CONVICTED (2023) | Abraham Andemariam, born c. 1992, of Asbridge Street, Toxteth, Liverpool L8 0UG – callously drove through a gaggle of geese and left the injured birds dying in the road.
Abraham Andemariam callously ran over a gaggle of geese.
Eritrean national Abraham Andemariam was captured on smart doorbell footage killing seven geese on Omega Boulevard in Great Sankey, Warrington, in July 2023.
Witnesses were distressed by the suffering of the birds, a court heard.
Tom Quirk, prosecuting, said the incident happened at about 07:00 BST on 15 July.
The Greylag Geese are a familiar sight in the Great Sankey area of Warrington
Andemariam “drove through a flock of geese killing seven of them” then carried on to work, he told the court.
Mr Quirk said “there was clear disregard for the animals in the road”.
A witness saw “the birds suffering on the floor causing her some distress”, he said.
“The birds were dying and also had dramatic injuries with skin torn away from their limbs.
“There were passengers inside the vehicle and residents were caused distress by what they witnessed and this was after aggressive driving.”
The horrifyingly cruel incident was captured on a Ring doorbell camera
Mr Quirk said when police went to Andemariam’s work they saw feathers on the front of his bonnet and identified him as the driver.
He was subsequently sacked from his job with Amazon.
Andemariam was found guilty in his absence in September 2023 of seven charges of intentionally killing a wild bird, a Greylag Goose, and also driving without due care and without an MOT certificate.
Rebecca Templeman, defending, said Andemariam had admitted the offences in interview and was convicted in his absence after the death of his 16-year-old brother.
The defendant had travelled to the scene and emailed the court asking for an adjournment but he did not receive the postal reply and missed the hearing, she said.
On his return he saw in a newspaper he was wanted and surrendered himself to police.
Miss Templeman said Andemariam “was appalled when shown the CCTV footage and visibly upset at what he did that day”.
Andemariam pleaded guilty and was given a suspended 12-week jail term.
Sentencing | 12-week custodial, suspended for one year. 50 hours of unpaid work and 10 days of rehabilitation activities; £154 victim surcharge and court costs of £120. A collection order was made for deductions from benefits. Banned from driving for six months.
CONVICTED (2022) | Callum Ruane, born 8 June 2001, of 10 Bewsey Road, Bewsey, Warrington WA2 7LW – blamed steroid addiction for his systematic abuse of a puppy.
Ruane was seen on multiple occasions punching, kicking and throwing the four-month-old American Bully dog, called Dice, at his then home in Savannah Place, Great Sankey, Warrington. Disturbing and upsetting mobile phone footage was captured by horrified neighbour Susie Perry who passed it on to the RSPCA.
Victim Dice – notice the cropped ears.
Liverpool Crown Court heard when inspectors interviewed Ruane at his mum’s home, he became tearful and told them he attacked Dice because he had “just completed a cycle of steroids and his head was fucked”.
Ruane admitted a charge of cruelty to a protected animal but initially claimed he had only abused Dice on one occasion. The RSPCA rejected his basis of plea and he later admitted the full facts of the prosecution case.
He was also charged with cruelty to another dog, Kilo, which he denied, but the prosecution allowed that charge to lie on the file in light of his guilty pleas.
Carmel Wilde, prosecuting on behalf of the RSPCA, told the court Ms Perry and another neighbour, Kerry Liggett, first became concerned on September 25, 2021, when they heard the sounds of a dog “screaming”. Ms Perry ran to look out of an upstairs window which overlooked the patio door of the defendant’s property, offering a view into the kitchen area.
Ms Wilde said: “She could see Dice in his crate and the defendant was punching Dice to the head. Kerry Liggett, the same day, heard a horrible yelping sound lasting 10 seconds at least, and thought it was odd.
“Her neighbour called round 10 minutes later saying the defendant had strangled the dog by putting it in a headlock and punched it. They reported matters to the RSPCA and were advised by the control room to try and obtain videos of the abuse.”
On October 3, Ms Perry noticed that Dice had got out of his crate and had chewed a bag, some money and a pair of sunglasses in Ruane’s kitchen. Fearing his reaction, Ms Perry began filming on her mobile phone.
Dice’s owner Phoebe Jones allowed her pet to be abused by her steroid-addicted boyfriend
Initially Ruane’s then partner and the owner of Dice, Phoebe Jones, came into the room and began cleaning up the mess. The court heard Ms Perry thought Miss Jones “looked worried”.
