PROSECUTIONS
Annual report OUR FRONTLINE WORK
2014
52
Investigating officer:
RSPCA Inspector Emma Smith
Defendants:
Male 25, packer;
female 24, unemployed
Offences:
Animal Welfare Act 2006 s4
Pleas:
Guilty
Total convictions:
Four
Sentence:
Both disqualified from
keeping rabbits for life;
£110 fine; £250 costs.
Prosecuted by:
Martyn Prowel Solicitors
South East WalesA rabbit was found with teeth severely overgrown
with clumps of faecal matter encrusted on them,
making it almost impossible for him to eat.
RSPCA Inspector Emma Smith
found the rabbit, ironically
called 'Toothy', in an emaciated
condition with his tusk-like teeth
protruding from his mouth by
approximately three-and-a-half
inches. A second rabbit, called
Xena, was found with an abscess
on her face.
Inspector Smith took the rabbits
to a vet, who was genuinely
appalled by their condition.
The vet immediately removed
Toothy's bottom teeth, which
were hanging out of his mouth,
and his front teeth, which were
growing into his tongue.
When interviewed, the defendants
said they knew the rabbits should
have been taken to a vet but
claimed they'd had "too many
birthdays to pay for recently".
This was one of the worst cases
of rabbit neglect Inspector Smith
and her colleagues had ever seen.
She said: "The discomfort and
frustration of not being able to
eat properly must have been
overwhelming for that poor rabbit."
Investigating officer:
RSPCA Inspector Simon Evans
Defendant:
Male 18, unemployed
Offences:
Animal Welfare Act 2006 s4
Pleas:
Guilty
Total convictions:
Three
Sentence:
Disqualified from keeping
animals for five years; 18
weeks' imprisonment.
Prosecuted by:
Martyn Prowel Solicitors
A man threw a puppy with an infected head wound
into the River Rhondda, in full flow after several days
of heavy rain, on a cold winter's night.
The young lurcher was found five
hours later, a quarter of a mile
downriver from the spot where
she was thrown in. Fortunately,
the desperate puppy's wailing
had been heard by an off-duty
police officer, who spotted the
young lurcher on the riverbank
just above the water line. The
officer climbed over a wall and
managed to take hold of the
shivering animal before passing
her to a colleague.
The puppy's paws were bloody
and her nose and mouth were
bleeding. There was a swollen
wound on the top of her head.
Frightened and shivering with
cold, she was taken to a vet.
She was treated and fortunately
recovered well.
The defendant admitted to
keeping the puppy in a shed and
said he thought she had hit her
head on a nail inside. He had
thrown her into the river in order
to save himself the bother of
euthanasing her humanely and
having to dispose of her body.
SOUTH EAST WALES
PERSONS
CONVICTED 24
TOTAL
CONVICTIONS 54
Sadly, Toothy had to be
euthanased on veterinary
advice however Xena, who
was pregnant, was successfully
rehomed with her kits.
52