ROTHERHAM MAN JAILED FOR ABANDONING DOGS TO STARVE AND FIGHT
Brown, a convicted heroin dealer, left six-month-old black German Shepherd Sirius and XL Bully Knox, aged two, unattended for as long as a week.One night neighbours reported hearing screams and yelps from inside the flat, believed to have been when one of the dogs was attacking the other.
RSPCA Inspector Jennie Ronksley went to the address on Laudsdale Road on May 13, 2025, following a report that the two dogs had been left unattended inside.
The door to the flat had a boarded-up pane of glass.
As the officers approached, there was a strong smell of faeces.
Looking through the letterbox, the inspector saw a bully-type dog standing over a black German Shepherd lying on his side, clearly dead.
The hallway was littered with faeces and fur.
In her statement, Inspector Ronksley described Sirius as having a poor body condition, obvious wounds, and puncture injuries, with foreign material in his stomach, indicating bite wounds from another dog.
Knox was severely underweight and suffering from malnutrition.
Both dogs had been neglected for a prolonged period, with no access to water or food.
Knox was confirmed to be an XL Bully, and was taken away by police to be put to sleep.
The court heard Brown was a cocaine user unable to care for himself and expressed remorse.
The judge stated both dogs were in a skeletal condition and that neglect and starvation led to their suffering.
Brown was sentenced to eight months in jail for each animal welfare offence, and an additional 30 months for dealing Class A drugs, to run consecutively.
He is banned from keeping animals for 10 years (until January 2036).
