Yahoo News Woman left four dogs to starve to death in faeces-covered flat
A woman has been handed a 20-year ban on keeping animals after she left four dogs to starve in a flat filled with faeces. Jamie Leigh Blackburn, 21, kept three XL bully-type dogs, named Mercy, Charlie and Casanova, as well as a French bulldog called Yoda, inside her flat under horrific conditions.
Police received a safety concern report about Blackburn and visited her home on October 30 last year. Officers entered the premises due to their concerns for Blackburn's wellbeing. However, Blackburn was not home during that time.
RSPCA prosecutor Peter Mitchell told Liverpool Magistrates' Court "the flat was in a shocking state, contaminated with faeces". He added: "There was a collapsed dog and three dead dogs."
The emaciated collapsed dog was taken to a vet, but unfortunately, it didn't survive due to its severe condition, reports the Liverpool Echo.
READ:Yob on monkey dust like an 'ape at Longleat Safari Park' as he jumped on taxi bonnet Graeme McLardy has been ordered to pay £750 compensation to the cabbie following the frightening incident in Hartshill
READ: Stoke-on-Trent KFC used for £100k cocaine drop as major crime gang busted Three more members of an Organised Crime Group have now been jailed
Blackburn claimed she had sold the dogs when she was finally contacted and said she was currently hospitalised. However, upon verification, the police found out that she wasn't admitted into any hospital.
The RSPCA inspector who visited the premises confirmed the appalling conditions. Mr Mitchell said: "The defendant had not provided food, water or proper bedding, and two of the dogs were locked in their crates."
He attempted to present photographs of the flat to the court, but was stopped by District Judge James Hatton, who stated: "They are not something I would like to see again."
During a police interview, Blackburn explained that the "exotic bully" named Mercy and another bully-type dog called Charlie had been her partner's, who was currently incarcerated. She claimed ownership of Casanova and mentioned acquiring French bulldog Yoda three or four months prior.
Blackburn admitted to the police that Casanova had passed away two weeks before they arrived at her home, and she was too distressed to go back to the property, which she reportedly shared with her cousin. Mr Mitchell said: "She accepted the property was not fit for the dogs, she couldn't feed them properly and two of the dogs had no bedding because they would defecate on them."
Post-mortem examinations revealed the tragic reality that all the dogs had empty stomachs, indicating they had been deprived of food and water for an extended period. Mr Mitchell concluded: "The dogs suffered physical and mental duress for many days, if not weeks."
In defence, Colin Rawson presented to the court that it was "a tragic case that saw four dogs sadly deceased". He noted that Blackburn had commendably given a "full and frank admission" to the police and the court at her first appearance, emphasising that "She has cooperated in full."
Continuing his defence, Mr Rawson depicted Blackburn as "was a young lady with many personal difficulties" and informed the court that "the police attended the flat because there were severe concerns for her welfare". His client, he explained, had been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and was supported in court by a service manager she was currently engaging with.
Mr Rawson accepted the ruling of Judge Hatton in stating that the case "undoubtedly crossed the threshold into an immediate prison term", but pleaded for a suspension of her sentence due to her guilty pleas, absence of previous convictions, and personal issues.
Delivering the sentence, Judge Hatton remarked: "This was a particularly unpleasant case to deal with - we are not just dealing with the death of one dog, but four, and it was a lengthy period of neglect that led to their deaths."
In speaking directly to Blackburn, Judge Hatton added: "You should not have been able to look after animals, because with respect, you are barely able to look after yourself."
The judge further identified Blackburn's significant ongoing issues, noting "acute mental health and a clear pattern of abusive relationships which continue even as we speak".
Judge Hatton sentenced Blackburn, now of no fixed abode, to two consecutive terms of six months imprisonment, totalling a year in prison, but suspended the sentence for 24 months. The judge also ordered her to complete 30 rehabilitation days and enforced a 20-year ban on Blackburn keeping animals.
