CONVICTED (2016) | Jordon Louise Barlow, born 07/06/1993, formerly of Ismay Street, Walton, Liverpool L4 and more recently Cotswold Way, Winsford CW7 1QW: starved two dogs to death.
Barlow left two dogs to starve in one of the worst cases of neglect the RSPCA inspectors have seen.
One Staffy Booma was already dead and the other, named Bandit, critically ill when Inspector Helen Smith entered Barlow’s home on December 2, 2015.
Peter Mitchell, prosecuting on behalf of the RSPCA, said vets fought to improve Bandit’s condition but he could not regain weight and was put down a few days later.
The body condition of both dogs was scored at one out of nine on a scale used by vets, the worst rating possible.
The court heard Inspector Smith, acting on information from a member of the public, found Booma wrapped up in a blanket, obviously dead.
Mr Mitchell said: “Bony prominences were visible and he had visible sores on his hind legs. Bandit was curled up on the floor with his head on his paws and in poor body condition.
“He was unresponsive to the inspector and appeared to be in a collapsed state.”
The court heard Barlow began caring for the dogs when her ex-partner was jailed. She told Inspector Smith her then partner’s mother had initially looked after the dogs, but Barlow had been forced to take over when she was hospitalised in July 2015.
Barlow said Booma had not been eating but admitted not taking them to see a vet or calling the RSPCA.
Mr Mitchell said the defendant also had her own dog, another male Staffie called Kaos, who appeared well-fed and in good condition, and supplies of dog food were found in the kitchen.
Post-mortems revealed both dogs had died from the effects of starvation but did not have any other underlying health problems.
The judge said: “The picture described of Bandit curled up unresponsive by his dead friend is a very sad one.”
Speaking after the case, Inspector Smith told the ECHO: “This has been one of the worst neglect cases I have done, it affected me personally.
“The vet who dealt with it said the mental torture of not being able to eat and wanting to eat would have been horrific.”
Sentence: 12 weeks in prison, suspended for one year; ordered to complete a Rehabilitation Activity Requirement course. Banned from keeping animals for just five years (expired June 2021); ordered to surrender a third dog to the RSPCA.
CONVICTED (2016) | animal hoarders Linda Gibson, born c. 1972, and Lewis Little, born 1988, of Buxton Road, Luton LU1 1RE – kept multiple pets in squalor without veterinary treatment.
Linda Gibson and Lewis Little, who have since gone their separate ways. Pictures: Facebook.
The horrible pair kept a menagerie of cats, dogs, snakes, gerbils, turtles and even a bearded dragon at their flat .
Several welfare visits by the RSPCA noted the home was overrun with household waste, and described as “uninhabitable” by RSPCA inspector Stephanie Law. Inspector Law even mentioned banging her head on the living room ceiling while stepping over mountains of mess.
In court, Gibson and Little were told they presented a continuing risk to animal welfare.
The court heard that Inspector Law attended the couple’s address on November 25, 2015, to return a Staffordshire bull terrier named Scar after he had been neutered and fitted with a buster collar.
A scene of chaos and pet neglect at the home Linda Gibson shared with Lewis Little. Pictures: RSPCA.
During the visit, Inspector Law instructed the couple how to administer medication and advised that Scar’s buster collar had to stay on to prevent him interfering with his wound.
Gibson then presented a large tabby cat named Soldier who had a hole under his right armpit.
“The wound was smelly and the flesh looked red raw,” noted the inspector.
Inspector Law told Gibson that the cat needed urgent veterinary treatment but she refused to sign the cat over.
Inspector Law returned the next day to find the kitchen overflowing with rubbish to the extent that she “could not see the floor”.
Photographs were taken and Scar was seen running between the kitchen and the yard not wearing his buster collar.
On a further visit on December 4, Inspector Law noted: “I picked Scar up and I could see the scrotum was very swollen and the sutured wound appeared to be completely torn. Mr Little told me he had removed the buster collar on the day that he returned home.”
Both animals were removed by the RSPCA and taken to the vets for treatment. They have since been rehomed and are understood to be doing well.
