Tag Archives: Stoke-on-Trent

Dogs, Domestic Violence - Animals Targeted, Lifers, Serial Animal Abusers, Violent and Sadistic Pet Abusers, Worst of the Worst

Biddulph, Staffordshire: Andy Beech

7 Comments

#MostEvil | Andrew William Beech, born 31 May 1986, of 64a Kingsfield Road, Biddulph ST8 6DR – subjected his pet dog to repeated violent attacks over several months, finally killing her

Dog killer Andy Beech from Biddulph, Staffordshire, and victim Millie - a grey Staffordshire bull terrier
Dog killer Andy Beech from Biddulph, Staffordshire, and victim Millie – a grey Staffordshire bull terrier

Neighbours of Andrew Beech had witnessed him screaming and swearing at his blue Staffordshire bull terrier, Millie, many times in the months leading up to her violent death on 19 August 2019.

Dog killer Andy Beech from Biddulph, Staffordshire,
Beech, who also pleaded guilty to assaulting an ex-partner, is banned from keeping animals indefinitely following his brutal killing of a defenceless dog

One witness described seeing Beech throw Millie’s bed into the communal yard and yelling at her aggressively. He then kicked her hard, causing her to cry out. The witness tried to confront him but Beech disappeared inside his flat before she could do so.

Dog killer Andy Beech from Biddulph, Staffordshire,

On the evening of Millie’s death horrified neighbours heard Beech yelling “you shit all over the flat” followed by sounds of a dog in severe distress, crying and screaming.

On August 21, Beech wrote the following on Facebook: “my Millie moo died, completely shocked, RIP”.

Dog killer Andy Beech from Biddulph, Staffordshire,

Rumours emerged on social media that Beech had killed Millie and one local animal lover, Nicola, decided to go to his house to confront him. Beech told Nicola that Millie had died from natural causes and said he had buried her body in local woods. However, Nicola had noticed bloodstains on the walls of his hallway and was unconvinced by his lies. She went through his bins and was horrified to discover remnants of a blood-soaked dog bed.

Dog killer Andy Beech from Biddulph, Staffordshire,

Police were called but were reluctant to investigate so Nicola, determined to get justice for Millie, decided to take matters into her own hands.

She posted an appeal for information on Facebook and was soon contacted by someone who said they would show her where Beech had buried Millie’s body – actually in a small plot in the car park to the rear of his flat.

Dog killer Andy Beech from Biddulph, Staffordshire,

Nicola took a shovel and found Millie’s battered body in a cardboard box. She was wrapped in what remained of her dog bed.

The box contained a message that said “Millie, I’m going to miss you every day” with dog biscuits, and a deflated ball.

Sick note left by dog killer Andy Beech from Biddulph, Staffordshire,

Nicola contacted the RSPCA who collected Millie’s remains and took her to a vet for examination. There it was discovered that she had died from a blunt trauma. She had several other traumatic injuries including a punctured liver and lung, a broken hip and internal bleeding. Almost every rib was broken.

Some injuries were older and had been inflicted on her months earlier, proving that this attack had not been a one-off.

Millie, innocent victim of dog killer Andy Beech from Biddulph, Staffordshire,
Millie

The RSPCA prosecuted Beech but he denied the charges and continued to scream about his innocence to his friends and family and publicly on Facebook.

One local animal lover took to social media to write about the case:

PUPPY KILLER. This is Andrew Beech of Biddulph. It would be easy to Hate such a wicked coward but apparently his parents are even worse – banned from their home town of Biddulph. He only had the puppy for 6 months and was heard shouting and hitting it many times, but nobody said anything until HE put it on Facebook pretending it had died and he was devastated. But the puppy was located and DUG UP for a post-mortem ! They don’t come much lower than him, he has No Remorse – but shows how such bad rotten parenting Ruins lives. He’s been Violent all his life. His whole family are the same.

Source: Facebook

Faced with overwhelming evidence against him, Beech eventually pleaded guilty to two charges of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal as well as harassing an ex-partner.

The court heard Beechhad lost his job at a builders’ merchant following the social media backlash in the wake of Millie’s death.

