CONVICTED (2024) | Robert Lay, born c. 1991, from Heywood, Rochdale – killed a cat in a washing machine.
Lay put the cat, called Buddy, into the washing machine then switched it onto a wash cycle. He then dumped the animal’s horrifically injured body behind a bush in a cemetery.
In court Lay pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to an animal on or around February 11, 2023, at an address in the Queensbury area of Bradford.
Phillip Brown, prosecuting on behalf of the RSPCA, said the facts show an individual had committed a “sadistic act of cruelty”.
In a statement, the RSPCA said they were alerted to Buddy’s killing after Lay admitted to it in a Facebook chat group.
Messages showed Lay had said he had committed the act because the cat had scratched him and his girlfriend at the time had told him to do so or else she would end their relationship.
After the cat’s body was discovered, he was taken to a vet who was able to find the owner through the cat’s microchip.
The RSPCA said: “The court heard that a post mortem examination showed Buddy had a number of injuries, including fractures, bruising and skin lacerations consistent with being placed in a washing machine on a high heat.”
An expert vet’s witness statement, presented to the court, said Buddy had attempted to grip onto the drum with his claws as it was going around on a program ‘likely of high heat’ in the washing machine.
It said: “The cat would have experienced suffering via mechanisms of fear, distress and pain for a period of at least several minutes, possibly longer.
The court was told Lay had associated with a group while living in alternative accommodation to where he is now.
In mitigation, Lay’s lawyer claimed the group took advantage of his client’s significant disabilities.
Speaking after a sentencing hearing, RSPCA Inspector Natalie Taylor, who investigated the case, said: “This was a deeply distressing case involving intentional harm and cruelty to a defenceless cat. It is heart-breaking to think about the pain and suffering Buddy endured.
“We are grateful to the people who worked with us on getting this case to court.”
Sentencing | 14-week custodial suspended for 12 months; 30 days of rehabilitation activity; ordered to pay a total of £550. Banned from keeping any animal as a pet for life.
CONVICTED (2024) | Brian Hughes, born 27 September 1982, of 69 Lister Avenue, East Bowling, Bradford BD4 7QR- beat a German Shepherd with a broom causing injuries so severe the dog lost a leg.
Hughes was found guilty after a trial in a prosecution case brought by the RSPCA.
Caesar’s leg was broken beyond repair after enduring a brutal beating by his owner, Brian Hughes
The court heard that the dog – a German Shepherd-type called Caesar – was taken to a vets by a member of the public on September 8, 2022, after he was found tied to a fence.
The examining vet said in a written statement: “[The member of the public] worried that he (the dog) was going to be killed if left with his owner.
“Caesar was carried into the surgery unable to walk. On arrival he was unable to stand, however, he could do so with support though he tired easily.”
Due to concerns for his welfare, Caesar was handed over to the RSPCA, who began an investigation.
A second vet examination confirmed that Caesar had a broken leg, which later had to be amputated.
Caesar was nursed back to health by the RSPCA and rehomed
The vet’s statement said: “[Hughes] describes being bitten by the dog when trying to remove him from his bed. A sustained attack by the dog is described – during which the owner admits to having beaten the dog with a brush handle over the head and possibly the back, before then tying the dog to a gate.
“Blunt trauma such as that described would be a consistent finding with the injuries and bruising noted in the initial witness statement around the neck (from being tied to a gate forcefully) and being beaten with the broom on the body.
“The fracture and the significant amounts of fresh bruising present on both hind limbs would be consistent with a severe blunt force trauma – likely from ‘in front’ of the dog.
“The fractured limb has likely taken the main impact, with the other limb bruising as a result of more minor contact from the same blow.”
They added: “I would also suggest that it is very unlikely for this dog to have reacted in such an aggressive manner towards the owner solely as a result of being in pain when trying to be moved.”
“Whilst in my care, in an unfamiliar veterinary environment, despite being in considerable pain and discomfort, the dog at no stage showed any signs of aggression, even upon manipulation and examination of the affected limb.”
