it difficult for her to urinate and defecate. She had a fractured tooth, missing teeth, and a mark/trauma to the right hand side of her body.
The vet was informed by another vet that Misty had sustained a pelvic injury approximately a month before. Harrison had told the vet at the time that Misty had fallen from a bed and had become lame.
X-rays showed that the her injuries had become worse.
Misty was given medication and had to have cage rest for two months before going to a foster home to recuperate.
The vet report stated: “It is clear from a clinical examination and x-rays that Misty has been subjected to repeated injuries. She has had at least two separate injuries to her teeth as well as two clearly separate injuries to her pelvis.
“These injuries require considerable force and are typically seen following high falls or road traffic accidents. Certainly I do not believe the initial injury in April could have been sustained from a fall off a bed or sofa.
“Unfortunately it is entirely possible the injuries were as a result of physical trauma from a person. She has been left with permanent damage to her teeth and pelvis though, and the latter is likely to cause severe arthritis later in life.
“As a result I suspect she will need lifelong medication and treatment.” The RSPCA has now rehomed Misty and she is enjoying life with her new owners, said a spokesman.
Inspector Levesley said: “Misty’s injuries were horrific and she was understandably nervous around people and scared.
“But she has made great progress and is coping with her damaged pelvis remarkably well. I am happy to see that she has been rehomed and is enjoying life now – she is certainly getting lots of attention and love.”
In mitigation the court heard Harrison suffered from autism.
In passing sentence the magistrate said: “This is a shocking case. I have no doubt about the suffering caused and have found it difficult to step back from immediate custody.”
Sentencing: 18-week jail sentence which was suspended for two years; ordered to pay a total of £715 in costs and charges. Banned from owning pets for an indefinite period.
CONVICTED (2020) | Thomas Andrew Wade, born 02/03/1993, previously of Mellor Street, Stockton-on-Tees, but as of September 2020 living in an NHS care facility in Park Avenue, Hartlepool TS26 0DZ – subjected his pet cat to prolonged torture which included putting her into a hot oven and flushing her down the toilet
Thomas Wade aka ‘Evil Tom’ most recently of Hartlepool but with links to Stockton on Tees and Grimsby
Wade claimed in court he heard voices from a WWE wrestler named Kane before launching the attack on the cat, known as Sweetie. During her ordeal, which came after she apparently “disobeyed” her twisted owner, Sweetie was put in a hot oven, flushed in a toilet, strangled with a TV cord and thrown against walls.
Wade then made disturbing voice recordings of himself where he spoke in detail about carrying out the horrific abuse and proclaimed: “No one can be more evil than myself.”
Despite the sickening cruelty, Sweetie miraculously survived the ordeal, but was hospitalised with severe third degree burns.
Wade pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to an animal during his appearance at Teesside Magistrates’ Court.
Stuart Haywood, prosecuting, said loner Wade, who has learning difficulties and autism, received Sweetie as a gift from his sister as she thought it would be “good for him”.
The tabby was then given to Wade for a three week trial before possible adoption.
But on October 8, 2019, Wade went to his sister’s home and told her the cat “was not wanted anymore”.
Mr Haywood said his sister then went to Wade’s home where she “smelled a strong smell of burning”.
“The defendant was sitting on a settee and the cat was wet and breathing rapidly, he refused to say why,” he said.
He added that fur was then found in Wade’s oven. After more questions, Wade finally admitted what he had done, saying that it “felt good”.
His sister immediately notified the RSPCA and Sweetie was taken to a vet where she was found to be in a “terrible condition”.
She had sustained skin damage and “significant” third degree burns before being hospitalised.
The police soon became involved and Wade was arrested.
Rambling voice recordings were later discovered of Wade speaking about the abuse.
In the recordings, one of which was eight minutes long, he spoke in detail about attacking Sweetie.
In one sinister recording he said, “No one can be more evil than myself” and said he wanted to “rip out its tongue” after seeing her struggle while being “choke slammed”.
In another he referred to himself as “evil Tom”.
In police interview, Wade said he “threw her against four walls” and said he carried out the violence in part because he claimed he heard voice in his head from the WWE wrestling character, Kane, in his head.
Wade was also remorseless, telling officers “she had not suffered enough”.
He said he put the terrified cat in the oven “on high for five minutes” after throwing her against a wall and said he became infuriated at Sweetie for “disobeying” his orders for her not to go under his bed. The court heard that Wade had “no mental health” issues, but did have learning difficulties.
Matthew Agar, defending, said the incident was “shocking”, and said he “did not want to minimise” the offence.