Dog killer Andy Beech from Biddulph, Staffordshire,

Beech’s lawyer, Peter Howland of Turnocks Defence Solicitors, told the court that his client became frustrated with Millie following a change in his working hours causing him to be away most of the day and that “he kicked her because of her behaviour”.

Speaking about the fatal attack Howland said that his client “kicked the dog a number of times and, as a result of that, it died within a matter of minutes. He was shocked and didn’t know what to do.”

Howland claimed that Beech had been in the Army and had served in Basra “which has had an effect on his mental health.”

This cut little ice with the judge who told Beech: “You could not cope with owning the dog but you made excuses – it would not have taken a genius to give the dog to the RSPCA.

“Instead you subjected the dog to cruelty on a regular basis. This was not a one-off – and then you kicked this dog to death.”

Sentencing | jailed for 24 weeks. Banned indefinitely from keeping animals.

Stoke Sentinel

Dogs, Lifers, Serial Animal Abusers, Violent and Sadistic Pet Abusers, Worst of the Worst

Tunstall, Stoke-on-Trent: Thomas Bolton and Mathew Stubbs

1 Comment

CONVICTED (2019) | Tom Bolton, born c. 1995, and Mathew Stubbs, born c. 1999, both of Broomhill Street, Tunstall, Stoke-on-Trent ST6 – for neglect and violent mistreatment of three dogs in their care.

Dog abusers Thomas Bolton (left) and Mathew Stubbs
Dog abusers Thomas Bolton (left) and Mathew Stubbs are originally from Shearbridge, Bradford, West Yorkshire

Thomas Bolton and Mathew Stubbs faced charges relating to their treatment of three Staffordshire Bull Terriers – Teig, Bobo and Tyson – while they lived in Bradford.

The court heard Bolton was the owner of the dogs, but Stubbs was jointly responsible for them, and a series of visits and incidents were tracked.

On the first visit, to a property on Rand Street, Shearbridge, on October 11, 2018, the RSPCA inspector was told there were two dogs in the house. Teig was kept in the cellar while another had the run of the rest of the house.

When the inspector found Teig, the dog was said to be “excited” at getting attention. The inspector noted a strong smell of ammonia and piles of faecal matter.

An Animal Welfare Assessment form was issued and the inspector told the defendants Teig should be integrated with the other dog, or should be signed over so he could receive the care he needed. At this point, the inspector had not been told there was a third dog in the house.

Mathew Stubbs
The dogs suffered physical and psychological abuse at the hands of Mathew Stubbs who was said to be a “disciplinarian”

Another visit took place a week later, but the matter came to a head on January 24, 2019, after a further report about the conditions the dogs were living in.

The court heard a veterinary surgeon had issued a certificate to say the three dogs were likely to suffer if their circumstances did not change.
The tempers of both Bolton and Stubbs rose at this visit and the dogs were removed and were taken for an assessment.

The dogs were found to have long claws and soft paws – a sign of not being walked regularly – while Tyson was said to flinch when touched. His behaviour was that of a dog which was fearful of people and loud noises.

Thomas Bolton
Thomas Bolton is banned from keeping animals indefinitely

The court also heard evidence provided by a former partner of Bolton, who lived with him on Rand Street between September and December 2018.

She touched on a number of issues regarding how the dogs were kept and treated, with Stubbs said to be the disciplinarian who would take his bad mood out on the dogs. It was said he grabbed Tyson by both sides of his face, lifted him off the floor, screamed in his face and threw him on to a bed.

Evidence was heard from an animal behaviourist who highlighted Tyson’s extreme anxiety and fear.

Sentencing:
Stubbs – jailed for 10 weeks, suspended for 24 months; costs of £260. 10-year ban on keeping animals.
Bolton – 12-month community order; Rehabilitation Activity Requirement; costs of £260. Indefinitely disqualified from owning or being responsible for any animal.

Telegraph and Argus

Animal Abandonment, Dogs, farms / smallholdings, Food Production, Lifers, Multiple Species, Worst of the Worst

Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire: Daniel Bowd

1 Comment

CONVICTED (2019) | Daniel Mark Bowd, born 12 October 1991, of Old Stores Cottage, School Lane, Lower Leigh, Stoke On Trent ST10 4SS – kept starving dogs, cows and pigs in atrocious conditions on a smallholding.