During sentencing, the judge told Hughes he was “not fit to be near animals”.
Inspector Jo Hartley, who investigated for the RSPCA, said: “Caesar was in a bad way when he arrived in our care and he had been so badly injured that he needed his leg amputated. Thankfully, he has made an amazing recovery and has been happily rehomed.
“We’re really grateful to everyone who helped in our investigation.
Caesar has now got a second chance at life and he is a happy boy now.”
Sentencing | two-year custodial. 15-year ban on keeping animals.
CONVICTED (2024) | Diana Kierpacz, born 9 November 1997, of Kennerleigh Walk, Tong, Bradford BD4 0NS – kept an emaciated dog tied up in a rubbish-strewn yard.
2011 social media image of Bradford animal abuser Diana Kierpacz
The two-year-old Staffordshire bull terrier, known as Brenda, was so emaciated her ribs, spine and hip bones were visible. She appeared timid and nervous.
Brenda
The dog, who had given birth seven weeks earlier, was found tied up in a faeces and rubbish filled yard with no access to food, water or shelter.
She also had a painful long-standing eye condition and was severely underweight, with a vet giving her a body condition score of just one out of nine
Diana Kierpacz, a Roma gypsy originating from Poland, pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to Brenda and failing to meet her needs following a prosecution by the RSPCA.
RSPCA inspector Demi Hodby had visited the house to investigate a report of concern over the welfare of a dog kept there.
In written evidence, Inspector Hodby said: “The dog looked to have recently given birth but there were no signs of the puppies. She had no access to water, shelter or food and her eyes were sunken into her head.
“All of the dog’s ribs were visible as well as her spine and hip bones.
“The dog was tethered to a fence using an extendable lead. The lead was tied to a piece of rope which was then attached to the dog’s collar. She was able to walk around but I was concerned she could injure herself as the tether was inappropriate.”
The court heard Kierpacz then appeared at the property and told inspector Hodby that Brenda was only outside for short periods and had access to water, despite none being present.
Kierpacz was told that Brenda’s living conditions were unacceptable and she was taken to the RSPCA’s Greater Manchester Animal Hospital.
She was examined by a vet who told the court in written evidence that the main concerns were her chronic entropion (eye condition ) and her thin body condition.
The vet said: “The most likely cause of this thin state was the increased nutritional demands of pregnancy followed by lactation which in particular is very energy demanding, requiring the animal to consume approximately three times the amount of calories and other nutrients than normal.
“In addition, the choke chain collar and height from which the dog was tethered gave a high risk of injury by choking or strangling if she tried to get away, was fleeing danger or chasing something.”
When asked about the circumstances in which her dog was found, Kierpacz said she had left Brenda there for one hour while she went shopping and she’d been tethered outside so she could “enjoy the weather.”
She said she didn’t feel the way the dog was found tied up compromised her health or welfare and claimed that water had been provided which Brenda must have drunk.
She said she’d been aware of the entropion but had not re-presented her pet for veterinary treatment for 18 months.
After being nursed back to health Brenda was rehomed
Kierpacz said she was not a breeder and Brenda had mated accidentally with a friend’s dog.
Brenda had surgery for her long-standing eye condition and was also neutered. She has since been re-homed.
Other dogs owned by Kierpacz will also now be rehomed.
Magistrates said Brenda had been found in a “very neglected and emaciated state and there was clear evidence that this offending has gone on for a long time”.
Despite this, they only gave Kierpacz a one-year ban. This seems to have been her sole punishment.
CONVICTED (2023) | Daniel Pickard, born c. 1981, of Heather Grove, Keighley BD21 2RP – killed a kitten by forcefully punching and strangling her and breaking her bones,
Pickard battered and strangled three-month-old female cat, Pablo, and left her body in a plastic bag in the bedroom of his flat.
The next morning he told his daughter: “The cat’s gone. I’ve killed it. It’s dead”, adding “I couldn’t stop punching it, it’s been pi**ing me off the past week.”