A short time later Ms Perry heard Dice “screaming” so ran to the window again. Ms Wilde told the court: “She described the defendant beating the dog. She became petrified and shaky and could not understand why Miss Jones was not stopping it.”
Ms Perry heard the dog yelping and spotted Ruane holding Dice fully off the floor by his head and neck. The couple’s other dog, Kilo, was also present and was “spinning around agitated”.
Ms Wilde said: “The defendant could be seen throwing Dice into the crate. He then gets into the crate with the dog and can be seen hitting it. The dog can be heard yelping.”
Ruane left the dog in the crate, but not before aiming a kick at it as it cried.
Later that day Ms Perry captured another video showing Ruane using “random objects” to jab and poke Dice, although the crate was covered with a blanket which obscured the full extent of the abuse.
Perhaps most disturbingly, further footage captured by Ms Perry showed Ruane luring Dice out of his crate by pretending to offer him affection, only to punch him and throw him back into the crate by his throat.
Juice-head Ruane pictured outside court
RSPCA inspectors attended Ruane’s address and confronted him with the footage. He confirmed he was the man in the video and admitted his behaviour was unacceptable, blaming steroids for making his head “fucked”. The court heard he became tearful and said “if I could change it I would”.
Both Dice and Kilo were removed and Dice showed behavioural problems which experts said were linked to the abuse. Vets also noted he was slouching and struggled walking, leading to a diagnosis of hip dysplasia caused by an underlying genetic disorder.
Dice and Kilo
The court heard the RSPCA believed the long-lasting behavioural issues caused by the abuse were a danger in a dog capable of causing life-changing injuries to humans and other dogs, and combined with the suffering caused by his pre-existing conditions, a decision was made to put Dice to sleep. The court heard the abuse did not directly cause severe injuries leading to Dice’s death, however.
Peter Gilmore, defending, highlighted his client had no previous convictions for violence or animal cruelty and was a young man. He said: “This offending was out of character for him. It occurred at a time when he was abusing steroids; that’s not an excuse but it is an explanation as to why he was unable to control his anger at that time.
“His anger was unfairly and wrongly directed at the dog; that he regrets and is horrified by. He’s no longer using steroids and he realises now on reflection they changed him and his behaviour was worse when he took them.”
Mr Gilmore said “as hard as it is to believe” Ruane’s relationship with the dogs had “another side” and he “loved them”. He said his client had experienced an emotional toll over losing them because of his own behaviour.
The judge, Recorder Richard Leiper, QC, said: “It was harrowing to see Dice being lured out of his crate by you purporting to offer affection only to abuse him. It was a complete betrayal of a young puppy seeking comfort. I am told you were capable of being loving and caring towards the dogs, but that would make your conduct towards Dice all the more distressing towards the dog.”
However Judge Leiper said in an pre-sentence assessment by the Probation Service an officer had suggested there was a “realistic prospect of rehabilitation” and prison could store up more problems by exposing Ruane to “more sophisticated offenders”.
He said the defendant’s guilty plea, remorse and lack of previous convictions meant he could spare him immediate jail time.
Sentencing | 16-week prison term, suspended for 12 month; 150 hours of unpaid work; 20 Rehabilitation Activity days with the Probation Service; £1,800 in prosecution costs. Banned from owning or controlling any animal for five years unless a court lifted the disqualification order, which could not be for a minimum of two years.
Callum Ruane is the son of Paul Ruane, who in October 2019, was charged alongside others in relation to the import of class A and B drugs. He was said to be part of the UK’s biggest drugs and organised crime gang. The outcome of the case has not been reported and it may still be ongoing.
Phoebe Jones, who based on the evidence presented in court was complicit in her boyfriend’s routine dog abuse and was seen by a witness to do nothing to intervene, owns a beauty salon named Enhance by Phoebe Jones. The shop is located at 141 Bury New Rd, Whitefield, Manchester M45 6AA. She has over 21,000 followers on her (now private) Instagram account ‘Faces by Phe‘. Facebook business page (also currently deactivated) is here and her website is here.
CONVICTED (2021) | backyard breeder Damien Firth, born 10 November 1987, of 3 Granston Close, Callands, Warrington WA5 9RZ – allowed a dog he was in charge of to be dangerously out of control
Backyard breeder and animal exploiter Damien Firth and Apollo, who was given a reprieve from destruction despite attacking a woman and her small dog
Firth, who breeds American pocket and XL bullies under the name Block Muzzle Bullies, was banned from owning or looking after dogs for five years after a woman out walking her small dog was bitten by an American bulldog named Apollo. Firth was looking after Apollo while his owner, Thomas Nightingale, was in prison.