Daniel Bowd. former managing director of recently failed waste management company DM Bowd Environmental Services Ltd, kept dogs, pigs and cattle on a smallholding on Raddle Lane, Leigh, near Uttoxeter, but abandoned the animals to starve.

Staffordshire County Council raided the smallholding in January 2019 following a tip-off.

Inspectors found:

  • Five dogs in pens covered in faeces and urine
  • Pigs and cattle with no food or water
  • Pig skulls and smaller animal skulls in a field
  • A blood-covered pig which had been eating a dead pig

Prosecutor Khalid Mahmood told North Staffordshire Justice Centre: “A small pig had a blood-covered face as it had been eating the dead pig that was inside the pen. The officers then went looking in the pen and found skulls of dead pigs.

“The officers also saw cattle with no food or water and there was no dry lying area for them. Similarly, there was no dry lying area for any other animals.”

RSPCA officers inspected the dogs. They had wood in their rectum, their abdomens and guts felt empty, and they had scratches and damaged ears as if they had been fighting.

Bowd told the probation service that he was £60,000 in debt. He was working 14 hours every day just to ‘keep his head above water’ on a self-employed basis.

Lucy Taylor-Grimes, mitigating, said: “He just couldn’t keep up with the volume of food that the animals needed.”

Bowd admitted a catalogue of animal welfare offences against pigs and dogs. He also admitted failing to dispose of animal bones correctly, failing to maintain a register of the cattle on his holding, and not maintaining a proper veterinary medicine record for his livestock.

Sentencing | 18-week jail sentence, suspended for 12 months; ordered to pay £1,615 in court costs. Lifetime ban on keeping pigs, cattle and dogs with the possibility of review after five years.

StokeonTrentLive

Dogs, police dogs, service and working dogs

Litherland, Liverpool: Daniel O’Sullivan

1 Comment

CONVICTED (2019) | Daniel O’Sullivan, born c. 1990, of Bowland Drive, Liverpool L21: stabbed a police dog twice in head and attacked officers while high on cocaine and monkey dust.

Daniel O'Sullivan from Liverpool was prosecuted under Finn's Law for his attack on PD Audi
Daniel O’Sullivan was prosecuted under Finn’s Law for his attack on PD Audi

Daniel O’Sullivan was jailed for 21 months after he admitted causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal, five counts of assault and two counts of possessing an offensive weapon in a public place.

Police were called to deal with the thug following reports of a man wielding a knife and broken bottle in a street in Hanley, near Stoke, on July 1, 2019.

When O’Sullivan refused to drop the weapons a police dog named Audi was sent into the incident.

O’Sullivan stabbed PD Audi twice in the head before throwing a bottle at an officer and kicking him in the face. He spat at four other officers.

Following his arrest O’Sullivan was taken to hospital for assessment and was aggressive towards medical staff.

PD Audi survived the knife attack and has since returned to duty.
PD Audi survived the knife attack and has since returned to duty.

Audi needed emergency treatment but survived the attack and has since returned to duty.

The prosecution for the attack against Audi is the first under the new Animal Welfare (Emergency Services) Act.

Known as Finn’s Law, it now recognises police dogs as public servants and not simply police property. The maximum sentence is currently six months.

Detective Inspector Stephen Ward, from Staffordshire Police, said: “O’Sullivan presented a significant danger to anyone who was nearby and we cannot allow the public to be put at risk.

“He assaulted five officers, spitting at four of them, which is a degrading experience for the officers concerned and can present a health risk.

“O’Sullivan was out to seriously hurt PD Audi and it was lucky that he wasn’t blinded or killed as a result of his injuries.

“Aside from the sheer cruelty of his actions, it takes a great deal of time, energy and expense to train a police dog and an experience like that could have ended his career. Fortunately, Audi has recovered well and is back at work.”

Sentencing | jailed for 21 months of which three months was for injuring PD Audi.