Pickard, who works as a painter/decorator, was convicted of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal.
He was also found guilty of criminal damage to the kitten by destroying her, assault on a police officer acting as an emergency worker, possession of cannabis and breach of his bail.
The court heard Pickard’s daughter had brought Pablo with her when she moved into his flat with her baby son.
After his daughter said she was struggling to look after the cat and thinking of re-homing her, the court heard Pickard told her: “I’ll take it round the back where the bins are and sort it out.”
Prosecutor Lydia Carroll said Pickard’s daughter had been shocked but thought he was joking.
She said: ‘In December last year, Pickard went out for the night with his two daughters but got drunk and was ejected from a nightclub.”
The court heard the next morning he called one daughter and told her he had killed the kitten because he had been annoying him, adding that he “couldn’t stop punching it”.
His daughter “thought it was some kind of joking because he kept laughing,” said Miss Carroll.
“She thought it was some kind of sick joke.”
The sisters called the police after finding the dead kitten with blood around her nose and mouth.
Pablo’s body was examined by a vet who found she had suffered fractures to her cheekbone, jaw, head and spine, as well as a throat fracture consistent with strangulation.
Pickard drunkenly resisted two officers who turned up to arrest him.
He then failed to turn up for his trial at Bradford and Keighley Magistrates’ Court, where he found guilty of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal.
He was sentenced on Monday October 9, 2023, for that offence as well as further charges of assaulting an emergency worker, resisting a police officer, criminal damage, possession of cannabis and failing to surrender to court.
Miss Carroll told Judge Kirstie Watson that there were photos of Pablo’s body, warning her that they were graphic.
Judge Watson said she had seen them.
The court heard Pickard had more than 30 previous convictions for more than 50 offences including two jail sentences for wounding in 2011 and 2021.
His barrister Lily Wildman, in mitigation, said Pickard had shown real remorse and had significant alcohol problems.
Judge Kirstie Watson said Pickard must have used very significant force to kill Pablo.
The impact on his daughters had been very great and neither wanted to see him again.
But it was a single act of animal cruelty and he had stayed out of trouble since.
Judge Watson was told that Pickard did not have any animals of his own. She said she did not think it necessary to ban him from keeping them.
Sentencing | 21-month custodial suspended for two years; 30 rehabilitation activity days; 150 hours of unpaid work; alcohol treatment requirement; £75 compensation to his daughter; £500 costs.
CONVICTED (2023) | cock-fighter Douglas Rufus Price, born 22 May 1984, of Valley Farm, Low Lane, Clayton, Bradford BD14 6QA – kept 22 underweight hens and cockerels in makeshift pens without food and water and suffering from fighting injuries.
Bradford farmer Douglas Price aka Dougieboy Price was convicted of animal neglect and cockfighting offences
West Yorkshire Police and the RSPCA attended the working farm in February 2022 and found the birds in makeshift pens, many without food and water. Some were suffering from feather-loss and injuries consistent with fighting.
Seized mobile phone footage later revealed that Price was keeping and training the birds to fight.
The RSPCA found a number of underweight hens and cockerels kept in pens without food and water and suffering from fighting injuries.
RSPCA inspector Demi Hodby, who investigated for the animal charity, said: “All of the birds at the site appeared to be underweight with feather loss on their chest and the majority of them were bald in this area.
“On closer observation, a number of the cockerels had injuries and all appeared to have had their combs cut.
“There was a limited amount of food and water provided in each pen and some had no provisions at all.
“Inside one of the wooden pens there was a hen which was unable to bear weight on one of her legs.
“Inside the metal pen there was a cockerel which was limping and had a swollen leg and inside a shed there was another hen which was also limping.
“Due to the number of animal welfare concerns, I contacted a vet immediately who confirmed to me that a number of these birds would have been suffering.”
The vet found that a total of 14 hens and cockerels were in a state of neglect and some had been caused unnecessary suffering.
One dead cockerel was located at the scene, and sadly three birds were subsequently put to sleep on the advice of the vet to end their suffering.
