FARRELL: 12 WEEKS FOR DOG OWNER WHO LEFT PUPPY FOR DEAD
A mum-of-three who left a badly-injured puppy to starve on a urine-soaked mattress for nearly two months was jailed for just 12 weeks.
Lorraine Farrell, 46, left the Staffordshire Bull Terrier for dead after it was hurt in a fight with its mother.
The dog, called Taser, had a bone sticking out of its leg and scores of puncture wound, Camberwell Green Magistrates’ Court heard.
The tan-coloured puppy had to be put down two days after he was discovered by police who made a chance visit last May 30.
Farrell and her husband Patrick, 56, kept the animal locked in an upstairs bedroom at their home in New Addington, south London.
When investigators questioned them over his poor condition, they claimed they did not think he was in any pain.
RSPCA staff found three other puppies in a sickly state and only two had been regularly walked.
District Judge Richard Blake said the dog’s treatment was ‘at the top end of animal cruelty cases’ and that he had no option but to send Farrell to prison.
Jailing her for six weeks and banning her from owning pets for 15 years, he added: ‘From the photographs alone I could see that. I didn’t need to see much else.
‘Taser suffered massive and prolonged suffering and would have been in tremendous pain.
‘In addition to being denied veterinary attention he was malnourished and only because of the good fortune of the police visiting your house was he was able to be put out of his misery.
‘The suffering of this animal was so severe that the only sentence can be one of custody.
‘People must understand that possession of dogs carries responsibilities and when a dog suffers this much there can only be one consequence.’
Farrell’s husband could not attend court because of a recent heart bypass operation and will be sentenced at a separate hearing on December 28.
Both he and his wife admitted animal cruelty charges.
Police visited the Farrells’ home while investigating another matter and immediately alerted the RSPCA, who sent officer Rebecca London to the scene.
Prosecutor Leigh-Anne Mong said: ‘She then found a dog lying on the bed. It hobbled towards the officer with its leg broken and it had some very infected wounds and a shattered bone that was piercing the skin.
‘It looked very sad and was whimpering as it walked.
‘Mr Farrell said Taser had been involved in a fight with the mother and one of the other puppies, and that the dog had been in that state for a matter of six weeks, and had not seen the vet about his injuries.
‘Ms London noticed the dog was curled up on the top of urine-soaked mattress. When she called his name he tried to get up but struggled.
‘There was an open fracture and there was blood coming out of holes all over his body. The dog looked to be in a lot of pain and was suffering from its injuries.’
The injured puppy was taken to a vet immediately but his injuries were too severe and he was put to sleep two days later.
When he was examined he weighed just 14kg – nearly half the healthy weight for a dog his age.
When questioned about whether she thought the dog was suffering and in pain, Mrs Farrell said: ‘Maybe a little pain at first but I didn’t think he was now.’
Gwawl Thomas, defending, said the family had suffered from Mr Farrell’s illness and the poor behaviour of their 17-year-old son, who has been kicked out of the family home.
The couple had separated but still looked after their 21-year-old daughter, who has learning difficulties, and another 14-year-old daughter, she added.
‘It is clear that this is not a case of deliberate harming of the animal,’ she told the court. It’s not borne of malice, but of negligence.’
The other four dogs at the house will be seized immediately by RSCPA officers so no further harm can come to them.
The Farrells, of (32) The Loppins, New Addington, south London, each admitted five counts of animal cruelty.