Janita Patel, prosecuting on behalf of the RSPCA, appealed to magistrates to disqualify Gibson and Little from keeping pets. Ms Patel said: “They are clearly not fit to look after themselves, let alone after animals.
“There’s also the worry that they didn’t have the funds to take the animals to the vet when they needed to.”
As magistrates disqualified the pair for ten years, Gibson wept. The pair said they still had two cats, two snakes and five gerbils in their home and were given 14 days to rehome them.
After the verdict, RSPCA inspector Mrs Law said: “I’m happy with the outcome and it reflects the severity of the offence.”
Sentence: Little – three-month curfew and ten days of rehabilitation activity. Gibson – 100 hours of unpaid work Both – £310 costs each. Banned from keeping animals for ten years (expires May 2026).
CONVICTED (2016) | Chantal Bray, born 29/04/1973, and Shaun Matthewson, born 22/10/1982, both of Palmcourt, Orchard Park, Hull HU6 9TH – failed to treat their dogs’ flea infestation, leaving them to scratch off their own fur.
Staffordshire bull terriers Madison and Roxy were so infested with fleas they scratched off their fur and were covered in scabs.
When the RSPCA learned of the dogs’ condition, they removed them from the home of Bray and Matthewson.
Seeing the pictures for the first time in Hull Magistrates’ Court, Deputy District Judge Nick Hayles said: “Just to be clear, have these dogs been shaved?”
In response, Philip Brown, prosecuting on behalf of the RSPCA, said: “No, your honour. These dogs were scratching themselves so hard that they shed their own skin. Their skin became scabbed, dry and flaky.”
Mr Brown said Madison and Roxy would have suffered for a long period of time. He also described how the owners failed in their duties as pet owners.
“These defendants came to the attention of the RSPCA when a warden visited them to assist them with some cats,” he said. “While in attendance, Bray also asked him to look at her dogs who were having skin problems.
“The warden saw that there were live fleas in both dogs and he gave the defendants the advice that both dogs needed to be given flea treatment. When the inspector returned nine days later, he had the view that the dogs’ condition had deteriorated.”
The warden insisted that immediate vet treatment was necessary and Bray agreed to transfer ownership of Roxy and Madison to the RSPCA.
Bray and Matthewson pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal, contrary to the Animal Welfare Act 2006.
Madison and Roxy have since made full recoveries.
Sentencing: Bray – 12-month community order with 25 days of rehabilitation. Matthewson – 12-month community order including 60 hours of unpaid work and 10 days of rehabilitation. Both – total of £260 costs; banned from owning dogs for four years (expired April 2020).
Original source: Hull Daily Mail (article removed)
CONVICTED (2016) | George W Litt, born c. 1954, of 1A Birley Court, Whitehaven CA28 7NF – attempted to have sex with a dog
Litt pleaded not guilty to all three charges he faced: having sex with the dog, attempting to do so; and causing unnecessary suffering to an animal.
He was convicted of the attempt offence but cleared of the other charges.
The trial heard that Litt accepted that he intended to have sex with the Boston terrier in a St Bees caravan – claiming to be drunk and sexually frustrated – but claimed to have changed his mind prior to the act.
It was at the point, he claimed, that his partner at the time – the dog’s owner – and a friend returned to the caravan.
The court heard that Litt had been drinking in the St Bees caravan with his partner on the afternoon of August 18, 2015.
Around 7.30pm, the pair were joined by a friend, and the partner and the friend left the caravan briefly to collect some chairs from elsewhere on the site.
When they returned, they made the shocking discovery which caused the partner to run from the caravan screaming and the friend to vomit.
Sentencing: 100-day prison term, suspended for 12 months; 35-day rehabilitation course; £580 costs and charges. Banned from owning an animal, and banned from having unsupervised contact with an animal, for 12 months. He must also sign the Sex Offenders’ Register.
CONVICTED (2016) | Christen Lee Booth, born 20/08/1994, most recently of Southfield Avenue, Withernsea HU19 2UE – bit a pitbull terrier-type dog in a bid to “control” her.
