CONVICTED (2024) | Claire Mitchell, born 4 September 1973, of First Avenue, Teignmouth – failed to treat a lurcher with a skin condition so severe that he was left almost bald.
Mitchell pleaded guilty to an animal welfare offence following an investigation and prosecution by the RSPCA.
The offence stated that between May 26, 2022 and July 7, 2022 Mitchell caused unnecessary suffering to a protected animal, namely a male lurcher called Thor, by a failure to ensure he was provided with timely and appropriate veterinary care for his hair loss and/or skin condition.
RSPCA rescuers were contacted with concerns about Thor, who was suffering from a skin condition that had left him almost bald with sore red skin.
Mitchell failed to attend veterinary appointments that had been made for her and continued to leave Thor in a suffering state. She also ignored return visits from RSPCA officers following up on dog’s welfare.
Thor pictured in healthier times. Source Claire Mitchell/Facebook
Thor went on to make a full recovery in RSPCA care.
Sentencing | 160 hours of unpaid work and 15 Rehabilitation Activity Requirement days; £126 costs and £114 victim surcharge. Seven-year ban on keeping dogs (expires March 2031).
CONVICTED (2024) | Mark Williams, born 13 July 1985, of The Deanes, Tiverton EX16 5GT – kicked his partner’s pet chihuahua and threw him 20 feet across a room.
Williams, who was once hailed as a hero after jumping into a canal to rescue a dog in distress, became so angry that he punched his own television and partially throttled his girlfriend before venting his rage on her tiny dog. The attack took place in the presence of a four-year-old boy.
Nigel Wraith, prosecuting, said Williams had been in a volatile on-off relationship with the woman for some time. She was living at his home on March 31, 2023, when an argument started after he returned home drunk.
Teacup chihuahua Smoothie was severely injured in the drink-fuelled attack but survived
He became jealous, threw her mobile telephone against a wall, punched and broke his television and put one hand around her throat, obstructing her airway and leaving her gasping for breath.
He then kicked her teacup chihuahua, Smoothie, before picking the dog up and throwing her out of the living room and into the kitchen where she hit the oven door and could be heard yelping in pain.
The owner reckoned Williams threw the dog the distance of three small cars parked end to end.
The dog suffered injuries to her jaw and hips.
Williams admitted intentional strangulation and causing unnecessary suffering to an animal.
Williams’ lawyer Evie Dean said her client was addressing his use of alcohol and seeking help for “mental health issues”.
Sentencing | jailed for 14 months, suspended for two years; 120-day alcohol abstinence tag; relationship course; 120 hours of unpaid community work. No ban.
CONVICTED (2024) | serial animal hoarder Diana Curtis, born c. 1958, of Peters Marland, Torrington EX38 8QD – neglected dozens of animals in her care.
Curtis, a notorious animal hoarder well-known to the RSPCA and courts, was given a suspended custodial sentence and laughable five-year ban after horses, dogs, chickens, ducks and a goat were found in squalor at her home.
RSPCA inspectors were joined by police, vets, staff from the Dog’s Trust and officers from Torridge District Council, at the address in July 2022. They found a number of animals, some left without food, water or the vet care they needed.
A stallion, named Mid Morning Monkey, was found with an eye ulcer; checks with vets showed he’d been left with no treatment. Two other horses, named Symphonies Secret and Summer’s Place Jessica, were both found to have untreated dental disease.
Summer’s Place Jessica also had deformed legs and swollen knees. She had an uneven gait and was regularly seen tripping – particularly on her right fore leg. A vet later diagnosed chronic arthritis which had been left untreated.
The stables, which also housed a female goat alongside horses, were dirty with faeces and soiled straw. There was no clean bedding and no hay, food or water available.
Poultry, which was found standing in pens thick with faeces and soiled bedding with dirty water and no food, were also found to have untreated scaly leg. Inside the address, rescuers found more unsuitable living conditions for animals.