Liverpool Echo

Dogs, Pet Profiteering, puppy farmers / traffickers, kennels, backyard breeders

Scholar Green, Stoke-on-Trent: Esther Titterton

11 Comments

CONVICTED (2019) | fraudulent puppy dealer Esther Rachel Titterton, born 15 March 1993, formerly of Yew Tree Farm, Wheatlow Brooks, Milwich, Stafford, and more recently of Drumber Lane, Scholar Green, Stoke on Trent ST7 3LP.

Callous Esther Titterton of Milwich, Staffordshire duped customers into buying puppies that went on to develop serious health problems
Callous Esther Titterton of Milwich, Staffordshire duped customers into buying puppies that soon developed serious health problems.

Esther Titterton was jailed for 18 months after admitting illegally breeding and selling puppies using fake Kennel Club paperwork.

Staffordshire puppy farm dealer Esther Titterton with partner Jake Mellor
Titterton with partner Jake Mellor

Titterton was also charged with the breeding of dogs without a licence, sales of puppies without a pet shop licence and consumer protection offences.

Up to 39 puppies, many with health problems, were seized from Titterton’s home.

An advert placed on Pets4Homes by dishonest puppy dealer Esther Titterton
Titterton used online classified websites to advertise puppies for sale. This is one of her ads.

Trading Standards officers also found false vaccination certificates, which along with the Kennel Club papers were used to dupe customers.

Staffordshire puppy farm dealer Esther Titterton with partner Jake Mellor
Titterton with Jake Mellor

Titterton pleaded guilty to 11 charges of dishonestly making false representation to make gain for herself and two others relating to an item used in the committing of fraud and her business being used to commit fraud.

A Facebook post from a customer of Esther Titterton
A Facebook post by someone unlucky enough to be duped by dishonest puppy dealer Esther Titterton. In this case the little puppy, Bailey, did not survive. According to this post, Titterton used an alias (typical puppy dealer behaviour). Jake Mellor is named as her (alleged) accomplice

Staffordshire County Council’s Trading Standards team said it worked with the Animal, Plant and Health Agency, police and the RSPCA to investigate Titterton after a complaint about her business activities in June 2017.

Titterton had been operating from her home, a farm in Milwich, and checks revealed it was not licensed to sell pets or breed dogs. The owner of the farm was not involved with the investigation.

Most of the puppies were cockapoos and health problems with dogs from so-called puppy farms is a common occurrence, trading standards said.

Sentencing | jailed for 18 months.

BBC News

Dogs, Pet Profiteering, puppy farmers / traffickers, kennels, backyard breeders

Abbey Hulton, Stoke-on-Trent: Alex Johnson

3 Comments

CONVICTED (2019) | backyard breeder Alex Johnson, born 26 January 1990, of 53 Elmsmere Road, Stoke-on-Trent ST2 8EF – banned from keeping dogs after police found videos of him allowing canines to jump up and bite padded arm sleeves.

Backyard breeder and dog abuser Alex Johnson from Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, UK

Police officers launched their investigation when a dog that Alex Johnson was looking after bit a woman’s arm, leaving her with puncture wounds.

It led them to videos of the defendant allowing a dog to scale a fence in pursuit of a toy and another of a dog jumping up and biting an arm sleeve as a whip was cracked to the floor.

Backyard breeder and dog abuser Alex Johnson from Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, UK

But Johnson – who also works as a dog photographer and bare-knuckle fighter – says the footage was linked to his involvement in organised dog sports.

North Staffordshire Justice Centre heard the woman was bitten by a Bully XL called Loyal at 2.30 pm on June 16, 2018.

Prosecutor Tom Griffiths said: “The defendant told it to sit and when she went past, it bit her on the arm.”

Staffordshire Police applied for Johnson to be hit with a five-year dog ban – and backed up their application with three videos featuring Johnson and dogs.

One of them featured a Dutch Herder which the defendant said had been with the Slovakian army. Footage showed Johnson walking up and down with the dog as it displayed its ability to understand commands. It was also seen to run towards a man with a padded sleeve which the animal bit onto while a whip was being cracked.

Another video showed the defendant wearing an arm sleeve which his own dog jumped up to bite. Another clip showed Johnson’s dog on a treadmill.

