A man who let a bulldog starve to death knew the animal was “barely alive” but believed it was not his responsibility, a court has heard.
Kyle Stephen Moore, of Oldfield Road, Ellesmere Port, appeared at Wirral Magistrates Court on Thursday after pleading guilty to one count of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal and one count of being a person responsible for ensuring the welfare of an animal and failing to ensure that needs were met.
RSPCA officers were made aware of possible animal abuse after finding the body of a bulldog named Coco belonging to Moore’s sister Leanne Brookshaw and her husband Jonathan Brookshaw at an empty flat on May 13 last year.
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Peter Mitchell, prosecuting, detailed that police were called to a flat at Dorset Gardens by landlord Magenta Housing, as they wanted to carry out an eviction at the property and had noticed a strong smell. A police constable attended the address, which was registered to Moore’s sister, Leanne Griffiths, 32-year-old Brookshaw’s maiden name.
The officer arrived to find the body of a black and tan bulldog, surrounded by faeces and mess. Mr Mitchell said the police officer described the flat as being in a terrible state, with so sign of any food or water for the dog.
RSCPA were called and Inspector Anthony Joynes attended the flat, where he described an “overwhelming smell of decomposition, faeces and urine”, and said he saw “multiple pools of dried up diarrhoea” around the property. The dog was determined to have been given to Leanne Brookshaw for breeding, and the care was split between the three defendants.
Moore was interviewed with an appropriate adult, and accepted that Leanne Brookshaw was the owner of the dog, but the three of them were responsible for the day to day care of the animal. He said he moved out of the flat at Dorset Gardens in July 2021, to his sister’s new address along with Leanne and Jonathan Brookshaw.
Moore said he visited the flat two times a week to feed the dog, but admitted he did forget to do so “quite often”. He said he had seen Coco “barely alive” and knew that she was skinnier, and was aware she had been losing weight for three months.
Mr Mitchell detailed that an expert analysed the dog and said she must have been suffering for at least six weeks prior to her death. Laura Flynn, defending, said she believed her client has undiagnosed autism, and said his sister described him as being two years younger than his actual age, in interview.
Ms Flynn said he “displays all the traits” of somebody on the autism spectrum, and said his sister was remiss to give him the responsibility to look after the dog “when he cannot organise himself”. She added: “He is really sorry in his own way that the dog died, but that ability to express the appropriate remorse and sadness was completely lost on the probation service because they do not know him.
“He knew something was wrong but he didn’t think it was his responsibility to look after it.” She added: “Anybody who is a dog lover or is remotely caring of dogs is going to be offended by this case.”
On January 24, Leanne and Jonathan Brookshaw appeared at Liverpool Magistrates Court to be sentenced for the same charges after pleading guilty. A court heard that Leanne Brookshaw claimed she had been paying her brother to care for the dog, and when Mr Foynes met the couple, Jonathan Brookshaw, 36, immediately said: “What's going on, how is she, is she dead? I’ll kill him”, referring to Moore.
When questioned, Leanne Brookshaw said: “We’ve been struggling yeah, I was there three or four days ago, she was skinny but she was alive. “She couldn't come with us because she was s***ing and p***ing everywhere.”
Leanne Brookshaw was interviewed, and said she had been given the dog on breeding terms months earlier, but admitted it may have been more than five days since she last checked on the dog. The newly married couple moved out of Dorset Gardens to their current property in Bebington Road, Birkenhead, last year, but did not bring the dog as they claimed it would be attacked by their other dog, Molly.
Leanne Brookshaw said she had visited Dorset Gardens since moving, and saw water and biscuits but agreed the “place was a s***hole”. The mum of three said she thought her brother was caring for Coco, but agreed last time she checked on the animal, she was skinnier and had lost weight.
She described the animal as having access to water but no food, and acting lethargic and weaker than usual. She also said the dog did have diarrhoea but she “thought it just needed feeding more”, before admitting the bulldog did eat when fed.
Arrangements were made to interview Jonathan Brookshaw at a later date, but as the inspector left, he said: “What am I supposed to do when I’ve got my future wife and her brother telling me it’s fine.” “If you weren't here I would have punched his f***ing head in.”
On May 17, Jonathan Brookshaw was formally interviewed, and said he visited Dorset Gardens when the body had been found but admitted that was the first time in months he had done so. Leanne and Jonathan Brookshaw were sentenced to 18 weeks imprisonment each, suspended for 12 months.
They were ordered to complete 100 hours of unpaid work each, and rehabilitation activity days. Both were told to pay £500 in prosecution costs, plus a victim surcharge of £128, and were disqualified from owning an animal for five years.
Moore was sentenced to 18 weeks imprisonment suspended for 12 months, and ordered to complete 15 rehabilitation activity days plus 50 hours of unpaid work. He was also disqualified from owning an animal for the next five years, and told to pay a victim surcharge of £154.
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