Jail and ban for man who repeatedly attacked his puppy - RSPCA
Jail and ban for man who repeatedly attacked his puppy
25.07.24
A man who repeatedly attacked his puppy before violently assaulting an RSPCA inspector has been sentenced after admitting animal cruelty.
Blinded and left with broken bones, bruising and swelling all over his head and body, American bulldog puppy Major was just 10 months old when he died after suffering at the hands of Williams.
The court heard he was investigated and prosecuted by the RSPCA after the charity was contacted by the PDSA after Williams - who had owned his young dog for just four months - repeatedly presented Major at a veterinary clinic with concerning injuries.
Major was first taken to the PDSA clinic on 30 August 2022. The puppy had wounds on his head and front leg. His neck, head, eyes and ears were swollen and Major was unable to stand. He was hospitalised before returning home with Williams.
Just weeks later, Williams returned to the clinic with Major, who was lethargic and vomiting, claiming he'd been injured by falling boxes in his home. During this visit, the vet discovered Major had been left blind by his injuries as he struggled to navigate his environment without the use of his eyes.
On 28 October 2022, Williams contacted the PDSA for a third time, claiming Major had been attacked by another dog and had been left unresponsive. On this third occasion, the PDSA contacted the RSPCA due to serious concerns over these repeated non-accidental injuries.
On examination, Major was comatose with a floppy head, and what looked like a burn. He also had blood pooling in his ear and swelling to his throat. X-rays revealed fractures to both his cheeks but showed that the fractures were not recent injuries and had been caused on a different occasion between 20 and 30 days earlier.
Sadly, Major's health deteriorated and he was unable to recover from this latest attack. The PDSA had no option but to euthanise Major.
Williams was previously sentenced to nine years of custody for an assault on the RSPCA Inspector who was investigating the case of cruelty towards Major and the latest sentence is to run concurrently.
The RSPCA Inspector was violently assaulted by Williams who ambushed the officer outside the Crown Court in Birmingham following a case management hearing about Major's case in July 2023. The Inspector has left with life-changing injuries following the assault by Williams, having sustained fractures to the jaw, nose, eye socket, fractured teeth and extensive blood loss. A brave and kind-hearted member of the public came to the officer's aid as he remained unconscious on the pavement outside court.
Judge Peter Cooke said: "This was an egregious breach of normal behaviour when interacting with an animal. Animals that look to us for love and care. This puppy didn't receive that. He was treated abominably and you didn't just injure your pet, you severely injured an RSPCA inspector too."
An RSPCA spokesperson said: "This was a particularly distressing case to deal with as poor Major suffered such repeated horrendous pain and suffering during his short life and not the love and protection he deserved. This kind of behaviour has no place in an animal-loving society such as ours, and will always be thoroughly investigated by our dedicated teams of officers.
"Our dedicated staff should never be subjected to abuse and violence while working hard to improve the lives of animals."