RSPCA deputy chief inspector Suzy Hannaby said: “The property was filthy and appeared to have been used as a dog kennel rather than for human habitation, the floors were bare and the only furniture present was for storage.
“There were no chairs or human beds. There was a strong smell of ammonia in the downstairs of the property. There were dog faeces and soiled straw and shavings on the floor, pieces of wooden board, dirty dog beds and two empty crates. There was no food or water available.”
Following an RSPCA prosecution Curtis was convicted of eight offences, some after trial.
Sentencing | 16-week custodial, suspended for 12 months; £10,000 towards costs plus £154 victim surcharge. FIVE-year ban (expires December 2028).
In October 2010 Curtis was given an ASBO due to excessive noise from 100 dogs kept at her property. She pleaded guilty to a noise abatement offence. She was also fined £2,000.
Police officers and animal welfare officers were forced to remove all but six of the dogs from Curtis after she failed to adhere to a court order to do so.
Following Curtis’s conviction, Devon & Cornwall Police Inspector Andy Lilburn said there was “no suggestion of cruelty here whatsoever”, adding that the dogs were “healthy, well-cared for, fed and watered”.
Curtis said she intended appealing the decision but said that “most of the dogs will have been destroyed by the time I raise the money”.
Following the appeal hearing in November 2010, she was ultimately given permission to keep 14 animals.
In December 2011 a further 34 dogs as well as 14 horses were seized from Curtis. After pleading guilty to breaching her ASBO, she was told she could only have a maximum of six dogs.
The RSPCA said at the time they were considering if any animal welfare offences had been committed and whether to prosecute.
In June 2013 Curtis was given a community sentence of 240 hours of unpaid work and ordered to pay £27,000 in court costs after keeping 33 horses and 34 dogs in appalling conditions.
Officials from the RSPCA found the premises to be covered in faeces and littered with hazards.
The court heard there was no outside grazing available and virtually no food and animals had to eat part of a stinging nettle bush.
Prosecutor Iain O’Donnell said: ‘Thirty-four dogs were removed from the premises. Photographs show the disgusting conditions in which they were living.’
Curtis was only banned from keeping horses and for a mere 12 months.
CONVICTED (2023) | Lucas Slim-Fitzpatrick born 6 November 1996, most recently of Regent Street, Weston-super-Mare but with links to Plymouth, Saltash, Taunton and Wolverhampton – subjected an bull-breed puppy to a catalogue of violence.
Slim-Fitzpatrick, who promotes himself on TikTok as a mental health expert and also likes to showcase his ‘kindness’ to homeless people, was prosecuted by the RSPCA for assaulting and neglecting the 10-month-old bull-breed called Luna in Plymouth between June 1 and December 1, 2022,
He pleaded guilty to three offences under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and was sentenced at Bristol Crown Court on December 7, 2023.
He inflicted “blunt force trauma, physical violence and multiple injuries of a non-accidental nature”.
Luna was repeatedly beaten and suffered multiple fractures during her time with sadistic Lucas Slim-Fitpatrick
He also failed to take steps to ensure the needs of Luna were met by not protecting her from “pain, suffering and injury and disease” and failed to provide “proper and necessary veterinary care and attention” for her injuries.
A vet who examined Luna said the dog had suffered blunt force trauma injuries in at least three separate incidents.
The RSPCA was shown doorbell footage from November 30, 2022 which showed Slim-Fitzpatrick riding his electric scooter in Mutley. while holding onto the lead of the dog, who was trying to follow behind.
A witness who contacted the police said he heard an animal in distress at the back of Slim-Fitzpatrick’s former address in Greenbank Road in Plymouth minutes later, the RSPCA said.
The court was told the witness saw Slim-Fitzpatrick “staggering around” on the scooter while talking aggressively to the dog before picking her up with both hands and throwing her six feet in the direction of a wall. He was later arrested.
When he was interviewed by police in December 2022, the defendant claimed Luna’s injuries – a broken left hip and pelvis, fractured jaw, cheekbone and wrists, three broken ribs, three broken teeth and a bloodshot eye – were caused by Luna being hit by a car and kicked by a horse.
