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Animal Abandonment, Dogs, Worst of the Worst

Walthamstow, East London: Carl Playfair

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CONVICTED (2024) | Carl Wayne Playfair, born c. 1984, of Blyth Road, Walthamstow, London E17 8HS – confined his pet dog to a room in his flat and left her there to starve surrounded by her own faeces.

RSPCA prosecution of Carl Wayne Playfair from Walthamstow, East London - who confined his pet dog to a room and left her to starve.

RSPCA Animal Rescue Officer (ARO) Nicola Thomas, along with police and fire officers, went to Playfair’s home on December 11, 2023.

The dog, Princess, was seized by police and taken to a vet, but she was so unwell she was put to sleep to end her suffering.

RSPCA prosecution of Carl Wayne Playfair from Walthamstow, East London - who confined his pet dog to a room and left her to starve.
RSPCA prosecution of Carl Wayne Playfair from Walthamstow, East London - who confined his pet dog to a room and left her to starve.

A vet report heard by the court claimed the dog was suffering from dehydration and weighed only 10.45kg.

Her ribs, pelvic bones and spine were all visible from a distance and she scored the lowest score possible (one out of nine) on a body condition rating.

RSPCA prosecution of Carl Wayne Playfair from Walthamstow, East London - who confined his pet dog to a room and left her to starve.

The vet concluded that Princess’ emaciation and dehydration were the result of liver disease and it was also possible that a lack of food and water had contributed to her losing weight.

“I would estimate that it would take at least three weeks to reach this level of emaciation if the dog had previously been a normal weight,” said the vet. “She would have been suffering for at least three weeks and, possibly, much longer.”

RSPCA prosecution of Carl Wayne Playfair from Walthamstow, East London - who confined his pet dog to a room and left her to starve.
Princess pictured in healthier times. Image: Carl Playfair – Facebook

ARO Thomas said in a statement presented to the court: “I could see every bone in the dog’s hips, spine and legs and the sides of her head were sunken in. Her eyes appeared to be cloudy looking and she was weak and having difficulty standing.

“At one point she did stand up, but it was for a very short period of time and she was wobbling on her legs. In the room she was in there was urine and faeces on the floor, along with empty food wrappings and some empty dog food tins that had what appeared to be teeth marks in the metal.”

RSPCA prosecution of Carl Wayne Playfair from Walthamstow, East London - who confined his pet dog to a room and left her to starve.

Playfair pleaded guilty to three offences under the Animal Welfare Act and was sentenced at Willesden Magistrates’ Court on September 13, 2024.

In mitigation, the court heard that the defendant was suffering from alcoholism and mental health problems.

Sentencing | suspended 12-week prison sentence; 10 days of rehabilitation; alcohol treatment programmed. Banned from having dogs for 10 years (expires September 2034).

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Dogs, ear cropping and tail docking

Walthamstow, London: Ramadan Murati

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CONVICTED (2022) | Ramadan Murati, born c. 2002, previously from Leicester but now of Folkestone Road, Walthamstow – had a puppy’s ears cropped.

Bully's ears were sore and red, with exposed cartilage
Bully’s ears were sore and red, with exposed cartilage

Albanian national Murati was warned that the procedure to his 15-week-old dog Bully was illegal, but he went ahead with it anyway.

The RSPCA was contacted by a veterinary practice after he took the dog for a vaccination, and the vets could see he had recently had his ears cropped.

Bully was placed in the care of the animal rescue team after RSPCA inspector Herchy Boal attended.

Leicester Magistrates’ Court heard that Murati previously asked vets and the RSPCA where he could go to get Bully’s ears cropped – and was told in no uncertain terms that he cannot do this.

The inspector said: “I could see instantly that the puppy’ ears had been recently cropped, they appeared sore and red, but were not actively bleeding.

“The puppy was called Bully and was around 15 weeks old. He was friendly and on taking a closer look I could see that his ears were starting to heal and granulate, but were still sore.

“Both ears flaps had been cut, with exposure of the cartilage surfaces.”

An expert vet said that there was no evidence of any “conventional surgical technique, sutures or dressing” covering the ears.

The vet added: “In my professional opinion the patient was subjected unnecessarily to a procedure, that regardless of the medical care provided, always implicated discomfort and potential pain during and after the procedure.

“The degree of pain will have been depending on the degree and depth of the anaesthesia and analgesia that was provided when the procedure took place.”

Inspector Boal added: “Bully was also quite old to have had his ears cropped which again would have been more painful for him and he could have further health issues from this in years to come.

“I am happy to say that Bully was signed over to the care of the RSPCA and has since been rehomed to a lovely family who completely adore him.”

Sentencing | Fined £120 and ordered to pay costs of £150 and a £34 victim surcharge. At the magistrates’ court, Disqualified from keeping all animals for just two years (expires November 2024).

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