Ian Muttitt, chief inspector for the RSPCA’s special operations unit (SOU), said: “I have investigated cockfighting offences for a number of years and reviewed hours of footage relating to this crime and it was very clear to me that several sequences of the footage obtained from Price’s mobile phone depicted cockfight sparring sessions.
“It was clear to me that the person responsible for these birds has an unhealthy interest in cockfighting and was keeping and training these birds for the purpose of animal fighting.”
Seized mobile phone footage later revealed that Price, who has links to the travelling community, was keeping and training birds to fight
In mitigation, the court heard that Price is illiterate, with no formal education, and is also the sole carer for his children and grandchildren.
The surviving birds were taken into the RSPCA’s care and were subsequently rehomed.
Sentencing | nine-month custodial suspended for 18 months; 20 rehabilitation activity days; 100 hours of unpaid work; £128 victim surcharge and £400 in costs. Disqualified from keeping hens and cockerels for 12 months (expires September 2024).
CONVICTED (2023) | Rebecca Dowbenko aka Beki Sanderson, born c. 1970, of Fairfax Road, Cullingworth, Bradford BD13 4JQ – showed no remorse after leaving her dog with rotting skin.
Rebecca Dowbenko didn’t believe in taking medication for her own health issues and “extended this feeling” to her pets
Dowbenko admitted failing to get much-needed veterinary treatment for one of her dogs, Lily. The nine-year-old Newfoundland was suffering from serious facial and rib injuries as well as other health issues.
Lily had to be put to sleep after enduring a long period of mistreatment and neglect by her owner Rebecca Dowbenko
The dog’s face was swollen and septic with infected sores and pus as a result of either suffering blunt force trauma to the head or the growth of a tumour. The canine’s skin tissue was rotting away, which left a “horrific” smell, RSPCA inspector Demi Hodby said.
Lily was also suffering from severe skin disease, rib swelling and lung injury, chronic arthritis and spondylosis – none of which had been effectively treated by Dowbenko.
She was also found covered in paint, which Dowbenko said had rubbed off from a wet wall.
Some of Lily’s injuries were consistent with blunt force trauma, suggesting they had been inflicted deliberately.
The court was told that Lily was first presented to the PDSA with a skin disease, described as “dreadful” in 2017.
Staff told Dowbenko Lily would need to be seen again in follow-up appointments, but she was not taken back to the vets for these visits.
The dog was taken to the PDSA on further occasions, including in late 2021, but Dowbenko never followed up on suggestions from the vets at the charity.
The court heard that when the RSPCA visited Dowbenko’s home in Fairfax Road on January 4, 2022, Lily was in a very poor state of health and it appeared she had been deteriorating for several months.
The dog was in terrible pain and she was taken to the RSPCA Greater Manchester Animal Hospital for treatment, but the prognosis for her was so poor she had to be put to sleep.
In a statement to the court inspector Demi Hodby said: “Lily had a very large, swollen face and mouth. Her face was oozing with pus and infection. She was lethargic and when she walked it appeared like she was having to think and calculate in her head each of her steps.
“She was in poor body condition and due to the infection Lily smelt horrifically. She spent most of her time during the visit lying on the floor subdued and lethargic. I asked [Dowbenko] if the dog was under veterinary treatment and she said she had not been to the vets but was going to call them that day.”
A vet concluded there was a “significant probability” that Lily’s injuries were not accidental, although the facial damage may also have been caused by a cancerous tumour.
A post-mortem showed she was suffering from osteomyelitis, with evidence of dead bone on the left side of the face, as well as chest trauma. She was also suffering from a rare form of dermatitis.
They said: “It is my opinion that Lily was allowed to suffer due to her owner failing to present her for timely veterinary assessment and treatment of multiple, serious health conditions despite acknowledging the dog was in pain for prolonged periods.”
The vet noted that the defendant failed to follow up a call to a PDSA clinic highlighting a burst abscess on the side of the dog’s face in November 2021.
