CONVICTED (2014) | Paul Michael Francis, born 29/05/1984, of Regent Court, Wenlock Way, West Gorton, Manchester M12 5BS – kept a starving dog in squalor.
Francis had been to court and successfully applied for a licence for the pitbull, called Max, as he was classed as a dangerous dog.
However, there were several conditions attached including that he must tell the police if he changed address.
In July 2013, police believed Francis moved address without notifying them so visited his home.
There they found the dog living in squalid conditions, covered in his own excrement and urine and without food.
The animal weighed under half the amount he should for a dog of his age and size.
When officers eventually traced Francis he said he had been threatened by a group of men so had to stay clear from his flat, claiming he only returned “intermittently.”
He said he had only been away for a matter of two or three weeks, though prosecutors estimated it may have been for longer.
Francis pleaded guilty to failing to prevent unnecessary suffering to an animal.
He was banned from owning a dog for five years by a judge who told him ‘by your own admission you had been back round to the house and could have seen what condition it was in’.
Peter Casson, defending, said: “He was co-operative with the police and handed himself in when he returned and found that the dog had been taken away.
“He had owned it for two years previously, it was insured and it was healthy.
“He told the police why he had to move and unfortunately he couldn’t take the dog with him.
“Rather foolishly and stupidly he allowed a situation to develop where vets and the police have had to become involved.”
District Judge Khalid Qureshi said: “I accept this was not deliberate cruelty.
“But it was very neglectful of you, over a prolonged period of time.
“It has taken a lot of care and hard work from people a lot more responsible than you for this dog to make a full recovery.”
Max, who was seized and was handed over to vets, made a full recovery after several months of care and rehab.
Sentencing: ordered to pay a total of £145. Banned from keeping dogs for five years (expired August 2019).