He said her bloodshot eye was the result of her being attacked by a Jack Russell dog.
But RSPCA prosecutor Gregory Gordon told the court: “Expert veterinary evidence disproved the defendant’s various claims of accidental injury to Luna. For example, if she had been struck by a vehicle, there would have been evidence of skin abrasions or lacerations, and grit or oil in her hair.
“Radiographs indicated Luna’s different fractures were at different stages of healing, meaning that the injuries occurred on different dates. It has not been possible to identify the number of separate incidents from the injuries alone, but records indicate that injuries were sustained by Luna on at least three separate occasions, including June 29 and August 2 last year.”
On both of these dates, the defendant had been in contact with vets. However, in June 2022 he declined the vet’s recommendation that Luna undergo surgery for wrist fractures, citing the cost. He then failed to attend appointments to rebandage her wounds, instead using a pencil and sock as a homemade splint.
In August he phoned the vet to report Luna was eating painfully, but then failed to keep an appointment.
When RSPCA Inspector Miranda Albison attempted to make contact with the defendant in March and July this year to interview him about the allegations, he claimed he did not have a fixed address, but that he was staying with a friend in Birmingham.
In a statement read to the court, the inspector said: “The defendant said he was aware the RSPCA had been visiting his address, but that he was not prepared to be interviewed.
“I told him Luna was still in our care as he had not responded to my request to confirm we could rehome her. He became angry and said he thought he had already given permission and the dog was no longer anything to do with him.”
In mitigation, the court was told Slim-Fitzpatrick had experienced a troubled background and had spent time in the care system.
A judge said he had shown little remorse for his actions and told him: “This was prolonged, lengthy violence towards an animal in your care who should have been protected by you rather than becoming your punchbag.”
Luna was signed into the care of the RSPCA on July 5, 2023. The charity said she had recovered from her ‘horrific’ ordeal in their care. She was rehomed after undergoing surgery and extensive rehabilitation work to regain the use of her back leg.
Speaking after the sentencing, inspector Albison said: “The assaults carried out by this defendant on this poor dog started when she was a 10-week old puppy and continued until she was 10 months old. It was absolutely horrific as she was repeatedly beaten and suffered many fractures.
“Luna had surgery on her femoral head and that saved her back leg as the other option was amputation. Happily she is now doing very well and we have been able to rehome her.
“Without being provided with the Ring Doorbell footage by a member of the public we wouldn’t have been able to prosecute the defendant as he denied being in that area of Plymouth at the time of the assault allegation.”
Sentencing | 14-month custodial sentences to run concurrently on each of the three animal welfare offences and a further five-month prison sentence, to be served consecutively, for his breach of a suspended sentence imposed for an unrelated matter. Banned from owning animals for 20 years.
CONVICTED (2023) | Marie Emmett aka Marie Harrison, born 14 March 1987, and Chris Lancaster, born 7 September 1992, of Kit Hill Crescent, Barne Barton, St Budeaux, Plymouth PL5 1EW – starved and neglected a young American bulldog and allowed him to kill a puppy.
The cruel negligence of Marie Emmett and Chris Lancaster led to the deaths of two young dogs.
On December 21, 2022, police arrived at the the home of Marie Emmett and Chris Lancaster to find their two-year-old American bulldog, Bane, tied up outside the house. Officers were called after Bane had reportedly killed another dog – a four month old puppy named Lilo – within their home.
Chris Lancaster posted this photo to Facebook in July 2021. It’s known if the dog pictured is Bane.
Bane was in an extremely underweight and dirty state, with overgrown claws, indicating that he had not been walked properly.
In a witness statement, one police officer said: “It looked like he had been kept in the kitchen. It smelt strongly of urine and small scratch marks from his claws could be seen all over the floors and walls. It appears the dog was possibly confined in this location. The rear yard was unkempt and covered in dog faeces.”