RSPCA prosecutor Mr Brown told the court: “The dog was clearly suffering and was in obvious pain, suspected to be caused by blunt trauma.
“The animal became blind as the facial swelling grew.
“It was not clear when the injuries had been occasioned – there were signs of blunt force trauma within a minimum of six weeks, but could have developed over a number of months.”
Philip Cockroft, defending Dowbenko, said: “The is a lady 53 years of age who has no previous convictions to her name.
“The allegation is that this lady failed to obtain the necessary veterinary care for an animal she accepts she was responsible for.
“She finds it very hard to accept this, she would say she is a very caring person, and the animal that had to be destroyed is one she had from a puppy until the age of nine.
“Human beings benefit from the NHS, but for someone on benefits a single visit to the vets eats up a huge amount of benefits.
“She herself suffers from arthritis and severe anxiety. She doesn’t believe in taking medicine to help her, and it would seem to some extent that she extends her feelings in this respect to animals in her care – not because she doesn’t love these animals, but because she does things in her own way.”
Having considered all of the evidence including probation reports, Chair of the bench Vicky Reynolds noted that Dowbenko continued to deny causing any suffering to Lily and hadn’t shown any remorse.
Ms Reynolds told her: “Lily was left in pain and suffering for a long period of time. There was totally negligent treatment at an early stage.”
Sentencing | 12 weeks in custody with half to be served on licence. Disqualified from owning any animal for 10 years with a deprivation order on her other pets (ban expires May 2033).
CONVICTED (2023) | June Kershaw, born c. 1945, of Harbour Lodge Farm, Haworth Moor, Haworth, Keighley BD22 9RQ – killed two of her neighbour’s cats using snares.
June Kershaw was fined after two pet cats died in snare traps on her moorland farm.
Kershaw was convicted under the Animal Welfare Act of using snares in an improper manner and knowing that they could have caused unnecessary suffering.
She was prosecuted by the RSPCA in relation to Bengal/Savannah cat Marley and tabby Frankie, who were killed by snaring devices in April and July 2021. Both cats belonged to her neighbour, Richard Russell, with whom she didn’t get on.
Kershaw told the court the three snares, which she said she checked every day, had been in the same positions every spring for the last 14/15 years and had only ever caught rabbits attempting to steal growing vegetables from her garden.
Kershaw’s neighbour finds his cat, Frankie, dead in a snare set on a fence line.
Marley’s body was found by Kershaw on April 26, 2021. She told the court she spotted the animal on the branch of a tree while she was hanging her washing out that afternoon and removed the snare.
In court, she said: “I glanced over thinking it was a fox, I was horrified to see it was a cat.
“I could have put it in a bin bag and put it in the bin but I never thought of that.”
Kershaw told the court she was too frightened of her neighbour to tell him or throw the animal over his fence, instead thinking he had a tracker on the cat.
Police attended Kershaw’s house on May 22, 2021, to view CCTV footage of the cat dangling from the tree.
When an RSPCA officer asked Kershaw about the incident, she replied by saying “It is only a cat”.
The second cat, Frankie, was found in a snare on July 28, 2021.
Prosecuting, Charlotte Kenny highlighted that one of her neighbour’s cats died in a mint trap on Kershaw’s land in April 2019.
She said: “That should have put her on notice. Despite that, she continued to set the snares.”
Kershaw and her defence insisted that she did not know her neighbour owned cats, something the magistrates refused to accept.
Following the verdict, Luke Steele, Executive Director of Wild Moors, said: “We cannot continue to ignore the suffering that snares inflict on our wildlife and the risk they pose to pets which may become entangled in them.
“It’s time for landowners to take responsibility and prohibit their use, and for governments to ban snares altogether.”
An RSPCA spokesperson said the charity is “opposed to the manufacture, sale and use of all snares – which are sadly legal to catch certain wild animals such as foxes and rabbits – and any trap which causes suffering. Snares can’t distinguish between animals and it’s thought many victims are not the intended species.”
