Category Archives: Animal Cruelty

Jerome Lothian/Danielle O’Brien – Nottingham

19 Monday Jul 2021

Posted by in Animal Cruelty, Nottinghamshire

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July 2021

Puppy battered so severely that it had to be put down in act of ‘deliberate cruelty’

A dog owner who abused his puppy so severely that she had to be put down has been jailed.

Jerome Lothian left his crossbreed bulldog, named Mula, with multiple broken bones after severely beating her. The pooch also had features to her leg, pelvis and spine after a two month ordeal of abuse from her owner.

A court heard that the thug tried to blame the injuries on falling from a sofa and a step before experts deduced that she had suffered “severe blunt force trauma”.

It is understood that the PDSA animal charity contacted the RSPCA following concerns that Mula had an array injuries over just a few months, without a reasonable explanation.

The young pooch had old fractures that had not been treated, plus a new fracture in her hind leg.

She was struggling to walk on her back legs and was bleeding from her nostrils, as well as having wounds to her mouth and tongue.

The vet felt the extent of Mula’s injuries, even with extensive treatment, meant that she would be left in chronic pain and felt the kindest option was to put her to sleep to end her suffering.

Lothian’s partner, Danielle Toni O’Brien, was also on trial for her involvement with what happened to Mula.

Magistrates heard that O’Brien refused to allow Mula to be euthanised, resulting in police being called.

Helen Mead, an inspector with the RSPCA, sat with the helpless puppy as they waited for police.

She said the dog barely moved, but after some time Mula used her front legs to shift herself forward for a tummy rub and rested her head in the officer’s hands.

Neither Lothian or O’Brian could give reasonable explanations as to how most of the injuries happened and there were a number of discrepancies between their stories.

Vets concluded that Mula was made to suffer as a result of physical abuse whilst Lothian was responsible for her.

The court concluded that the pair failed to provide vet care for the young puppy, allowing her to suffer.

Lothian was found guilty of causing unnecessary suffering to the puppy and other animal welfare offences at Nottingham Magistrates Court.

On July 7, he was jailed for 16 weeks and banned from keeping animals for life.

The 28-year-old, of Carlton, Nottinghamshire, was also order to pay £2,000 costs and a £120 victim surcharge.

O’Brien, of Nottingham, was sentenced to a 12-month community order with 20 rehabilitation requirement days and a deprivation order relating to another dog she owns was issued.

The 31-year-old was also ordered to pay £2,000 costs and a £85 victim surcharge.

Ashley Graham – Peterhead

27 Thursday May 2021

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May 2021

‘Walking skeleton’ sepsis dog dies as owner banned from keeping dogs for four years

A woman has been banned from owning dogs for four years after her pet dog was put to sleep after it was found like a ‘walking skeleton’ and ridden with sepsis.

Lola the dog was discovered starving, malnourished and in agony

Her eyes had sunk into their sockets, infection had eaten away at her ears her skin was hot to the touch, skin fell off her bones and was very weak according to animal welfare chiefs.

The Scottish SPCA inspector who found her described her condition as one of the worst she had seen in 13 years.

The Scottish animal welfare charity launched an investigation in Lola’s owner, Ashley Graham, from Peterhead, Aberdeenshire following a complaint from someone who had seen the dog’s condition.

Inspector Fiona McKenzie said: “When I first laid eyes on Lola, I was shocked. I could not believe what I was seeing. She was like a walking skeleton.

“She had no body fat or muscle, her skin just hung off her bones. There was no fat on Lola’s head and everything was sunken. Her eyes were cloudy with signs of infection and they had sunk back in to her eye sockets.

“Lola was suffering excessive hair loss from what looked like a chronic skin condition and her skin was hot to touch. Her ears had infected wounds which had eaten away at the edge of her ears. She was very weak and had a depressed demeanour.

“It was clear Lola was suffering from lack of nutrition and was in need of veterinary attention.”

But a trip to the vets couldn’t save little Lola, and she died in pain.

The vet concluded that Lola’s condition had developed over the course of several months causing a prolonged period of suffering.

The vets put Lola on antibiotics and a number of treatments and extracted her decayed teeth.

Despite this and the best efforts made by the Scottish SPCA to save her, poor Lola didn’t respond to the treatment for her septicaemia and the difficult decision was made that the kindest thing for Lola was to put her to sleep to end her suffering.

Graham was hauled into Peterhead Sheriff Court for sentencing after Lola’s death.

She was banned from owning dogs for four years.

Court also handed Graham a 100 hours’ community payback order.

Reece Coney – Bridgwater

29 Thursday Apr 2021

Posted by in Animal Cruelty, Avon and Somerset & Bristol

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April 2021

Vengeful boyfriend trampled ex-partner’s cat to death in vile revenge attack

A man who took his former partner’s cat and trampled it to death in a vile and malicious revenge attack has been spared jail.

Reece Coney, 21, of Wye Avenue, Bridgwater saw the animal in the car park of Asda in Bridgwater and took it to the Quantock Hills where he put it in a shopping bag and repeatedly stamped on it

A judge at Taunton Crown Court said it had been a targeted attack designed to deliberately distress his ex.

He said: “This was an absolutely disgraceful offence.

“It was malicious, deliberate activity and beyond the pale frankly, and it was targeted.”

Prosecutor Ms Lucy Taylor said the defendant, a delivery driver, had been in a relationship with a woman who had a cat called Pedro.

Following the split, she had left the animal in the care of a relative but when she returned was told it had disappeared. She printed posters and displayed them in the neighbourhood but there was no sign of him.