Bane was taken to a vet who found he was suffering severe dehydration, was smelly, with sticky fur and covered in urine. His feet and paw pads were covered with scalded areas and sores with areas of non-healing necrotic tissue.
Convicted animal abuser Marie Emmett, a mother of four who also goes by the name Marie Harrison
The vet said Bane was emaciated with visible bones, no body fat and a loss of muscle mass. He weighed less than half the weight he should have been – at around 20 kg when he should have been 40-60 kg.
At the request of police, Bane was put to sleep and a post mortem found that he had rubber flooring in his stomach.
The vet report stated: “This dog had no access to food and was clearly eating what it could to survive using its basic survival instinct. This, and the lack of fat deposits throughout the entire body system, suggests this dog had been starved for a long time and supports my professional opinion that this dog was suffering and had been for a while.
Sentencing | both received a 12-week suspended prison sentence;40 hours of unpaid work; 15 rehabilitation activity requirement days; costs of £200 each. Ten-year disqualification order, which can be appealed after five years.
CONVICTED (2023) | Garry Sutherland, born c 1962, from Harcombe, Sidmouth, East Devon – caused unnecessary suffering to a dog by kicking him.
Garry Sutherland
Sutherland was found guilty of cruelty to the unnamed dog after a trial. The incident took place on July 24, 2022, in the Dorset village of Chideock. Sutherland told the court he was protecting his children and own dog from being attacked by the dog in question.
He was sentenced at Weymouth Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, August 3, 2023.
The condition of his victim has not been reported.
Sentencing | 200 hours of unpaid work; ordered to pay a total of £1,964. Banned from owning a dog for a period of two years (expires August 2025).
CONVICTED (2023) | backyard breeder Zoe Louise Small, born 21 April 1992, of Tamerton Avenue, St Budeaux, Plymouth PL5 1TW – starved a pregnant dog and kept her in horrendous conditions.
Small, a make-up artist trading under the name Make-up by Zoe Small, admitted two animal welfare offences in relation to springer spaniel Bella, following an investigation and prosecution by the RSPCA.
Shockingly, South and West Devon Magistrates’ Court ordered the destruction of Bella and her puppies supposedly on the grounds that they had endured enough suffering, but this was later overturned following an appeal from the RSPCA solicitor. All dogs will now be rehomed.
Small, who runs a dog breeding business with husband Daniel Small, specialising in French bulldogs, admitted failing to adequately explore and address the causes of Bella’s weight loss. She also failed to ensure that Bella’s needs were met in that the dog was not provided with a suitable environment that was dry.
Zoe and Daniel Small
Following Small’s conviction, the RSPCA released distressing pictures showing the living conditions the heavily pregnant dog was kept in.
RSPCA Inspector Jim Farr, who investigated for the animal welfare charity, was contacted by vets after Bella was admitted to the surgery in the evening, before an emergency caesarean.
The vet, who was concerned that Bella was very thin and lethargic, said she was suffering from prolonged malnutrition and that her needs as a pregnant dog were not being met.
As a result the RSPCA launched an investigation and Inspector Farr, who visited the run-down stables where Bella was being kept at Blackdown Meadows, near Kingsbridge, with police and a vet, described what he found.
He said: “We made our way to the stable block which comprises four individual stables. The immediate area to some of the entrances of the stables was flooded. There was also an assortment of discarded items, a large number of tools including a small motorbike.
“The second stable from the left was where the information I had received was where Bella was being housed up until her removal the day before.
“The interior was very damp. The floor had an inch or two of sodden earth and other matter which was possibly old shavings.
“The floor also had a scattering of faeces. In one corner was a small triangular sectioned area which offered some cloth bedding which was damp.
“This sectioned off area would have been too small if Bella had had her pups within it. The rest of the stable offered no dry area if she had given birth on the floor.
“There was an empty bowl but no water to be seen. A scattering of dog food was on the floor by the stable door which appeared to have just thrown in on the sodden floor. The stable itself was approximately 12ft x 12ft with the bedding area being 4ft x 3ft x 2ft 6insdeep approximately.”