Sentencing | ordered to pay £300 per charge, plus prosecution costs of £1,300 and £34 victim surcharge.
CONVICTED (2023) | Jackie Priestley, born c 1967, of Haynes Street, Keighley BD21 4PY – for cruelty to two rabbits who died from neglect.
Jackie Priestley failed to care for two rabbits, both of which died as a result of her neglect.
Jackie Priestley was banned from keeping caged animals after two female lop-eared rabbits in her care were described in court as having “clearly suffered prior to their death.”
The RSPCA visited Priestley’s home in November 2021 to investigate a report that rabbits had been abandoned at the property.
RSPCA prosecutor Philip Brown described the visit. He said: “The defendant allowed access to the premises – the property was cluttered.
“The two rabbits were in small animal transport cages in the front room. The inspector was directed into the living room – but the defendant declined to go in.
“The inspector saw the two rabbits. One was sitting up and seemed disinterested in its environment. He concluded that the other rabbit was deceased.
“When asked why she didn’t want to come into the living room the defendant said she didn’t want to see a dead rabbit.
“She didn’t show any concern that a rabbit had passed away.”
The inspector saw a water bottle on its side, with green algae in the few millimetres of water. The cage was covered in rabbit faeces. There was no roughage available, only the remains of some lettuce.
The surviving rabbit was described as being in a “very poor condition” with Mr Brown describing her as “moribund and dehydrated,” severely depressed and suffering bites from another animal.
The rabbit was put down to relieve her suffering.
Mr Brown said: “There is clear evidence these animals suffered prior to their death.”
The court heard that Priestley had claimed the rabbits had been “foisted upon her” and she had no choice but to take them in.
Mr Brown said: “She said she was sick of them and didn’t want them.”
Magistrates were told that the RSPCA had previously visited the home in May 2021, when Priestley had the rabbits. She was given advice and literature about how to look after rabbits. Mr Brown said she could have asked for help or for the rabbits to be removed then.
Mr Rehman, defending Priestley, said the rabbits had been dumped on her doorstep. He said Priestley had numerous health conditions, and “would say she did the best she could.”
He added: “Her actions were well intentioned but incompetent.”
Sentencing | 12-month community order with 15 rehabilitation days. Disqualified from keeping any caged animals, rabbits or birds (period unspecified).
CONVICTED (2023) | Bernadette Marie Gallivan, born 23 January 1976, of Saxton Avenue, Buttershaw, Bradford BD6 3SW – starved two cats to death, with an abandoned dog found in a state of severe emaciation.
Pic: Facebook
Grandmother Bernie Gallivan pleaded guilty to three counts of causing unnecessary suffering to a Jack Russell called Edie, and cats Bentley and Mischief.
Police and RSPCA inspectors forced entry to her abandoned home following a report of concern about the welfare of animals at the address and discovered the bodies of the cats. One was found in the bathroom and the other wedged behind a set of drawers.
Edie was hours from death when rescued by the RSPCA
Skeletal Jack Russell Edie, described as “petrified”, was found shut in the kitchen surrounded by chewed plastic takeaway cartons and empty bowls. She had survived by chewing her way through food packets.
The little dog had suffered so much muscle wastage her ribs, spine and pelvic bones were clearly visible.
The bodies of Bentley and Mischief were surrounded by mounds of rubbish, faeces, empty cans and bottles, and heavily soiled litter trays.
A post-mortem examination discovered Bentley had plastic in his stomach which the RSPCA believed he had eaten in a desperate bid to stay alive.
The inspector who found him in the sink said it was a “deeply saddening and distressing sight”.
The RSPCA said starvation was “highly likely the cause of death” for both cats.
It is believed the three animals had not been fed for “a prolonged period” of “at least two weeks, probably longer,” the charity said.
The charity said Edie, who weighed just 3.9kg when she was rescued, had been “found just in time”. After six weeks in the care of the RSPCA’s Halifax, Huddersfield, Bradford and District branch, her weight had increased to 6.8kg.