But the canine attacked a woman and her pet after Firth left his garden gate unlocked.
Firth pleaded guilty to a charge of being in charge of dangerously out of control dog which caused injury. He also pleading guilty to two counts of failing to prevent unnecessary suffering to an animal.
Many of the dogs sold by Block Muzzle Bullies on Facebook have cropped ears, which is illegal in the UK
Simon Green, prosecuting, explained how on July 4, 2020, Apollo ran towards the victim and latched onto her wrist in an attempt to reach the dog in her arms. She fell to the floor, dropping her dog in the process, who was subsequently attacked and left with puncture wounds. The woman also suffered puncture wounds and bruising to her wrist.
After learning what had happened, Firth ran out, grabbed Apollo and took him back to the house, all without saying a word to the woman.
She went to Warrington Hospital, where she received a tetanus jab and antibiotics.
Apollo was seized by police, who discovered on inspection that he was suffering from an ear infection.
Around three months later on October 21, the RSPCA received an anonymous call that a second dog – Stella, a German shepherd – had been attacked in a garden by two pitbull-type dogs.
After attending Firth’s address, a charity officer found the dog to be bleeding and spoke to defendant, who refused to let her go to the vets.
Following the attendance of police, Stella was taken to the vets and was found to have suffered a number of wounds and lost a lot of blood.
In defence of his client, Gary Schooler referred to a report compiled by a police officer who examined Apollo after he had been seized, describing him as a ‘friendly and happy dog’.
Mr Schooler said that the gate being unlocked was a ‘momentary lapse in concentration’ and that Firth had acted ‘as any responsible dog owner would’ by taking Apollo back inside immediately.
He explained that when Firth returned outside to see if he could offer any assistance to the victim and apologise, she had gone.
German shepherd Stella suffered appalling injuries after being attacked by “two puppies” but Firth failed to take her to a vet for treatment
Referring to the injuries to Stella, which had been caused by two puppies, Mr Schooler said that Firth used his armed forces medical training to treat the dog, having not appreciated the full extent of her injuries.
Thomas Nightingale, the owner of Apollo, spoke on behalf of his dog via videolink from HMP Nottingham.
He said: “I would like to express my remorse over what happened and I am glad the victim did not suffer any long-term injuries.
“It is not in Apollo’s nature to attack anyone – he is a loving member of the family with no signs of aggression to people or other animals. I will do anything to keep him alive.”
Chair magistrate Robin Bradshaw disqualified Firth from being a custodian of dogs for five years and ordered him to complete a community order for 12 months, 10 rehabilitation activity requirement days and 100 hours unpaid work.
He also decided against the destruction of Apollo, instead imposing an order requiring him to wear a muzzle and be on a lead at all times in public places.
Despite the prosecution asking for compensation for Cheshire Police to pay kennel fees of more than £6,000, Firth was only asked to pay back less than £300.
In typical greeder style Firth is happy to sell pups for between £3000 and £5000 a time to anyone with the cash, but ‘after-care’ service is non-existent. Firth tells his customers that his pups are registered with the American Bully Kennel Club but frequently fails to produce registration documentation.
CONVICTED (2021) | Dean Mannifield (aka Dean Pitts), born c. 1993, originally from Warrington but is of no fixed abode and has links to Colchester, Harlow and Epping in Essex and Rhyl, North Wales – battered a dog during a burglary, causing injuries so severe she had to be put to sleep
Dog killer: Dean Mannifield’s long criminal record includes a horrific act of violence towards a helpless animal
Mannifield was also charged with assaulting a couple, threatening three people at the scene and also threatening to cause criminal damage. It is believed that he was convicted on some if not all of the charges including the animal cruelty charge, but there are no newspaper reports to confirm this.
As of February 2021 and aged just 27 Mannifield had racked up 18 previous convictions for 47 offences with his other crimes including harassment, breach of a restraining order and affray against an ex-partner.
In February 2021, he was back before the courts again after subjecting a young mum to months of sickening domestic violence.
He also admitted breaking into a gun shop in Colchester during which he stole seven hunting shotguns.
He was jailed for five years and ten months and given an indefinite restraining order preventing him from contacting his victim. He will serve half of his sentence in custody before being released on licence.