Six months later, in November 2019, she received a message from the defendant’s latest partner to say the defendant had killed the cat by strangling and stamping.

She said Coney had seen the cat while at Asda and put it in the footwell of the car.

He had told his partner to drive to Cheddar so he could throw it off the cliffs. She had refused but instead, and out of fear, agreed to drive to the Quantock Hills

When they got there Coney took the animal outside and killed it with his foot, she said. He then buried the bag under some weeds.

The pet was never found.

Ms Taylor said the defendant messaged his ex to try and persuade her not to go to the police.

“There was clearly evidence of planning. It seems to have been a revenge attack on what is termed his ex partner’s property but was her pet cat.”

Coney pleaded guilty to an offence of criminal damage. The offence carries a maximum of three months in prison.

When police arrested him he initially blamed his latest partner for taking the cat and he had simply released it into the wild.

The defence said Coney ‘feared going to prison’

Judge James Townsend told Coney he would not go to prison. He handed him a 12-month community order and told him to do 60 hours of unpaid work.

Coney must also pay the cat’s owner £600 compensation.

The judge also imposed 20 days rehabilitation to address his behaviour and imposed a further £200 court costs.

Martin Thomas – Poole

29 Thursday Apr 2021

Posted by in Animal Cruelty, Dorset

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Dorset man sentenced after repeatedly beating puppy to the head

A man from Dorset who was seen beating an eight-month-old puppy outside a store has been banned from owning an animal for up to five years.

Martin Thomas admitted causing unnecessary suffering to an animal and failing to ensure the needs of an animal for which he was responsible were met.

The act happened around 6pm on February 12 when officers were called to reports of a man beating his Husky dog by repeatedly punching it in the head outside Tesco Express on Bournemouth Road.

Thomas, aged 37, of Bournemouth Road, Poole, was sentenced at Poole Magistrates’ Court on Monday (26 April).

After enquiries were carried out, officers located Thomas at his address nearby and due to the concerns that had been raised the dog was seized using powers under the Animal Welfare Act.

It was then taken to a vet, where is was confirmed the dog had sustained bruising

Officers carried out further enquiries and obtained CCTV, which showed the defendant beating his eight-month-old puppy repeatedly to the head – causing it to urinate and defecate over the pavement outside the store.

Thomas was interviewed and subsequently charged with the animal welfare offences.

He was originally due to appear at court on April 16, but failed to attend and a warrant was issued for his arrest.

The warrant was executed on April 25 and he appeared at court the following day.

Thomas was sentenced to a 12-month community order, with a requirement to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work in the community and a 14-day rehabilitation activity requirement. He was also ordered to pay compensation totalling more than £1,300 toward vets and animal rescue bills.

Thomas was also made the subject of an order under section 34 of the Animal Welfare Act, prohibiting him from keeping animals for five years. He is not able to apply to terminate the order for at least three years.

The court passed a further order under section 35 of the Animal Welfare Act that enabled the dog to be taken into the care of Dorset Police.

Police Constable Hillier, Dorset Police’s Dog Legislation Officer, said: “Thanks to the outstanding investigation work of the officers involved in this case, we were able to quickly identify Martin Thomas as the man responsible for this violent assault on a defenceless animal so he could be brought before the court and held accountable for his actions.

“I would also like to thank the RSPCA for its advice and guidance during this complex case.

“Finally, I want to praise the local animal rescue charity which has looked after the dog while the investigation took place. The dog will now be matched to a suitable new home so it can live the life it deserves, free from the fear of unnecessary suffering.”

Thomas Price – Bonvilston

28 Wednesday Apr 2021

Posted by in Animal Cruelty, Glamorgan

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April 2021

Man dubbed ‘gypsy horse king’ jailed over sickening animal abuse

A man dubbed the gypsy horse king of Wales has been jailed and banned from keeping animals for life after leaving more than 200 horse and sheep in “atrocious conditions”.

A court heard how Thomas Tony Price, 56, allowed sheep to be covered with maggots, let 240 horses struggle in extremely deep mud and deprived them of food and water. Many of the animals the council officials found had to be put down.

Price, who has a long history of animal abuse, has now been jailed for six months and handed a lifetime ban on keeping animals, after he was found guilty of 32 counts of animal cruelty at Merthyr Tydfil Magistrates’ Court.

The court heard how Vale of Glamorgan Council officers found the sheep, carcasses and unshorn animals when they visited Price’s farm in Wick, Glamorgan, in August 2019.

They found the 240 horses in the following January across two other sites, strewn with hazards such as sharp metal and barbed wire.

Price, a gypsy cob dealer, was charged with causing unnecessary suffering in relation to eight horses, some of which were significantly underweight, while others had long-standing wounds caused by ill-fitting rugs.

The court heard how Price, from Bonvilston, Glamorgan, has a history of prosecutions for mistreating animals and had previously been banned from keeping animals for five years.

People in the area had complained of his horses running loose through villages in the past, causing chaos and damage. 

Residents soon became aware the animals belonged to Price, who was then dubbed Wales’ own gypsy horse king. 

In June 2013, he was found guilty of 57 animal welfare offences with one RSPCA officer saying his horses were “the most poorly and diseased horses I have come across”.

Then in 2016, Price was banned from coming within 50m of horses.

For the latest offences, Price appeared alongside his former partner Luanne Bishop for the eight-day trial.

She had previously pleaded guilty to 31 of the charges.

Bishop was sentenced at the same time as Price and was handed a 12-week custodial sentence, suspended for 12 months.

She will have to wear an electronic tag for that period and be subject to a night-time curfew between 9pm and 6am and was also disqualified from keeping any animals for life, except for a number of specified pets.