DOG CRUELTY WOMAN JAILED
A former dog show judge, Jennifer Bosson, aged 51, of Whitegates Farm, South Hanningfield, was sentenced to six months in jail by Chelmsford magistrates.The court heard she had previously been imprisoned for four months in February 1997 after admitting ten charges of cruelty to animals.
Despite a life ban on keeping animals, four of the dogs were returned to her in the lead-up to her court case due to a legal loophole that prevented the RSPCA from removing them, provided they were looked after by someone else.
Bosson admitted to five charges of neglecting dogs and breaching the life ban on animal ownership.
RSPCA officers found the dogs in 'appalling conditions,' with two of them in a small cage devoid of food or water, and all five dogs lying on soiled bedding with severely matted coats, one of which was so matted the breed could not be recognized.
Bosson, who was due to be sentenced the previous week but was unable to attend after tripping over a dog, wept during the hearing while reading an apology letter.
She was sentenced to four months for cruelty and an additional two months for ignoring the ban.
Magistrate Walter Hall commented, 'You have clearly flouted the law both in the way you have contravened the law and in again causing unnecessary suffering.' Angela Pearce from the RSPCA expressed her satisfaction with the verdict and stated, 'Perhaps while we are all enjoying our Christmas and New Year, she will be able to think about what she has done.'