Booth told RSPCA inspectors his dog had been attacked by a fox while they were on a woodland walk. He claimed Pebbles, whom he had for 18 months, became aggressive towards him and others following the attack.
Richard Brown said police, responding to a tip-off, visited Booth’s address on July 18, 2015.
“The officer describes seeing a dog with a number of fresh looking wounds, with blood on its face,” said Mr Brown.
“The hair on its body was very thin and bright pink skin was showing underneath.
“It was cowering and shivering in its basket.”
Booth offered “inconsistencies” in his version of events surrounding the fox attack, which led to the RSPCA being called.
With the owner’s consent, Pebbles was taken to a veterinary surgery for treatment. She was suffering from ulcers and inflammation to both eyes, scalding and cuts. It was the view of the vet that “a caustic substance” had also been applied to her coat. Booth was unable to provide an explanation for this.
“An experienced vet came to the conclusion that Pebbles was a banned breed, which falls within section 1 of the Dangerous Dogs Act,” said the prosecutor.
“Taking that fact and the injuries into account, the decision was taken that it was in the best interests of the dog to euthanise it. The owner had no objections.”
Booth admitted two counts of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal, contrary to section 4 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006.
During interview, Booth told inspectors that he had become concerned about Pebbles’ aggressive demeanour following the fox attack.
“He had found the dog pinning his brother and girlfriend to the floor,” said Mr Brown. “He himself had been attacked, causing puncture wounds to his face.”
Mr Brown then described how Booth had admitted taking matters into his own hands in a bid to calm Pebbles’ rage.
“He decided the best way was to bite the dog and he had been fighting it,” said Mr Brown.
“He also admitted inserting a shower hose into its mouth.”
Booth insisted he had sought medical attention for Pebbles after the fox attack and had been advised to use disinfectant on the numerous injuries.
“He said he was using Lynx shower gel to clean those wounds,” said Mr Brown.
Richard Drew, mitigating, said Booth, who suffers from the behavioural disorder ADHD, had given “the most candid and open” interview to investigators that he had ever heard.
[Original source: Hull Daily Mail – article removed].
Sentencing: Total costs and charges of £770. 20 days’ rehabilitation. Banned from owning, looking after, or keeping dogs for seven years (expiredFebruary 2023).
CONVICTED (2016) | alcoholic career criminal John Michael Shackell, born 13 October 1982, most recently of Talbot Court, Reading RG1 6QH – launched a frenzied attack on a stranger’s dog
Shakell thought he had got away with dishing out the savage kicking to the dog but the horrific incident, which took place outside the One Stop store in Fairview Road, Hungerford, was caught on CCTV.
The dog’s owner said in a statement that her pet was now frightened of strangers and afraid to go out.
Jennifer Riddell, prosecuting said Shackell, then of Embrook Way, Calcot, was visiting the store with his partner, children and his Staffordshire bull terrier.
She added: “He allowed his own dog to approach the other animal, which was tied to a post.
“He then pulled his own animal away and kicked the tied-up dog.”
Shakell then marched into the store and began shouting and swearing before leaving his pet with his family and rushing, in an “agitated state”, back outside.
Ms Riddell said: “There, he proceeds to furiously kick the tied-up dog in the head.
“A female came along and he started shouting at her.”
Shackell was arrested after police viewed the CCTV footage.
Shackell, whose previous convictions include assault and theft, admitted causing unnecessary suffering to an animal by repeatedly kicking it.
Ben May, defending, said his client “lashed out, in a ‘moment of madness” after the dog began to fight with his own.
He described jobless Mr Shackell as a “dog lover” who was signed off work owing to alcoholism.
Mr May said his client was addressing his alcohol dependency and told magistrates: “A custodial sentence would put back his recovery.”
A probation officer assessed both Mr Shackell’s risk of harm to others and his risk of re-offending as ‘medium’.
She went on to tell the court that, in her opinion, Shackell was not suited to a sentence involving unpaid community work because of the medication he takes for his drink addiction.
