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.

December 2020

Man jailed for for inflicting blunt force trauma to dog and cat

A Somerset man who admitted animal cruelty towards a cat and dog has been jailed and barred from keeping animals for life.

Henry Smedley, 26, of Peasedown St John, Bath was sentenced to 23 weeks immediate in prison following separate incidents in which a cat died and a dog was badly injured.

RSPCA Inspector Miranda Albinson began investigations after the charity received a number of calls claiming animals were being abused at an address where Smedley was staying.

Alongside reports from eyewitnesses, who spoke of their concerns at seeing Smedley mistreating animals, veterinary reports proved a cat, Maisie, and a dog, Lola, had suffered blunt force traumas, leaving them with injuries which had not been treated.

Maisie, a 10-month-old tortoiseshell cat, was taken to a vet by Smedley, who claimed that he was concerned she was dying after he found her drowning in a bath full of water he had left unattended.

Upon examination, vets found that she was already dead and had been for several hours, and that the account told by Smedley did not seem fitting to the clinical picture of Maisy.

She was in an emaciated condition, as though she had been neglected for some time, and the marks seen on her body did not fit with drowning and were more consistent with trauma.

Further examinations found she also had 31 rib fractures, three spinal fractures, and a dislocation of the sternum.

A three-year-old Jack Russell terrier named Lola, who was kept in a small cage by Smedley, was also found to be underweight with her ribs, spine and pelvic bones visible.

Radiographs taken of Lola revealed she too had seven rib fractures with at least two stages of healing which had not been treated by a vet.

Smedley admitted to the charges relating to Lola and Maisie when he appeared before Bristol Magistrates Court on December 7.

Alongside the immediate custodial sentence, Smedley was banned from owning or keeping animals for life.

Lola has since been rehomed by the RSPCA and is now living happily with her new owners.

March 2021

Somerset man jailed after terrier discovered ‘close to death’ due to severe neglect

A cruel and remorseless coward has been jailed for 12 weeks after a terrier was discovered ‘close to death’ due to severe neglect.

RSPCA inspector Marie Griffith found the dog -called Barney – under half its recommended body weight, with his ribs, spine and pelvic bones visible.

He was also suffering from hypothermia, depression and dehydration.

Ashley Woodruff, 28, of St Johns Road, Yeovil has also been banned from keeping animals for life after he appeared before Yeovil Magistrates’ Court on Thursday (11 March), where he admitted causing unnecessary suffering to his dog.

Mrs Griffith attended his address after a tip-off from a member of the public.

She said: “Woodruff was holding a small brown terrier type dog tightly. Even though a lot of the dog’s body was covered by Woodruff’s arms I could see the dog was in an extremely poor condition

“Barney was totally emaciated with no body fat present at all. His ribs, spine and pelvic bones were very visible, and the sockets behind his eyes were sunken. His coat was dull and he appeared lethargic and depressed.”

Barney was rushed to the vets for urgent treatment and checks. Upon examination, vets discovered he weighed just 4.8kg, less than half the weight of a dog of his age, sex and type should weigh.

Medics also discovered that Barney was hypothermic, and concluded that his lack of body fat had left him unable to stay warm while living outdoors.

He was hospitalised and given intravenous fluids and treated with warming equipment to rehydrate and bring up his body temperature.

Barney also had several rotten teeth, including some that were showing signs of infection.

Barney has since recovered and is enjoying life in his new home.