CONVICTED (2023) | persistent domestic abuser Dudley J Stein, born c. 1992, of Coniston Avenue, Headington, Oxford OX3 0AN – threw his ex’s pug out of a first-floor window.
After hurling the dog, Borris, from the window, Stein told his ex the pug was ‘probably dead’ and added: “I wish it were you.”
In a statement, Stein’s ex said he ‘often beats me up’ and said: “I am very afraid for Borris.”
Stein had spent a long weekend from June 16, 2023, at the woman’s home after seeing her in Oxford, despite being subject to a restraining order at the time that banned him from contacting her.
The court heard the weekend had not been a ‘happy time’ and was ‘marred by [Stein’s] lack of patience and anger, particularly towards [Borris]’.
During an argument with his ex, Stein became irritated by Borris’s snoring, and threw him from a first-floor window. Miraculously the tiny dog survived the fall. It’s not known if he suffered injury.
The judge told Stein he accepted this was “an act of sheer rage”
Stein, who threatened to crush his toddler son’s skull in a previous violent outburst, pleaded guilty to four counts of breaching restraining orders and a charge of attempted criminal damage in relation to Borris.
The court heard had five previous convictions, including for false imprisonment and assault.
Sentencing | 14 month custodial with 10 weeks added for breaching a suspended prison sentence.
CONVICTED (2020) | Scott Dan Preston, born c. 1978, of 31 Ladenham Road, Littlemore, Oxford OX4 6AZ – left a mothering dog to starve just weeks after she had given birth
Evil Preston allowed his pet Staffy, known as Looney, to starve until she was half a normal weight for her breed. The dog, who had had a litter of puppies just weeks earlier, was found in a collapsed state and weighing just 10kg.
Her skull and skeleton were prominent through her skin and there was a total lack of muscle.
Despite treatment to stabilise Looney through intravenous fluid, she started to fit and went into cardiac arrest after a few hours. Very sadly, she died in the veterinary surgery.
The fate of Looney’s puppies is not known.
Preston pleaded guilty to an animal welfare offence, following a prosecution by the RSPCA.
Inspector Andy Eddy, who investigated for the charity, said: “She weighed just 10kg and an average dog of her breed would weigh a minimum of 20kg so she was at least half of her correct body weight.
“Veterinary tests found no other problems that could have caused her condition and that correct feeding by the owner would have prevented this.
“The owner would have had plenty of opportunity to seek veterinary help sooner, sadly it was far too late for her to seek help when they did.”
Sentencing: a total of £385 costs and charges; Rehabilitation Activity Requirement. Five-year ban on keeping animals (expires October 2025).
CONVICTED (2019) | Martin Edwards, born 14 November 1971, of Falcon Close, Oxford OX4 6EY – failed to treat his dog’s chronic skin condition.
Callous Martin Edwards failed to get his pet dog the treatment he needed for his painful skin condition.
Edwards was convicted of causing unnecessary suffering to his Labrador-Staffie cross called Terror by failing to treat his painful allergic dermatitis between 20 February and 20 March 2019.
RSPCA inspector Andy Eddy investigated Edwards after receiving a report of a neglected dog.
When Inspector Eddy arrived at Edwards’ home he noticed Terror was chewing on his back leg and there were bald patches in his fur.
Inspector Eddy advised Edwards to take his dog to the vet and gave him a voucher towards the costs. He failed to do so despite repeated advice and on 20 March Inspector Eddy took Terror to the vet himself.
Later that day an order was issued by Thames Valley Police to seize the dog.
Terror was found to be unwell, and the vet who later examined him said his body looked sore with lesions on his legs and an abdomen that looked infected. The vet also found mites in his skin.
During interview Edwards said how upset he was with himself he was for letting it get to the point where Terror was taken from him.
Edwards also revealed he had recently lost his mother and had been made redundant from BMW just before Christmas and as a result was struggling financially.
Terror went on to make a full recovery in the care of the RSPCA.
Sentencing | 18-month community order; total of £125 costs and charges. Banned from keeping animals for two years (expired).
#MostEvil | Callum Lee Gerken, born 6 January 1992, of Stanton Road, Oxford OX33 1DT – beat a Labrador puppy to death with a slipper
Shadow, a 17-week old black Labrador puppy, suffered a laceration to her liver, a broken jaw and fractured ribs in the vicious attack by Callum Gerken.
Gerken also sent malicious voice clip messages to Shadow’s owner, claiming ‘I have just beat it from one side of the room to the other.’
On Wednesday April 3, 2019, police were called to an address in Saunders Road, Oxford, where Gerken had caused serious injuries to the puppy.
Gerken was arrested on April 4 before being charged the following day.
The court heard that Gerken had become angry with the puppy for defecating inside and ruining items in the house by tearing them.
Shadow
He started repeatedly hitting the dog with a slipper.
When the animal was struggling to breathe, Gerken refused to get medical help.
Gerken Instagram post shows him petting a puppy that doted on him
Gerken sent voice clips to Shadow’s owner which amounted to malicious communications.
In the messages, he said the puppy had ‘sh*t everywhere. I have just beat it from one side of the room to the other.
‘I don’t give a fuck. That is how it will be with me. She ain’t gonna do that again because she cannot fucking walk.’
Gerken had previously denied the charges of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal and sending malicious communications. But he changed his plea to guilty at the last minute.