He said it was his view Wade’s learning disability was a “contributing factor” and that he had serious concerns for him.
Mr Agar added that Wade was now aware of the severity of the offence and that he felt Wade had something like a “split-personality”.
He said that Wade had moved to Teesside from Grimsby and would “go weeks” without any other contact with people.
Sentencing Wade, district judge, Helen Cousins called him an “extremely dangerous man” and that she would liked to have “put him in prison for as long as I could”.
Sentencing: 18-week prison sentence, suspended for two years. Six months of mental health treatment. 30 rehabilitation activity days and 18-week hospital curfew. £440 costs. Banned from keeping pets for 10 years (expires 2030).
CONVICTED (2019) | Ian White, born c. 1983, of Camborne Road, Hyde, Thameside – stamped on a pensioner’s dog during a violent crime spree.
Thug Ian White of Hyde, Greater Manchester, stamped on a pensioner’s dog during a violent crime spree
Ian White’s catalogue of offending began at 10.20pm on November 12, 2018, when he called for a taxi which arrived at a house in Hyde, Manchester.
During the drive he took out a knife and began threatening the driver of the vehicle.
The taxi dropped him off in Buxton Road, Furness Vale, where he flagged down a passing 4×4 and demanded the 65-year-old woman drive him away from the scene.
The woman, who was not physically harmed during the incident, let him out in Yeardsley Lane, Furness Vale. A short time later White made his way to a pub in Buxton Road, Furness Vale.
He entered the pub threatened staff with the knife, caused criminal damage within the business and then left.
White then knocked on the door of a nearby house demanding a taxi be called for him. When the owner, a 75-year-old man, refused to call White a cab he forced his way into the property, assaulting the pensioner and stamping on his dog.
He then left this address and was detained by officers in Buxton Road.
White was charged with 16 offences including threats to kill, possession of a bladed article in public, criminal damage, kidnapping, ABH, affray and causing unnecessary suffering to an animal.
He appeared at Derby Crown Court on May 21, 2019, where he pleaded guilty to all offences (other than an attempted robbery which he pleaded guilty to theft from a person) and was sentenced to seven years in prison.
A number of psychological assessments were made of White and it was concluded that the offending took place at a time when he was suffering “an autistic crisis”.
CONVICTED (2019) | Gary Sean Chadwick, born 15 January 1999, of Firbeck, Skelmersdale WN8 6PN – battered a 20-week-old kitten and left her to suffer an agonising death
Gary Chadwick pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal at Liverpool Magistrates’ Court.
He killed the grey and white kitten, named Smokey, after he hit her so hard that he caused multiple fractures, kidney damage and significant bruising.
The kitten likely suffered for “many hours” according to the vet who carried out the post-mortem.
A carer for Chadwick, who has autism and had also previously been on medication for schizophrenia , discovered the kitten after she saw her struggling to use her front legs and heard her wailing in pain before she died.
She said Chadwick was acting “shifty”, claiming the cat always made those noises when it used the litter tray.
The carer left the house and called the RSPCA to report Chadwick for animal cruelty.
When interviewed, Chadwick claimed he had only ever slapped Smokey once during her short life but said he never threw or kicked her.
David Lloyd, defending, told Liverpool Magistrates’ Court: “I don’t think he intended to deliberately hurt the kitten.”
Adding: “He has asked me to inform the court, to say he was fond of the kitten.”
Inspector Joanne McDonald said: “We will never know the exact details of how the kitten came to have these injuries but from what the expert witnesses told the court it must have been terrible.
“Smokey was only 20 weeks old and the suffering she must have endured after the attack must have been terrible.”
Sentencing: two-year conditional discharge. Banned from keeping animals for 10 years (expires January 2029).
CONVICTED (2018) | Martin Frederick Jones, born c. 1986, of Park Road, Ellesmere Port CH65 0DH – captured on CCTV battering a terrified dog.
Puppy Millie was subjected to a vicious attack by her owner, Mark Frederick Jones
Father-of-seven Martin Frederick Jones pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal on March 7, 2018
He was spotted by two horrified witnesses hitting his golden labrador puppy Millie near Ellesmere Port bus station.
The shocking incident was captured on CCTV and shows Jones assaulting the defenceless dog.
In the footage Millie runs out into the road and is caught by Jones, who grabs her and punches her multiple times in the side, before pulling her back to the pavement.
Wirral magistrates court was told how the two female witnesses had got off a bus and saw Jones yank the dog, before she ran into the road.
When Jones got the dog back he hit her on her side and the witnesses reported Millie cowered and seemed very scared.
