A couple who were not allowed to keep animals because they starved their pet dog have now been banned from doing so for another 10 years after the RSPCA discovered three cats at their Black Country home.
Stephanie Davis and Shane Power were given a 10-year ban in January 2005 for neglecting three-year-old German Shepherd Sasha. At the time the Walsall couple, who have four children, admitted one count of causing unnecessary suffering to the dog.
They claimed money was tight and they couldn’t afford to feed it.
When a vet inspected the dog she gave the animal a zero score on a scale up to five - with zero being emaciated and five obese.
The vet commented it was one of the worse cases of emaciation she had seen and Davis and Power, both aged 26, were each given a 10-year ban on keeping any kind of animal.
But the couple were back at Walsall Magistrates Court yesterday where they both admitted breaching that ban two-and-a-half years in.Nick Sutton, prosecuting for the RSPCA, said when RSPCA inspector Simon Davies visited the couple’s home in Berkley Close on July 30 last year, he discovered two cats and a kitten. He described the kitten as being in a “lean condition.”
Mr Sutton said: “The defendants had been given a 10-year ban on keeping any animal. The original case was very serious so this was a very worrying situation. The couple shouldn’t have any kind of animal in their possession and in doing so were in breach of the ban.”
Rob Perry, defending, said: “The cats were in good health. The one cat which was slightly thin had just been bought from a pet shop. We are not talking here about a case of neglect. The defendants apologise to the court.”
Davis was banned from keeping animals for 10 years, starting from yesterday’s date, and told to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work for the community. She was also told to pay court costs of £220.
Power was told he must complete a two-and-a-half year supervision order which will address his substance abuse. He was also given a 10-year ban on keeping animals and told to pay court costs of £220.
The court was told that Sasha had been rehomed.
By Andy Richardson
9 Comments
What a joke
they should be banned for life in keeping any animal.
Money was tight!! they have 4 kids and how much social money every week.
A can of dog food cost penny’s, that
poor animal suffered and was put down because these two were to tight to feed it. What Scum !!
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Why don’t they get a prison sentence! A ban is futile and cannot be enforced, which was illustrated by the way they breached the first one. They just cannot be policed!
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Bet they had enough money to buy their cigarettes!!
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Stephanie and Shane - you are an utter disgrace. There is NO absolutely NO excuse for your behaviour with these poor pets. I hope you are thoroughly ashamed of your actions.
Adam - I agree, they both deserve a prison sentence.
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Nice to see someone is checking up on these people who are given the bans.
How exactly do they keep a check to make sure when the ban is issued that they do not breach it - what is to stop the person(s) walking in to any high street pet shop and buying an animal???
As for money - that’ll be the weekly giro that covers the essentials - cigarettes etc.
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I love Prada, I cant afford Prada so I dont wear it, I love animals and I cant afford to feed myself most times so hey guess what…I dont keep pets, even though there are alot of people with little money who ensure their pets come first, if thats not the case, then don’t have them. Prison all the way for these 2 idiots
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REVOLTING PAIR OF SCROUNGING GITS!!
They dont look as if they have missed a meal.
They should have got jail.
You have pets as part of a family dare we even consider what their poor kids are fed like if at all!!
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Wow a 10 year ban, like that’s going to do any good.
Are any of these judges in touch with reality?
No point fining them eh, because they can’t afford it and no point locking them up as they have 4 kids to support. I guess they win hands down again.
Damn Scumbags.
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A dog is for life . Very simple ground rules
Food water exersise and sleep.
enjoy your fags and easy life while desent
folk work to support you both.
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