Sentencing: 10- month community order with 20-day rehabilitation activity requirement; £145 costs and charges. Not banned from owning animals.
CONVICTED (2015) | Cheryl Welch, born 08/08/1978, of Purbrook Way, Havant PO9 3SG – failed to adequately groom her elderly shih tzu dog and treat her eye condition
Despite allowing her pet dog to get into this state Cheryl Welch was not disqualified from having animals and was allowed by magistrate Jennifer Duddridge to keep cats, birds and another dog …
Cheryl Welch admitted causing unnecessary suffering and failing to protect shih-tzu Tam from pain, suffering, injury and disease by failing to adequately groom her
The 10-year-old shih tzu could not see after her fur became so matted it damaged her eyes.
The court heard that Tam had been a rescue dog and Welch had taken her in.
But she was found by a member of the public and reported to the RSPCA after a freak near-miss when she ran out into the road and was nearly run over.
The driver was so shocked by the matted hair all over Tam that she called the RSPCA.
Portsmouth Magistrates’ Court heard how she was suffering from ‘poor husbandry’ with faeces and urine in her hair.
She was also suffering from dry eye, which had gone untreated for six months.
Sarah Wheadon, prosecuting for the RSPCA, said: ‘It certainly had been very uncomfortable for Tam and caused a significant degree of irritation.’
She added: ‘This was not a condition that could have gone on unnoticed by the owner.
‘It’s very severe and Tam was giving off a smell.’
Tam was signed over to the RSPCA but Welch was allowed to keep cats, birds and another dog.
Chair of the magistrates’ Jennifer Duddridge made the ruling as there was ‘no evidence of neglect of remaining animals and your children love their pets and they are important to them’.
Sentencing: community order with a 15-day rehabilitation activity requirement. Total of £160 costs and charges. No ban.
CONVICTED (2015) | Antione Johnson, born 09/07/1989, of Malvern, Coleman Street, Southend-on-Sea SS2 5AD – beat a dog with an iron bar and left her to die.
Evil dog killer Antione Johnson pictured outside court
Caretakers found Staffordshire bull terrier Gnasher dumped and dying on the stairwell of a block of flats, one floor down from Johnson’s flat. The RSPCA were called and attempted to give her water and comfort, but Gnasher died just minutes later.
A post mortem later revealed that the cause of death was blunt force trauma which ruptured the dog’s spleen.
Gnasher was found with devastating injuries and died moments after this photo was taken
In an interview, Johnson admitted he had smacked Gnasher on her rear end and then let her out of his flat.
RSPCA inspector Matt Gough said: “It must have been with quite some considerable force that this dog was attacked for the impact to rupture her spleen in this way – she basically bled to death.
“A vet expert said her spleen was otherwise healthy and the fatal blow must have been very strong and very painful.
“Poor Gnasher was alive when the caretakers discovered her, but incredibly weak. She was making attempts to stand but repeatedly collapsed to the floor.
“They offered her water but she died just minutes after being discovered. It was just too late.”
“A veterinary expert said it would have taken quite some considerable force to rupture such a healthy spleen in such a fatal way and would have been very painful.”
On 4 November 2015 Johnson pleaded guilty to offences under the Animal Welfare Act relating to the brindle and white dog and was banned from keeping animals for life.
Sentence: 12-week prison sentence, suspended for 12 months; 200 hours’ unpaid work; £575 costs; 10 day Rehabilitation Activity Requirement; disqualified from keeping animals for life.
CONVICTED (2015) | breeder Deborah Fuller, born c. 1960, of 52 Harwich Road, Lawford, Manningtree CO11 2LS – dragged a Ridgeback dog behind a vehicle, causing painful injuries to his paws, legs and chest.
Deborah Fuller pictured outside court in 2015
Fuller, who ran her breeding operation under the names Nyuki Ridgebacks and Hamilton Stovare, was found guilty of causing unnecessary suffering to the Ridgeback, known as Tango, by not taking him to a vet and failing to take steps to keep him secured safely within a vehicle. She had denied the charges.