CONVICTED (2020) | Dean Brereton, born c. 1988, and Chelsea Jayne Neely (aka Chelsea Hunter), born August 1992, both of Sinclair Avenue, Orford, Warrington WA2 9QY – for the prolonged neglect of an Akita dog, causing him “horrific suffering”
Chelsea Neeley and Dean Brereton
Brereton and Neely, who have four children, were charged with a number of offences against the dog, known as Ace.
The pair failed to provide Ace with prompt and adequate veterinary care for a range of conditions and illnesses. These included limb weakness, a loss of appetite, weight loss, underweight body condition, incontinence and a soiled coat, which led to immobility and flystrike.
According to the RSPCA, Ace had been subjected to long term suffering with emaciation from March until May, 2020, while he suffered with flystrike and limb weakness between May 4 and 8, 2020.
The dog is believed to have been euthanised on humane grounds. There are allegations that the couple are responsible for the death of a second dog albeit not yet prosecuted.
Sentencing: 18-week prison sentence. Both are disqualified from owning animals for 30 years.
Dean Brereton is a self-employed landscape gardener. He has traded under various names including D&N Allscapes, Best Gardens & Property Maintenance Warrington and, currently, Luxury Landscapes.
Brereton and Neely have gone their separate ways and both have new partners. The latter is now married and known as Chelsea Jayne Hunter.
CONVICTED (2020) | Emma Jayne Connolly, born October 1989, of Wellington Street, Howley, Warrington WA1 – left her elderly pet dog to suffer with multiple ailments
Single mother-of-two Emma Connolly admitted two counts of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal in that she failed to seek veterinary treatment for her desperately ill 16-year-old Staffy Lucie.
Lucie was suffering from a skin condition, ‘excessive thirst’ and hind leg weakness and pain. She was very sadly put to sleep.
Sentencing: eight-week curfew; ordered to pay £1,310 in costs and charges. Banned from keeping all animals for 10 years.
CONVICTED (2019) | Yvonne Mairs, born 4 December 1967, of Sinclair Avenue, Orford, Warrington WA2 9QY – failed to take her desperately unwell dog to the vet.
Yvonne Mairs is banned from keeping animals for life
Mairs’ dog, known as Sasha, was found with discharge and blood dripping from her ears and many missing and loose teeth.
Anna McDonald, prosecuting, said on June 4, 2019, Mairs rang the RSPCA saying her dog was ill.
Inspectors arrived at her home and were shown Sasha who was quiet, lethargic, underweight and had infections.
Ms McDonald explained that as well as a chronic ear infection and dental disease, Sasha’s skin was scabbed over and there was a strong smell coming from her infection sites.
The court was told that upon inspection by a vet, Sasha was clearly in pain and would yelp when the vet tried to touch her face.
Sasha was euthanised, as the vet deemed surgery would have been too much for her and carried too many risks.
Ms McDonald said the dog would have been suffering for a minimum of six weeks but possibly many months, although Mairs said she only noticed the extent of Sasha’s illnesses the week before calling the RSPCA.
The court heard how, due to suffering from anxiety, Mairs struggled leaving the house and did not have a way to transport the dog to a vet, but she had been trying to clean Sasha’s head with a cloth.
Mairs’ lawyer told the court her client had owned the dog for her whole life and there was no suggestion to say that she had been neglected before.
Sentencing | 12-week prison sentence suspended for 12 months. Banned from keeping all animals for life.
CONVICTED (2019) | Jackie Louise Hunt (aka Jackie Wright), born c. 1984, of Marsh Street, Padgate, Warrington* – for cruelty towards three horses.
Horse abuser Jackie Hunt from Padgate, Warrington
Hunt pleaded guilty to five counts in breach of the Animal Welfare Act.
The charges included failing to investigate and address the causes of two horses’ poor condition and a failure to provide the horses with adequate shelter.
The 35-year-old also admitted failing to ensure a third horse was provided with a suitable diet and/ or protected from pain, injury, suffering or disease.
Sentencing: ordered to pay £300. Banned from owning horses for five years.
CONVICTED (2017) | Jamie-Leigh Williams, born 21 February 1996, previously from Chadderton in Oldham and as of December 2020 living in Hunter Avenue, Warrington WA2 9RQ – caught on camera battering a friendly dog.
Convicted animal abuser Jamie -Leigh Williams says she is afraid to go out after footage of her battering a helpless dog went viral on social media
Mother-of-one Williams was given a community order and banned from owning any animal for just five years after pleading guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to five-year-old Rottweiler Lennox by hitting and kicking him.
