CONVICTED (2021) | Richard Anthony Armstrong, born 9 July 1974, of Maybury Road, Plaistow, London E13 8RZ – left two dogs to roast to death in a vehicle.
Self-employed security dog handler Richard Armstrong was found guilty of one charge of causing unnecessary suffering.
His conviction follows police finding one dog dead and a second Belgian Malinois collapsed but still breathing on April 20, 2019.
Video footage shows Armstrong explaining to officers how dogs Hector and Yardie had been in the back of his Vauxhall Astra estate in crates with the boot open and a fan running.
He said there was an air conditioning system in the vehicle which worked from a separate battery. He told the RSPCA he left the boot door open but the dogs tended to “jump up and down when they heard any noise” and this must have caused it to close, trapping them in the heat. He also claimed the fan stopped.
Armstrong said he had received complaints at home about the dogs barking so had left them in the car.
Police contacted the RSPCA which launched an investigation while a police officer rushed with Yardie to a vet’s in Ilford.
Insp Kate Ford from the RSPCA said: “She was in a very bad condition and it was looking likely that euthanasia was to be recommended.
“These dogs had been left in the vehicle for possibly in excess of two hours and the temperature was around 24 degrees.”
Insp Ford recalled peering into the boot. One cage was empty with diarrhoea towards the back while Hector was in the other already dead.
“The kennel was just about large enough for the dog to stand in but there would not have been room for him to move.
“There was no evidence of water in either kennel,” Insp Ford recalled.
Camera footage shows Yardie being rushed to the vets where she was given oxygen and fluids in a desperate bid to save her.
She was suffering hypothermia, muscle tremors, an irregular heart rate and a body temperature of 40.3 degrees.
A sedative and pain relief were given, but she began to vomit and twitch. Vets felt she would not recover and sought permission from Armstrong to put her to sleep.
Sentencing: 12-month community order with 120 hours of unpaid work; total of £840 in costs and charges.
Additional Information
In addition to his security work, Armstrong is a DJ with digital radio station Centreforce 883, where he is known as DJ Freckles.
He now lives on a campsite in Loughton.
Despite his conviction, Armstrong continues to be employed by Britannia K9 Security Limited.