Sentencing | 200 hours of unpaid work; 20 rehabilitation activity requirement (RAR) days; costs of £250 and £114 to fund victim services. Banned from keeping a dog for eight years (expires July 2031).
CONVICTED (2023) | Emily Mace, born c. 2000, of Little Barton, Kingsteignton, Newton Abbot TQ12 3QS – trained a dog to become aggressive leading to savage attacks on other dogs.
Emily Mace’s large Mastiff-type Conan attacked other dogs – one fatally – and also bit a woman after her extreme training methods led to him becoming aggressive.
The first incident happened in August 2021 when Janet Collins was walking her miniature schnauzer Lola in Long Barton playing fields. Mace was throwing a ball for Conan, an Alsatian/Mastiff cross and a third dog called Honcho.
As Miss Collins walked by, Conan bit Lola on the rear. She picked her dog up to keep her safe but Conan continued to jump up and bit the woman on the arm, puncturing the skin and causing significant bruising. She also suffered injuries to her hand.
Mace left the scene without showing much interest – telling Miss Collins to stand still during the incident – and was arrested later by police.
She told them her dogs made her feel safe.
The victim said in a statement she had never been so terrified in her life by the incident and could not believe Mace’s cold and uncaring attitude at the scene. She said it was clear her dog was dangerous and could cause serious damage.
A few months later, Mace agreed to re-home a greyhound named Blake but when she put the animal in with Conan and her other dog they went into ‘prey mode’ and fatally injured him.
Conan was under a dog behaviour order and required to be tethered in the garden. But Mace had placed a ‘totally inadequate’ loose collar around the animal.
She ignored a warning that Blake was unhappy in the larger dog’s presence and put them together, along with another pet, a Staffordshire-type dog named Luna.
“Luna and Conan began to savage Blake,” said RSPCA prosecutor Ms Susan Cavander. The attack was captured on video by a neighbour.
The two dogs went into ‘prey mode’, holding the greyhound down, locking their jaws and ripping at his throat, said the prosecutor.
Mace pulled the bleeding greyhound away and put him in a shed while she called vets.
The prosecutor said she seemed more intent in clearing up the mess than paying attention to the dog that was bleeding profusely and losing consciousness.
Blake lost a litre of blood and had to be put down by vets.
Mace posted videos on Facebook of her aggressive training techniques.
The court heard that she demonstrated a ‘total lack of understanding of the risk’ her pets posed or how to train them properly.
Mace pleaded guilty to having a dog dangerously out of control that caused injury.
She was convicted after trial of a separate offence of causing unnecessary suffering to a greyhound by failing to prevent him being attacked by other dogs.
Mace, who is pregnant, has since left her address and job as a result of online abuse. She was described in references as an animal lover and a kind person who is keen to work with probation. A pre-sentence report said she had shown superficial remorse.
Judge Anna Richardson said Mace had trained her dogs to be aggressive and could and should have intervened at the scene of the first ‘utterly terrifying’ incident.
An application for the destruction of Conan was to be considered at a later date but the outcome isn’t known.
Sentencing | 22-month custodial suspended for two years; 20 days of rehabilitation activity. £500 compensation. .Banned from keeping dogs for 15 years.
CONVICTED (2023) | Terence Reid, born 11 October 1956, of 5A Redlands Close, Whipton, Exeter EX4 8BE – swung a dog by her lead and slammed her against a bus shelter.
On 14 November 2022 witnesses saw Reid attack the unnamed dog in Sidwell Street, Exeter.
He pleaded not guilty but was convicted after a trial. No information in relation to the condition or fate of the victim is available.
Sentencing | 12-month conditional discharge’ costs of £100. No mention of ban.
CONVICTED (2023) | farmer Diana Felicity Swabey, born c. 1961, of New House Farm, Hollocombe, Chulmleigh EX18 7QH – for the shocking neglect of 200 animals in her care.
Diana Swabey admitted 16 charges under the Animal Welfare Act relating to 81 horses and ponies, four goats, seven rabbits, a goose, cattle, sheep and pigs, following an investigation and prosecution by the RSPCA.