Sentencing Gerken, magistrates told him: ‘The dog died as a result of what was done to her.
‘You were determined to cause harm and you made threats that you would cause further harm to the dog.
‘You were in a position of responsibility. You used a slipper as a weapon.
‘You did not call or take the dog to the vet or seek advice even though you were aware she was unwell.’
Supporters shouted ‘love you Cal, see you next week’ as he was taken away from the dock.
Sentencing | 23 weeks in prison; ordered to pay £250 compensation and £1,000 in court costs. Banned from keeping dogs for 10 years.
CONVICTED (2015) | Craige Slater, born c. 1972, from Headington, Oxford – battered a pensioner’s dog during a burglary causing unsurvivable injuries.
2017 image. Source: Facebook.
Slater admitted burglary and causing unnecessary suffering to an animal.
He was jailed for four years after burgling “vulnerable” neighbour 71-year-old Edna Nelson who once had taken in his washing and cooked for him.
But her acts of kindness were repaid with being struck about the head and leaving her pet spaniel Dasher with injuries too severe for treatment.
Police mugshot of Craige Slater.
Sentencing, Judge Peter Ross said: “This is a dreadful offence of burglary. It involved the targeting of a vulnerable elderly lady. It involved violence to her in her home and it has resulted in the death of her companion.”
Prosecutor Angus Robertson told the court Ms Nelson was returning home after taking Dasher for a walk when she noticed someone with their hood up following her.
He said the victim opened her front door and stepped inside her home when she was pushed from behind and fell to the floor.
Mr Robertson said Slater hit Ms Nelson, who recognised the defendant, a number of times to the head.
The prosecutor said Slater then went into the living room, where he stole about £100 from her purse.
He said Ms Nelson was “frightened” as she remained on the floor and called for an ambulance after Slater left her home.
Mr Robertson said she suffered a cut to her lower leg and had her toenail ripped off but did not need hospital treatment.
It is not known if the dog was protecting his owner, but Dasher ended up seriously injured in the incident Ms Nelson couldn’t afford the cost of having the pet’s injuries treated and instead opted to have him put to sleep.
Mr Robertson said Ms Nelson also had to pay a £400 vet’s bill and £45 worth of taxi fares.
He added: “She is scared now to go out and walk around. She feels that every man she sees in black will attack her.
“She has helped the defendant in the past by washing his clothes and cooking him food and giving him shelter at her home. She is scared of the defendant.
“She simply does not feel confident or safe opening her own front door.”
Mr Robertson said Dasher’s death had a “considerable” impact on Ms Nelson, who now has a new dog.
He said the defendant, who has been in court 22 times for 34 offences, was arrested later the same day and gave a no-comment interview.
Defence barrister Peter Du Feu said Slater was using crack cocaine at the time and added: “He had not intended for it to escalate to pushing her to the floor or the dog being injured.”
Speaking via video link from Bullingdon Prison, Slater told the court he felt “sick with shame” because of his actions.
He added: “The victim did not deserve what I did and I’m sorry. Drugs took control of my emotions and my lifestyle.”
Judge Ross added: “You knew her well, you knew her dog well. She had been someone who’d been kind to you.
“You went out that day looking for some means to obtain money to buy crack cocaine. You deprived her of a companion.”
Slater was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge and a criminal courts charge, as well as take part in a restorative justice scheme.
CONVICTED (2012) | Nora Christine Mannion, born 22/12/1965, of 9 Denmark Street, Oxford OX4 1QS and son Sonny Christian Mannion, born 09/08/1990, of 86 Percy Street, Oxford OX4 3AD – allowed one of their five injured bull terriers to attack a stranger’s dog in the street
Convicted drug dealer and career criminal Sonny Mannion was only banned from keeping animals for five years despite evidence of severe abuse towards his dogs. All five dogs, some of whom ha cigarette burns as well as fighting wounds, were destroyed.
On May 26. 2011, the police, along with RSPCA inspectors, executed a search warrant at Nora Mannion’s home in Denmark Street, Oxford where they found the dogs alone. The crossbreed bull terriers – named Yao, Billy, Marley, Cannon and Blingers – were taken by the RSPCA to kennels and examined by a vet.
Vets said the dogs had numerous small injuries, some of which had been caused by fighting. Some wounds were consistent with cigarette burns.
All five dogs had to be destroyed because they were too aggressive to be rehomed.
Nora Mannion was charged with being the owner of a dog and allowing it to be dangerously out of control in a public place and cause injury.
She also admitted causing unnecessary suffering to an animal by failing to arrange veterinary care for Yao.
Career criminal Sonny Mannion, who has a string of previous convictions including three robberies, criminal damage, battery, shoplifting and dealing in Class A drugs, pleaded guilty to failing to ensure the welfare of an animal.
Senior RSPCA inspector Kirsty Wignall said: “I am pleased with the sentencing, particularly with the disqualification.”
She said it had not been possible to prove who was responsible for the burns on the dogs.
The animals also had wounds indicative of fighting with other dogs or each other, she said.
Sentencing: Nora Mannion – six-week jail term, suspended for 12 months; three-month curfew; £500 costs and £500 compensation. Banned from owning animals for 10 years (expired March 2022) Sonny Mannion – three-month curfew; £500 costs. Banned from owning animals for five years (expired March 2017).
