NSW: A MAN will have to pay almost $6000 in fines and has been banned from having pets after one dog was found starved to death and two others were seized at a property in regional NSW.
Jake Wayne Sing was supported by his partner when he fronted Tamworth Local Court for sentencing this week on three charges.
An RSPCA inspector was in court for the proceedings, after Sing was charged last year.
"It would appear that these dogs were on a property that he was evicted from and then the dogs went unfed and unkept," magistrate Mal MacPherson said.
He asked how long that situation unfolded for.
"Two weeks, Your Honour," police prosecutor Sergeant Alix Thom said.
Sing was charged after an RSPCA inspector went to a Manilla property in August, last year, and found three dogs, called Zuke, Spike and Max, in a small paddock out the back.
Zuke, a female American Staffordshire Terrier, was already dead in her cage.
An autopsy revealed she had died of starvation, was "extremely emaciated" and weighed less than half the healthy weight for her breed.
Her 34-year-old owner was fined $1100 in court for the charge of committing an act of aggravated animal cruelty upon an animal.
A male cattle dog and Bull Arab Mastiff cross also at the property were seized and assessed by a vet as being emaciated. They have been recovering in RSPCA care.
Sing was sentenced to two 15-month good behaviour orders with convictions for offences of failing to provide proper and sufficient food to an animal; and failing to provide vet treatment to an animal he was in charge of.
He was ordered to pay $4595 to the RSPCA for animal care costs and a further $102 in compensation.
He was hit with an order not to own or care for any animal for five years.
"Whilst that's an impact on your family ... that's the consequence, no animals for five years," Mr MacPherson told him.
He was given 28 days to dispose of any pets he had.
The court heard Sing was not living at the property where the dogs were found and had issues with the resident, and wasn't welcome there.
He told the RSPCA inspector he had, and thought someone else had too, been sneaking in to feed the dogs.
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