Gallivan had moved out of the property to live with a friend half-a-mile away but failed to return to attend to her pets despite working in a nearby cafe.
In court she admitted failing to take action to investigate the cause of the animals’ weight loss and failing to provide them with a suitable environment that was hygienic and free from hazards.
Edie has recovered well and is now living in “a lovely new home”, the RSPCA said.
Sentencing | community order with up to 20 days of rehabilitation activity; £100 towards the RSPCA’s costs plus £95 victim surcharge. Disqualified from owning or keeping animals for life, “due to concerns of neglect and harm”.
CONVICTED (2023) | Montoyah Brewer, born 24 February 2000, of Esholt Lane Travellers Site, Esholt Lane, Baildon, Shipley BD17 6RJ – failed to get medical help for a desperately unwell dog
Traveller Montoyah Brewer, daughter of notorious convicted animal abuser Henry Brewer, admitted causing unnecessary suffering to a poorly Staffordshire bull terrier by failing to provide the medical attention she badly needed.
The eight-month-old dog, named Princess, was “riddled with mange,” unable to stand, had open sores, and both eyes were filled with puss”. She was also in the early stages of septicaemia.
She was eventually put down because of the seriousness of her condition, which had left her in serious pain.
Brewer tearfully told the court she had tried to help the dog and had assumed responsibility for her because she said she didn’t want to see her suffer.
The court heard that Brewer lived on Esholt Traveller Site, and that Princess belonged to a regular user of the site called William Smith.
When Brewer noticed the dog appeared ill, she contacted a vet on August 25, 2021, claiming Princess was her dog.
She was advised to send photos of the dog’s ailments so the vets could identify the issue.
However, Brewer did not do this until September 7. She was told to bring Princess to the PDSA, and did so the next day.
However, by then Princess was in a serious condition. She was treated for 24 hours before vets decided she needed to be put down to relieve her suffering.
Brewer told them she needed to contact her partner, Kalvin Bennett, before Princess was put down, but in the following hours the vets were unable to contact her. They took the decision to euthanise Princess.
Montoyah Brewer pictured with Kalvin Bennett on her wedding day
William Smith later contacted the RSPCA, annoyed that they had put Princess down. They were unable to contact him to arrange an interview after that phone call.
Mr Brown, prosecuting on behalf of the RSPCA, said: “The defendant said she was the owner of the dog, and at the time there was nothing to suggest anything other than that she was the owner of Princess. She authorised medical procedures as the owner of the animal.”
Referring to Princess’ condition, he said: “She was in severe pain and had early stage septicaemia.
“It appears she had been left with an unattended serious skin condition for some time.
“She must have been in pain for a minimum of a week, likely longer.
“Had treatment been given at an earlier stage it is likely that the dog would have recovered.”
Upkar Bahir, defending, said Brewer had never been the owner of the dog, adding: “She has stated from the outset that it belonged to a William Smith.”
He said Brewer had become friendly with Smith’s puppy when he was staying at the site, and last August noticed Princess appeared unwell. This led to her contact with the PDSA.
He said after that contact she “fell short” in her attempts to get help for the dog. He said: “She was asked to provide photographs of the dog – she should have followed this responsibility through. She could have done more.
“She didn’t take that responsibility on board and she should have done. She accepts that this makes her culpable.
“She felt sorry for the dog and tried to do the best she could to get her help. Clearly her best wasn’t good enough. It was well intentioned. She is very upset about this whole incident.”
Brewer told the court she has lost sleep over the incident, adding: “I don’t want people to think I’m a horrible person. I was just trying to get the animal some help.”
Chairman of the Bench Brian Outlaw said: “We’ve looked at the photos of Princess – they are not the nicest photos to look at.
“It must have been very distressing for that dog, who in the end couldn’t stand, was blind and was wasting away.
“Put this behind you and learn from it.”
Sentencing | 12-month community order, with 15 rehabilitation days; ordered to pay £100 costs to the RSPCA and £95 victim surcharge.. She was banned from keeping dogs for 12 months (expires January 2024).
