CONVICTED (2016) | Lindsey Amelia Kearney, born c. 1971, and son Sam Kearney, born c. 1993, of Blackleach Drive, Worsley, Manchester M28 3GP – left their elderly dog to die pinned under an ironing board underneath the kitchen table.
The Kearneys ignored the desperate cries of collie cross Barney after he collapsed on the floor, and left him there for at least TWO days, covered in his own urine and faeces.
The vet involved in the case said it was the ‘worst case of neglect’ he had seen in 34 years.
Barney had acid burns all over his body and to his face from being left in his own urine.
He was in such a severe and devastating state, RSPCA officers had to immediately summon a vet to the house to put him to sleep as it would have been too painful to move the pet.
Lindsey Kearney pleaded guilty and Sam Kearney was found guilty after a trial to causing unnecessary suffering to the animal, including poor body condition and weight loss, and a further charge of causing unnecessary suffering for his collapsed state and urine scalds.
Prosecutor David McCormick said: “I think the vet summed up this case the best when he stated, ‘This was truly one of the most severe cases of neglect that I have ever seen in 34 years in this profession.’
“To this, I can add one of saddest cases I have dealt with in my 40 years as a prosecutor.
“The defendants had owned Barney for 18 years and yet could leave him to die lying on a hard floor under a table, in a pool of his own urine and with an ironing board propped across him.
“Sodden in his own length in his own urine where he had laid for days.
“What a sad and undignified end for a pet of 18 years.”
Passing sentence, District Judge Sam Goozee, told the pair: “A dog who you have loved as a family pet had to be put down as a consequence of neglect both of you showed towards him.
“The photographs were disturbingly taken while he (Barney) was still alive.
“His death was undignified and painful and nobody should treat a pet in this way.”
Sentencing |
Lindsey Kearney: 12 weeks in prison, suspended for 18 months; 200 hours of unpaid work; costs of £300.
Sam Kearney: 300 hours of unpaid work; costs of £300.
Both: 10-year ban on owning any animals (expires May 2026).