Mr Griffiths said two of the videos showed the animals being antagonised.

Backyard breeder and dog abuser Alex Johnson from Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, UK

Commenting on the clip of Johnson’s own dog, he added: “He wants a reaction and he’s trained it to be aggressive. He is not a fit and proper person to have dogs.”

The court heard Johnson has also bought into a company specialising in canine supplements. He says the footage of the Dutch Herder was put together because he was selling the dog and one buyer had requested to see more of the animal’s training.

He said: “The dog was as friendly as anything and was not a protection dog. All I did was keep up her training. She was friendly and everyone on the estate loved playing with her.”

Backyard breeder and dog abuser Alex Johnson from Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, UK

Referring to the videos of his own dog, Johnson said: “I have had no issues with her. It’s ridiculous to say she’s trained to fight, anybody that knows anything about that breed knows they are not for fighting, she is a Pocket Bully. I breed small versions of Bullys.

“The whip crack is so they are not scared. When I go to seminars I always take her with me. All our puppies are used to different noises so when they go to new homes we don’t get complaints.

“My training is basic and the bite side of things I go to seminars. The training I do is obedience – sit, stay and heel. I go to organised events.”

Johnson admitted being in charge of a dog dangerously out of control on Priory Road, Abbey Hulton, on June 16. But a trial was held regarding the possible disqualification.

District Judge Timothy Boswell said: “The footage shows the dogs behaving in ways that are dangerous and the way you are encouraging them to behave potentially makes them dangerous, by encouraging them to jump up and bite.

“You and other men are having to wear arm sleeves – people don’t normally walk up and down the street with an arm sleeve in case a dog bites them.

“The dogs on the footage are behaving in dangerous ways and it is appropriate to disqualify you from having custody of a dog for five years.”

Sentencing: 40 hours of unpaid work; £85 victim surcharge. Banned from keeping dogs for five years.

Stoke Sentinel

On 2 November 2019 it was reported that Johnson had lost his appeal to have his five-year ban overturned.

Equine Abuse, horses and ponies

Stoke-on-Trent: Jordan Booth

1 Comment

CONVICTED (2019) | Jordan Booth, born c. 1991, of Pemberton Drive, Meir Heath, Stoke-on-Trent ST3 7JU – allowed his horse to become so underweight he had to be put to sleep

Horse abuser Jordan Booth from Stoke-on-Trent and his victim Quahadi, who had to be put to sleep
Ab RSPCA inspector described Jordan Booth’s gelding, Quahadi, as the thinnest horse she had ever seen

Jordan Booth’s bay thoroughbred-type horse, named Quahadi, was described by RSPCA Inspector Charlotte Melvin as the thinnest she had ever seen. Sadly, despite vets’ efforts to save him the gelding had to be put down to end his suffering.

Booth pleaded guilty to three charges under the Animal Welfare Act 2006. These were that he failed to investigate the gelding’s weight issues between October and November 2018 and failed to provide adequate hoof care between July 2018 and November 2018. The third charge related to failing to provide adequate veterinary care for a skin problem between 13 November and 18 November 2018.

RSPCA Inspector Melvin attended a field in Coplow Avenue, Tean, in November 2018 after the charity received a call from a concerned member of the public.

Animal abuser: Jordan Booth from Stoke-on-Trent whose neglected horse had to be put to sleep

Inspector Melvin immediately summoned a vet to assess Quahadi’s condition. The vet found the horse to be emaciated and suffering with an untreated skin condition on his legs. He had also not been provided with adequate hoof care for several months.

Police took possession of Quahadi and he was placed in the RSPCA’s care. Sadly, despite “great efforts” to save him, he collapsed the following day and the vets made the decision to put him down to “end his suffering”.

“I was so sad that Quahadi didn’t pull through, he was a very affectionate and sweet horse,” said Inspector Melvin.

“The only consolation is that he was warm and comfortable in a stable getting plenty of care during his last night, so at least I know he received some love and TLC before he sadly died.”

In mitigation the court heard Booth struggled with the gelding’s weight.

A second pony belonging to Booth was removed from the field by police and was signed into the charity’s care.