Tango had suffered numerous painful injuries after being dragged behind Fuller’s car
The court heard that in June 2014 Tango was dragged behind a moving car for about 400 metres as onlookers shouted until the vehicle stopped. The court heard that Fuller was driving the car through roadworks on the B1066 near Long Melford when she was seen by tree surgeons.
Hazel Stevens, representing the RSPCA, said: “One became aware of a green car driving through the traffic light area and the sound of something being dragged.
“As the car passed him he saw it was a dog behind the car.”
The tree surgeons shouted at Fuller to stop and vehicles tooted horns.
Ms Stevens said: “She didn’t stop until she passed the end of the single carriageway. They thought the defendant was not behaving in a normal way and insisted the dog should see a vet.”
The tree surgeons took the vehicle’s registration number and called the police, who alerted the RSPCA. Two police officers and RSPCA inspector Sam Garvey went to Fuller’s home later that day, but were refused entry.
Fuller was found in an outbuilding with one-year-old Tango, who had bandages on his paws. He had injuries to the pads of all four of his feet on which a layer of skin had been removed. He also had grazing to his chest area and a deep wound to his elbow and leg.
Tango was seized and taken to a vet. From there he went into a foster home where he made a good recovery after eight weeks.
Det Con Michael Evans said Tango looked scared, and that cuts and grazes could be seen on his body and paws. He asked Fuller if he could take the dog.
“She became quite abusive and really tugged on the dog quite hard, making me feel uneasy,” he said.
She was then restrained by officers and Tango was taken away.
Convicting Fuller, the chairman of the bench said: “We believe a reasonable person in control of three large dogs would ensure they were properly secured to ensure safety of the dog – either by a harness or cage.”
“You had many options available to you to seek treatment – first of all, the vets you had just visited or numerous other local vets, including the one the tree surgeon advised you of,” he said.
“But you chose to continue home. We believe for whatever reason, known only to yourself, you had no intention of getting veterinary treatment as a matter of urgency.
“We do not accept your reason for delaying treatment as reasonable.”
Sentence: £3,000 costs, 12-month community order, two-month curfew .The court also allowed confiscation of the 27 Ridgebacks owned by Fuller and already in RSPCA care following welfare concerns*. Five-year ban on owning animals (expired April 2020).
*Fuller had previously been the subject of complaints from neighbours about noise and faeces and the RSPCA had seized 44 dogs from her property on welfare grounds, alleging that many of the dogs were emaciated and one had a facial tumour. That confiscation was later judged to be unlawful because the RSPCA did not have the correct warrant. Because of her conviction in relation to Tango, however, Fuller did not get her dogs back.
Update | June 2021
Fuller was prosecuted again after it was discovered that she had breached her ban on keeping animals.
She was also found to have committed further animal welfare offences with one of her dogs, Wizard, struggling to walk with a deformity of the lower right foreleg which was swollen. In addition he had a large mass causing him pain and was later put to sleep on veterinary advice due to having a bone tumour.
In all, ten dogs were found at Fuller’s property, all of whom were being kept in atrocious conditions.
Fuller received a three-month curfew to be monitored electronically and a 20-day Rehabilitation Activity Requirement. She was also fined a total of £490 and ordered to pay £5,000 costs. She was further disqualified from keeping all animals for three years (expires June 2024).
A second defendant, Keith Barton, born 3 March 1960, of Mwafrica Rhodesian Ridgebacks, Santon Downham, Suffolk, was found guilty of aiding, abetting and counseling or procuring Deborah Fuller to breach her disqualification order. He was sentenced to an 18-month conditional discharge and ordered to pay £625 costs.
Fuller was jailed for 34 weeks after she was found to have locked a dog in a cage with cable ties. She pleaded guilty to six offences of breaching a disqualification order, relating to three dogs, two cats and six horses.
Colchester Magistrates’ Court heard that during a warrant of Fuller’s home in February 2022 two dogs – a Rhodesian Ridgeback and a Basset Hound – and a cat were removed from the property. The warrant was carried out with police following reports that she was in breach of a ban imposed on her in April 2021.
