CONVICTED (2024) | Samantha Vaughan, aka Samantha King, born 16 May 1984, of 33 Sedgwick Road, Bishopstoke, Eastleigh SO50 6FJ – starved a pocket bully until he lost half his body weight and was unable to stand.
The court heard how Vaughan’s dog, Blue, had “been unwell for a considerable period of time” and had “lost half [his] body mass”.
When former care worker Vaughan finally took the poorly pet to a vet, he was unable to raise his paw and couldn’t stand.
RSPCA prosecutor Sarah Wheadon said that Vaughan’s “prolonged neglect” of Blue had caused him “pain and suffering. ”
Backyard breeder Vaughan, who lives with husband Carl Vaughan and their adult daughters, pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal.
Sentencing her, deputy district judge Andrew Teate said: “If she can’t care for an animal then how could she care for an individual?
“The dog is your dog. It is your responsibility.
“If you weren’t in a position to care for the dog you shouldn’t have had it and you should have turned it over to the RSPCA.”
The court heard how Vaughan had been struggling with her physical and mental health at the time and also has financial difficulties.
Blue has made a full recovery in the care of the RSPCA.
Sentencing | 12-month community order with 15 rehabilitation days; £120 fine plus £114 surcharge. Banned from owning dogs for five years (expires July 2029).