The women were so worried about the dog they decided to follow Jones home and saw him further yank Millie with “uncalled for force.”
Chris Murphy prosecuting said: “The women saw the dog shaking and reported that it appeared timid.
“The incident was reported to the RSPCA and the CCTV of the incident was given to vet Holly Jones who also examined the dog.
“The vet expressed concern for the welfare of the dog and Millie was taken from the family home.
“When she examined her Millie seemed very reserved and anxious, although there were no visible bruises she pointed to mental trauma the dog had gone through.
“When the defendant was interviewed by the RSPCA he accepted responsibility and said he had done it to “make her understand.”
The court heard Jones suffers from mental health problems including Aspergers and ADHD and had no previous convictions.
Scott McCrimmon, defending, said Jones was a family man, had seven children and had always owned dogs.
He said: “Millie is a family pet and the children have been missing her.
“He admits he overreacted and caused trauma to Millie, when he was in a blind panic.
“He accepts he used force to control the dog and handled it very poorly.”
Sentencing Jones District Judge Nick Sanders said: “You went over the top, Millie was a young dog that didn’t understand what was going on.
“What you did was in no way helping her understand, you lost your temper.
“You need to take a long hard look at the way you treat animals.”
Millie will now be made available for rehoming
RSPCA Inspector Anthony Joynes said: “This was a vicious attack on a completely defenceless dog which is just simply unacceptable.
“The CCTV captures Millie breaking away from her owner and running into a road, the cars are seen to be slowing down and as Jones catches up with his dog he unleashes a number of heavy blows which he said where ‘to confuse her and make her understand’.
“However this would only have had the effect of inflicting pain and resulting in the dog becoming scared of Jones.
“Beating a dog is never acceptable and is certainly not a nice thing to witness. Jones beat poor Millie in front of numerous members of the public in broad daylight seemingly unfazed.
“Thankfully two brave witnesses came forward to assist in the investigation and after CCTV enquiries recovered two clips of the incident, we were able to locate Jones and remove Mille from his abusive care.
“After waiting many months for this case to come to trial today, Millie can now look forward to finding a loving forever home.”
Sentencing | A total of £270 fines, costs and charges. Banned from keeping animals for a mere three years (expired November 2021).
CONVICTED (2018) | Alexander Charles Phillips, born 1 October 1999, previously of Barrells Down Road, Bishop’s Stortford and as at December 2021 of Oldfield Lane, Bath BA2 3NP – kicked, strangled and suffocated a family’s pet cat to “teach it a lesson”
Phillips, then a sixth-form boarder at Old Swinford Hospital School, Stourbridge, West Midlands, abducted and tortured a school friend’s 10-year-old cat Mollie after she had scratched him.
Phillips repeatedly kicked Mollie, tried to strangle and drown her, before finally suffocating her and hiding her body behind a sofa.
The prosecutor said the sinister attack had ‘overtones of a Stephen King novel’, while District Judge Steven Jonas described Phillips’ actions as ‘one of the worst cases of animal cruelty I have ever come across’.
Mr Stephen Blower, prosecuting, said it was thought Phillips provoked the elderly rescue cat into scratching him.
Phillips returned to the house in Stourbridge a few days later and sneaked Mollie out in a bag.
Back at his school accommodation, he ‘kicked the cat as hard as he could until he saw blood coming from her mouth’ said Mr Blower.
Then he grabbed the animal by the neck and tried to strangle her.
Half dead, the cat was put in a drawer so she would not be found while he went to play on his Xbox with the owner’s son.
Phillips later told police he also placed the animal under a tap of running water.
The court heard that when he returned to his room, the cat was dead in the drawer, either from her injuries or having suffocated.
“But the unsavoury aspects of this case don’t end there as he took the cat back to the house and placed it behind the sofa in the living room,” said Mr Blower.
Expert opinions were sought from two vets. One said the animal had suffered ‘intolerable and extreme pain and suffering’ while the other described the cat’s fate as a ‘prolonged, sadistic attack amounting to torture.’
Phillips, who continued to visit his friend’s home in Stourbridge while the cat was missing, finally confessed what he had done to the school matron who informed the family.
He claimed to love the cat but told police he ‘felt rejected’ by her after she scratched him.
Mr Patrick Currie, defending, said Phillips suffered from mental health problems, including Asperger’s Syndrome and ADHD.
His father’s death from suicide had had a ‘substantial’ impact on him, leading to anger issues. Phillips had killed the cat on an ‘impulse’, he claimed.
Phillips pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering and to criminal damage by destroying the animal.
Sentencing | 17 weeks in a young offenders institution.