Persistent animal abuser Deborah Fuller’s latest breach of her disqualification order related to three dogs, two cats and six horses, with some or all of the pets being subjected to cruelty and neglect
The Basset Hound was found in a caravan tethered on a short metal chain inside a cage, which had been shut with cable ties.
RSPCA inspector Caroline Richardson said: “There was no water, no food, not even an empty bowl where the dog may have had water. There was torn-up bedding piled up underneath the dog. “The dog was unable to move properly due to the chain.
“He could not access all of his crate as his chain held him to one end, and even when sitting up at the end he was confined to, the chain pulled taut against his fur.
“The dog would not even have been able to turn around without some difficulty, and made no attempt to do so while we were there.”
Documents found at the home also led the RSPCA to locating horses being kept at a local livery yard which Fuller jointly owned with another person. Three of the horses were kept in a field in Woodbridge.
The court heard that the RSPCA carried out another check of Fuller’s home in October. An inspector found she had hidden a cat under her bed and a Jack Russell was also found upstairs.
As well as the prison sentence, she was given an additional seven-year ban on keeping animals and ordered to pay costs of £1,000 and a £127 victim surcharge.
CONVICTED (2015) | Shaun Stobbs, born 5 June 1988, and partner Louise Ann Stoakes, born 18 May 1988, of Heights Close, Leeds LS12 3ST – starved their pet dog close to death
Shaun Stobbs and Louise Stoakes allowed bull terrier Rebel to starve almost to death in a locked room at their family home before summoning help
Louise Stoakes and Shaun Stobbs were given suspended prison sentences over the treatment of bull terrier Rebel at their home in Bramley, Leeds.
An RSPCA inspector found the dog in a collapsed state and around half her expected bodyweight when called to Heights Close, Bramley, in July 2014.
Magistrates heard there was an “overpowering smell” coming from the small room where Rebel had been locked in.
Andrew Davidson, prosecuting, said Stobbs contacted the RSPCA claiming to be concerned because the animal had stopped eating.
Inspector Sarah Mason went to the house and there was a strong smell of cannabis in the front room.
Stobbs took out a screwdriver which he used to open a wooden door to a utility room in the kitchen where the dog was kept.
The RSPCA were forced to put the stricken dog to sleep after she was assessed as a banned breed despite her recovery
Mr Davidson said Inspector Mason thought the animal was dead because of her skeletal condition and collapsed state. The dog should have weighed around 30kg but only weighed 15kg.
Rebel was taken into the care of the RSPCA and managed to gain weight and was able to walk again. But the animal eventually had to be put down after being found to be a dangerous breed of dog.
Stobbs was interviewed and claimed Rebel had suddenly become ill.
Stoakes, a part-time life guard who at the time of the trial was expecting a fourth child, said they did not take Rebel to a vet because they couldn’t afford it.
Stoakes told officers that they should have done more to help Rebel but they did not want their three children to see what state the animal was in.
Mr Davidson said the animal’s poor condition would have been obvious for weeks, if not months, and anyone of sound mind would have been aware of it.
Stoakes and Stobbs both pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to an animal.
At the sentencing hearing at Leeds Magistrates, the couple’s lawyer Alex Boyd said they had not committed the offence out of malice.
He said: “Neither of these two defendants have the relevant skills to care for the dog. When the issue arose, rather than obtaining help like they should have done, they became embarrassed that they couldn’t deal with the situation.”
Magistrates told Stoakes and Stobbs that they were equally to blame for the offence and that it was a serious case because it was long-term neglect.
After the case, Inspector Mason said she found the incident particularly upsetting to be involved with.
She told the local paper: “I was totally flabbergasted to see the distress she was in. It was terrible to see her not even having the strength to be able to reach her food and water bowls.
“I remember carrying her into the vets with her in my arms and being in tears. I think justice has been done for Rebel today.”
Sentencing: 12-week prison sentence, suspended for 12 months. Stoakes was ordered to attend a 30-day activity requirement and Stobbs was told he must do 200 hours of unpaid work. They were both given a lifetime disqualification from owning animals.