Sentencing | 12-week prison sentence suspended for two years; 240 hours of unpaid work and 15 rehabilitation days. Total of £515 costs and charges. Banned from keeping horses for five years (expires April 2024).

Stoke Sentinel

Equine Abuse, horses and ponies, Worst of the Worst

Stoke-on-Trent: Paul Simpson

2 Comments

CONVICTED (2018) | Paul Simpson, born 16 May 1958, of 13 Maple Avenue, Alsager, Stoke-on-Trent ST7 1JW – left two horses to starve in a field, with one having to be put down due to her poor condition.

Paul Simpson of Maple Avenue, Stoke, left his horses to starve in a field
Paul Simpson’s horses were found starving, covered in lice, and with no food or water.

Simpson pleaded guilty to three charges under the Animal Welfare Act.

The RSPCA was contacted by a member of the public who had seen a horse lying down in a field off Mere Lake Road, Talke Pits, Stoke-on-Trent. A bay mare, Polly, and a grey mare, Biscuit were found “skinny and lame, covered in lice and with no food or water”.

Between 1 November and 28 November 2017 Simpson caused unnecessary suffering by failing to investigate the cause of the poor bodily condition and weight loss of Polly and Biscuit.

Paul Simpson of Maple Avenue, Stoke, left his horses to starve in a field

Before 28 November 2017 Simpson caused unnecessary suffering by housing a lame horse, Polly, on wet muddy ground,

Between 8 August 2017 and 28 November 2017 Simpson failed to provide veterinary care for Biscuit’s lameness.

RSPCA inspector Charlotte Melvin, who investigated, said: “Both horses had rugs on them but I could still see every bone sticking out. I attended with World Horse Welfare, a vet and the police and we were all immediately concerned. Both horses had a really depressed demeanour and were just standing there not moving.

“The vet had a look at them and made the decision that they were suffering and needed immediate veterinary attention. They both had low body scores, one was given a body score of 0.5 out of five and the other was given a score of one.

“Polly, also had a swollen knee from an untreated injury, and Biscuit had a massive bone abscess on one of her front hooves which would have been incredibly painful for her and was the reason why she was so lame.”

Biscuit was found to have “pus coming out of every hoof” and was “so poorly” the vet made the decision to put her down. Polly was taken into the care of World Horse Welfare.

Sentencing:10-week prison sentence suspended for 18 months; two-week curfew; ordered to pay £250 costs and £115 victim surcharge. Banned from keeping horses for five years (expired November 2023).

Horse and Hound

Dogs

Stafford, Staffordshire: David Bromley

Leave a comment

CONVICTED (2018) | David P Bromley, born 13/02/1989, currently of Tixall Road, Stafford ST16 – kept two  starving dogs in a cage with no food and water

Dog abuser David Bromley from Stafford, UK

Crossbreed Caesar and Staffy Buster were so thin that all of their rib bones were sticking out and they were covered in fleas. Both dogs had self-trauma from scratching themselves because of the fleas.

The two dogs abused by David Bromley from Stafford, UK

Their owner, David P Bromley, previously of Eaton Street, Northwood, Stoke-on-Trent ST1, pleaded guilty to four Animal Welfare Act offences.

David Bromley from Stafford was banned from keeping animals after leaving two starving dogs in a cage with no food and water

The court heard the RSPCA became involved after receiving a call from a worried member of the public who had seen how thin the dogs were.

When an inspector arrived at the property in Eaton Street, Northwood, both dogs were in a small cage together with no food or water.

RSPCA inspector Charlotte Melvin said: “I was really shocked at the state of the poor dogs. When I saw them in the cage they didn’t react at all, they were so depressed – there was no barking, nothing.

“They spent hours at a time in this cage, with no bedding, no food and no water.

“When the vet looked at them, they were also found to be dehydrated and it had been at least 24 hours since they’d had any water.

“They were fed in the vets and they ate the food ravenously. As they were so weak they had to be admitted at the vets for a few days for observations.”

Bromley told Inspector Melvin that he could not afford to feed the dogs and that he would bring back scraps of meat from the takeaway where he worked at the time, which he would feed them.