The RSPCA brought charges against her after disturbing footage of the incident appeared on social media in November 2016.
The footage was filmed by a man who Williams had allowed to stay at her home for a few days.
Despite Williams’ claims that Lennox had attacked her, he was described by RSPCA inspectors as friendly and was later made available for rehoming
The court heard how Williams and her former partner, Rhys Edwards, had taken in Lennox several months earlier after being told he would be put down if no new owner was found.
It was claimed that during this time, the dog became increasingly aggressive, and several calls were made to police, dog homes and the RSPCA to try and rehome him.
Defending, Christopher Squibbs said on the day of the incident Lennox had been ‘snarling at her stomach’.
He told the bench: “The defendant clearly lost her temper towards the dog. It wasn’t her finest hour, but she is remorseful.”
Contradicting Williams’ claims that Lennox was vicious, RSPCA prosecutor said that inspectors had found Lennox to be alert and active, a friendly dog that had thankfully suffered no lasting injuries.
Speaking after the hearing she told the local newspaper: “I shouldn’t have done what I did. I hold my hands up and admit it was wrong, but at the time I was scared, and thought I was doing what anyone else in that situation would to protect themselves and their baby.
“What you don’t hear in the video clip is that before that I had been screaming for the police to be called because the dog had been trying to go for me.
“Neighbours had heard him barking and growling and because they know what he’s like they’d come round to check on me.
“As I shut the door, Lennox jumped up on my back, his paws were scratching my lower back and putting pressure onto my stomach, he was that heavy I was pushed against the door. I managed to get him off, and tried to get into the living room to my phone but he was in the door way snarling.
“I was terrified. I started talking to him, like you would a baby, and it calmed him down enough to put the muzzle on him, but I hate the things so didn’t put it on tight and he kept getting out of it.
“I went to put it back on and he snapped at me, I then started to get pains in my stomach and keeled over, I was shouting for help but I realise now the whole thing was just being filmed.
“I kicked Lennox, but what you don’t see is that his mouth was around my foot and I was trying to get him off me, I then picked up the first thing I saw which was a sweet box and I hit him. I just snapped.”
Immediately after the incident, Williams said she locked Lennox in a room and called her mum, who then got another family member to collect the dog.
The court heard the following morning she went into early labour. Doctors managed to slow things down and she gave birth to a healthy baby girl a few weeks later.
Williams says that as a result of the video being shared, she has lost her friends, and has been verbally abused in the street.
“I won’t walk anywhere or use public transport, I’m scared to go out. I just want this all to be over. I know what I did was wrong and if I could take it back I would.”
Sentencing: 12-month community order of 150 hours of unpaid work, £385 fine. Banned from keeping any animal for five years (expiredFebruary 2022).
#MostEvil | Lewis Benjamin Modlinsky, born 22/04/1997, previously of Redshank Lane, Warrington and more recently (2017) of Whinchat Drive, Warrington WA3 6PB – tortured and killed his best friend’s dog.
Lewis Modlinsky tortured to death a much-loved two-year-old Staffy named Jager.
Jailed for just 18 weeks in April 2016 for the brutally violent killing of a sweet-natured Staffy, this is feral fiend Lewis Modlinsky previously of Redshank Lane, Birchwood, Warrington, and more recently residing with his grandmother Kay Modlinsky in Whinchat Drive, Warrington WA3 6PB.
Be aware, memorise his dead-eyed vacant face, and protect yourself, your children and your pets from him at all costs.
Victim Jager died after being subjected to a beating estimated to have lasted a full day
The then 18-year-old psycho inflicted a catalogue of injuries on his best friend’s cherished dog, Jager, during a day-long beating, including fractured ribs, a ruptured liver, lung damage, scratches and cigarette burns.
He left Jager’s battered body wrapped up in a baby blanket in the hall for his friend to find on her return from hospital with her new-born baby.
Modlinsky’s bitter parents, Liam and Jenny Modlinsky, and loathsome bullying aunts Gemma Barnes and Jade Modlinsky protest that he is “just a kid”, as if that’s any excuse for his murderous actions. At 18 years old this lad knew exactly what he was doing.
This family ignore their relative’s taste for cruelty and violence at their peril.
Confront it, deal with it, fix it and for God’s sake if you have any pets keep this beast away from them.
Sentence: 18 weeks in jail. Banned from keeping animals for life.
