GARY AND SALLY HARRISON CONVICTED OF ANIMAL ABUSE IN SHEFFIELD
| Red Rose Database
Beighton Animal Abuser
Gary Harrison, born around 1965, and his wife Sally Harrison (also known as Sally Thompson), born in 1970, both residents of Sevenairs Road, Beighton, Sheffield S20 1NY, have been convicted of animal abuse. The couple falsely claimed that an emaciated eight-year-old shih-tzu, named Blue, was not their dog and had not been denied veterinary treatment for a rotting tongue and ruptured eye.
The court heard that on April 11, 2023, the Harrisons took Blue to Sheffield City Council’s dog kennels, asserting they had found him in a field near shops in Lowedges, about eight miles from their home. However, investigators discovered that the dog had been owned by the couple since he was a puppy.
The RSPCA was contacted, and Inspector Leanne Booth collected Blue for urgent veterinary care. During her testimony, she described her disturbing discovery: “Blue was curled up in a bed and did not respond to his surroundings. I noticed a pungent smell coming from him, and when I looked in his mouth, I was horrified to see his tongue appeared to have rotted away. It nearly made me vomit as it (the smell) was so strong. The dog’s eyes were cloudy, but one eye appeared to have ruptured.”
The Harrisons consented to euthanasia for Blue, but maintained that he was not their pet. They insisted they had rehomed him in October 2022 and claimed that the dog they found was a different animal.
In sentencing, Recorder Iqbal stated: “(Blue) was moribund. He was considered beyond any attempted treatment. He was in such a poor state of suffering the only merciful thing was for him to be put out of his misery. You are both responsible for causing that suffering.” The judge also criticized the couple’s dishonesty, saying, “When you both pleaded not guilty on the basis this was not your dog, you were telling lies. On the day of trial, you each changed your pleas but when you were interviewed by the probation service, you returned to those lies again.”
The judge added, “Any person with a degree of humanity would have recognised the signs of suffering. The suffering in this case came to light not because you decided to treat your dog but because of subterfuge and deceit. You both attempted to spin a web of lies, and you each bear your own responsibility for the suffering that followed.”
The court was told that Gary Harrison was suffering from poor physical health, which was acknowledged in mitigation.
Following the sentencing, Inspector Booth remarked: “It’s clear that Blue was once a family pet, but the people he depended on continually denied any responsibility for his condition. They didn’t ensure he received the veterinary care he so desperately needed, and as a result, this little dog suffered terribly.”
Sentencing included up to 15 days of Rehabilitation Activity Requirement for Gary Harrison and 100 hours of unpaid work for Sally Harrison. Both were ordered to pay £750 in costs, a £500 fine, and a £154 victim surcharge. Additionally, they are banned from owning dogs for 10 years, with the ban set to expire in April 2035.
The court heard that on April 11, 2023, the Harrisons took Blue to Sheffield City Council’s dog kennels, asserting they had found him in a field near shops in Lowedges, about eight miles from their home. However, investigators discovered that the dog had been owned by the couple since he was a puppy.
The RSPCA was contacted, and Inspector Leanne Booth collected Blue for urgent veterinary care. During her testimony, she described her disturbing discovery: “Blue was curled up in a bed and did not respond to his surroundings. I noticed a pungent smell coming from him, and when I looked in his mouth, I was horrified to see his tongue appeared to have rotted away. It nearly made me vomit as it (the smell) was so strong. The dog’s eyes were cloudy, but one eye appeared to have ruptured.”
The Harrisons consented to euthanasia for Blue, but maintained that he was not their pet. They insisted they had rehomed him in October 2022 and claimed that the dog they found was a different animal.
In sentencing, Recorder Iqbal stated: “(Blue) was moribund. He was considered beyond any attempted treatment. He was in such a poor state of suffering the only merciful thing was for him to be put out of his misery. You are both responsible for causing that suffering.” The judge also criticized the couple’s dishonesty, saying, “When you both pleaded not guilty on the basis this was not your dog, you were telling lies. On the day of trial, you each changed your pleas but when you were interviewed by the probation service, you returned to those lies again.”
The judge added, “Any person with a degree of humanity would have recognised the signs of suffering. The suffering in this case came to light not because you decided to treat your dog but because of subterfuge and deceit. You both attempted to spin a web of lies, and you each bear your own responsibility for the suffering that followed.”
The court was told that Gary Harrison was suffering from poor physical health, which was acknowledged in mitigation.
Following the sentencing, Inspector Booth remarked: “It’s clear that Blue was once a family pet, but the people he depended on continually denied any responsibility for his condition. They didn’t ensure he received the veterinary care he so desperately needed, and as a result, this little dog suffered terribly.”
Sentencing included up to 15 days of Rehabilitation Activity Requirement for Gary Harrison and 100 hours of unpaid work for Sally Harrison. Both were ordered to pay £750 in costs, a £500 fine, and a £154 victim surcharge. Additionally, they are banned from owning dogs for 10 years, with the ban set to expire in April 2035.