Officers from the RSPCA and World Horse Welfare went to New House Farm, Chulmleigh, in March 2022 following welfare concerns for a large number of animals. They were later joined by a vet and Devon and Cornwall Police to carry out a joint investigation.
What they discovered were animals living in filthy conditions, some with no food and bedding, emaciated ponies, a dead ewe and tumbled down fencing creating a hazard.
During the visit, the RSPCA said Swabey, who had a small bottle of alcohol spirits in her back pocket, used a pitchfork to threaten its officer by pointing it towards her face and squirting water at her. She was also abusive to police at the scene.
When a bull was seen lying down Swabey said someone would soon take for kebabs.
RSPCA Inspector Claire Ryder, who investigated for the animal welfare charity described what she saw when she arrived at the address. She said: “There were two horses in stables standing in their own faeces and urine.
“Next to a horse there were three pigs with no food or water in a dirty environment living in their own filth with no bedding and empty feed containers. In the top stable near the entrance there were a further two pigs again with no food or water living in their own filth.
“In the first field to the left of the property there were a lot of hazards such as barbed wire, old metal, vehicles and fencing. This was scattered over the top part of the field where the ponies could get to. There were many fields and the grazing was extremely poor. There was no hay or signs of any hay being put out for the animals. As we walked around the fields I noticed fencing had come down and the barbed wire was lying on the floor.
“We came to one field where there were approximately 27 ponies in it. Most of the ponies were nervous and you could only get so close before they walked off. The ones that we could see you could clearly see that their hips and spines were protruding and the ribs were visible even through their winter coats. Their coats were dirty and unkept. There was no extra food provided, just the poor grazing.”
She said another field had been blocked off. It contained 11 ponies and sheep. There was one dead ewe and a dead lamb. The sheep appeared poor and quite a few were lame. A lamb seemed to be having problems straightening its legs.
“In the stables at the end of the yard there were poultry in filthy conditions with no food; they had a small amount of dirty water, Claire said. “Next to this stable there were four goats that were in poor bodily condition, no food or water, a dirty environment with a scattering of straw bedding.
“The bull was lying down and I could see its leg was swollen. She said she didn’t want to pay the money for the knacker man and knew someone who would take it for free for kebabs. The bull was lying in a dirty bed with no food or water.
“She then took me to a barn where I could see cattle of various ages and sexes. You could not see their feet due to the amount of faeces they were standing in. They were filthy due to lying in their own mess.”
“In a barn across the road there were cattle who again were living in their own mess knee deep. Young cattle were in there and there was no bedding for them to lay in.
“At the back of the barn there were two emaciated ponies. Living in filthy conditions with no food or water. There were also calves that had no food or water in with the ponies. In a separate bit blocked off there were three pigs that were in poor bodily condition. They had no food, water or bedding. They had a lot of hair loss and were scratching a lot.”
RSPCA officers were joined by equine specialists from World Horse Welfare and the Mare and Foal Sanctuary during return visits to assist in the rescue of the animals who had been seized by police.
The vet said in their witness statement: “It is of my opinion that the majority of these horses have suffered neglect with the remaining animals likely to end up suffering if they had remained in those circumstances.
“The main concerns are that of very poor body condition and dental issues due to inadequate nutrition and internal parasitism, lice infestation, rain scald caused by inadequate shelter and care, and lack of farriery attention. All conditions found above are easily preventable through routine care and preventative treatments.”
The court hear in mitigation that this was not a case of deliberate animal suffering or deliberate neglect of duty but an unintentional failure. At the time, Swabey was caring for her elderly mother and had suffered with Covid on three occasions and had turned to alcohol to help her cope.
Sentencing | 16-week suspended prison sentence; 150 hours of unpaid work; 45 Rehabilitation Activity Requirement days; costs of £400. 10-year ban on owning animals. Deprivation order on the animals still in her care, and given three months in which to rehome or sell them.
