CONVICTED (2023) | backyard breeder Josh Mark Rowles, born 19 February 1997, of Matthew Street, Dyfatty, Swansea SA1 1PT – punched a young French bulldog puppy to death.
Rowles lost his temper with the puppy, known as Hugo, after the dog bit him while they were ‘nuzzling’ on the bed
A post mortem carried out on Hugo following his death concluded he had been hit with “considerable” force.
Jon Tarrant, prosecuting, said the incident happened at Rowles’ home on the morning of April 29, 2023. He said the defendant awoke to find Hugo on his bed, and he and the dog began to “nuzzle”. The pup then bit Rowles on the lip, and Rowles responded by punching the dog.
The court heard the dog’s condition started to deteriorate over the following 10 minutes and he was seen to start panting.
The defendant rang his ex-partner, who told him to take the animal to the PDSA vets – but Hugo had already died before they reached the clinic.
The vet advised Rowles to contact the RSPCA, who collected Hugo’s body and began an investigation.
The pup’s remains were sent to Liverpool University for a post mortem.
In the meantime Rowles was invited to attend a voluntary interview with the RSPCA during which he said he had woken up to find Hugo on his chest and while he and dog were “nuzzling” the puppy had bitten his lip and he gave the animal “a clip”. He later told an officer that after Hugo bit him he carried the pup to his bed and threw him down before punching him to the side of his body.
The prosecutor said based on disclosures made in interview, evidence from the vets, and the results of the post mortem it was concluded there had been a punch to the head and a punch to the ribs of the puppy, and that the defendant “must have used considerable force”.
In court Rowles, a convicted heroin dealer and former member of an organised crime group, pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to an animal.
His last conviction was for a public order matter some three days before the fatal blow to the dog.
John Allchurch, for Rowles, said his client and his ex had owned a French bulldog that had a litter of five puppies. After the couple split his client had kept one of the pups namely Hugo. He said the defendant had had Hugo for five or months before the incident in question.
Allchurch said Rowles had co-operated with the RSPCA investigation and been candid during his interview.
The advocate said Rowles had also been candid with the author of his pre-sentence report about needing help to address his consumption of alcohol.
Judge Catherine Richards told Rowles he had committed a “brutal offence” against his dog which had resulted in his death. She said the “easy” thing to do would be to send the defendant to prison to mark society’s disapproval of what he had done but she noted the “genuine” remorse he had expressed in the pre-sentence report and the steps he had already taken to address his issues around anger and alcohol.
The judge said the appropriate sentence on the guidelines was six months in custody – with a one-third discount for his guilty plea.
Sentencing | four months in prison suspended for 12 months; rehabilitation; 90-day alcohol abstinence monitoring requirement. Banned from keeping any animal for the next five years (expires December 2028).