He also said that he felt remorse.

Caesar and Buster have since made a good recovery and have now been rehomed.

Sentencing | A total of £450 fines, costs and charges. Ten-year ban on keeping animals (expires November 2028). 

Stoke-on-Trent Live

Birds, birds of prey / raptor persecution, Cats, Dogs, foxes, Hoarders, hunting with dogs, Multiple Species, Other Mammals, Reptiles / Exotics, Small Furries, Wildlife Crime / Bloodsports, Worst of the Worst

Meir, Stoke-on-Trent: Natalie Keenan and David Knight

Leave a comment

CONVICTED (2018) | animal hoarders Natalie Keenan, born c. 1989, and David Knight, born c. 1977, both of Sandon Old Road, Meir, Stoke-on-Trent ST3 – kept 23 pets – including a barn owl, a fox and a raccoon dog – inside a smelly and flea-ridden house of horrors

David Knight and Natalie Keenan of Meir, Stoke kept 23 pets - including owl, fox and raccoon dog - inside 'smelly and flea-ridden' house of horrors

David Knight pleaded guilty to five charges related to animal cruelty, while Natalie Keenan admitted four offences under the Animal Welfare Act.

The pair’s mini-zoo was discovered by chance when a utility company official went round to the Meir home to execute a warrant as they hadn’t paid their gas bill.

He alerted the RSPCA, who were confronted by the stench of neglect, with piles of dog poo in the kitchen, rotting chickens in a snake tank and animals covered in fleas.

David Knight and Natalie Keenan of Meir, Stoke kept 23 pets - including owl, fox and raccoon dog - inside 'smelly and flea-ridden' house of horrors

Other creatures – from pets to exotics to wild animals – were being kept in tiny filthy cages, with barely enough room to move and without ready access to water.

A raccoon dog kept in a foul cage by Natalie Keenan and David Knight from Meir, Stoke

One terrier-type dog, called Lexi, was in such a poor condition that she had to be put to sleep.

Hazel Stevens, prosecuting on behalf of the RSPCA, said Lexi was experiencing ‘significant suffering’. She was virtually blind, emaciated with protruding bones, had little fur and an infected tumour that was hidden underneath a ‘foul-smelling mess’.

The dog was found curled up on a pile of dirty nappies and had to be carried out of the house as she couldn’t walk.

The couple also had:

  • another dog, Mocha the French bulldog
  • a cat called Gizzy, who both had skin and flea problems;
  • a barn owl caged up in a bedroom
  • a fox living in a cage in another room;
  • a racoon dog
  • a rat
  • a bearded dragon
  • five snakes
  • eight degus;
  • and an African grey parrot called Charlie.
David Knight and Natalie Keenan of Meir, Stoke kept 23 pets - including owl, fox and raccoon dog - inside 'smelly and flea-ridden' house of horrors
Lexi was in such poor condition she had to be put to sleep

RSPCA Inspector Charlotte Melvin said: “When I arrived at the property the couple wouldn’t let me inside so I waited outside for over two hours until police arrived.

“During that time the family carried bin bag after bin bag of rubbish out of the house.

Animal hoarders and abusers Natalie Keenan and David Knight from Stoke on Trent, Staffordshire, UK

“When I finally went inside it wasn’t what I was expecting at all. Even though they’d been clearing out for two hours it was still absolutely filthy and the animals were being kept in horrifying conditions.

“There was cage after cage and animal after animal. The rooms were strewn with rubbish, all of the animals’ accommodation was filthy and their welfare needs were clearly not being met.

“It was disgusting and it was mass-scale neglect.”

The other animals remain in RSPCA care and can now be rehomed or moved to suitable keepers.

“Many of these animals simply shouldn’t be kept as pets let alone kept like this,” Inspector Melvin added.

“To see these poor animals living in such squalor was heartbreaking. I’m just glad they can all now have a second chance at find loving new homes where their needs will be properly catered to.”

Sentencing: 12-month community order including a 30-hour rehabilitation requirement. Total of £235 each in costs and charges.  Both were disqualified from keeping animals for three years (expired 2021).

Stoke Sentinel
Signal1