KELLY HENRY OF INGLEBY BARWICK SENTENCED FOR CRUELTY TO ELDERLY LABRADOR IN TEESSIDE

Kelly Henry, a personal trainer from Hatchlands Park, Ingleby Barwick, born on October 1, 1984, was convicted in 2020 for the prolonged mistreatment of her elderly Labrador named Shadow.

Henry, who operates as a self-employed fitness instructor under the name Kelly Henry Signature Personal Training, pleaded guilty to cruelty charges after her dog was found in a severely neglected state. Shadow, a ten-year-old Labrador she had owned since puppyhood, was discovered by the RSPCA in a "dreadful condition," weighing only 16kg and lacking body fat.

The police were summoned to Henry’s previous residence in Eaglescliffe, Stockton, after an RSPCA inspector observed Shadow in the garden through fence slots, appearing starved. The inspector noted the presence of two empty dog bowls at the scene. Prosecutor Stuart Bennett informed the court that the dog was likely in pain and suffering weakness from malnutrition, estimating this condition had persisted for about four weeks but was the result of neglect that had been ongoing for a much longer period.

Henry claimed she had fed Shadow but acknowledged that her efforts were "probably not enough." Shadow was also found to have cataracts, which Henry dismissively attributed to her age and labeled as "glazed eyes." Henry admitted she should have taken the dog to the vet but chose not to, explaining she "didn’t want to look like a bad person."

The court heard that Henry had recently purchased two kittens and had been taking them regularly to the vet, a fact that the prosecution found "difficult to understand." Evidence presented in court included photographs depicting Shadow with a protruding rib cage and spine, illustrating the extent of her neglect.

A probation service report highlighted that Henry’s personal circumstances had deteriorated following the collapse of her marriage. It described her neglect of Shadow as "a result of her burying her head in the sand with everything else going on in her life."

Henry expressed remorse for her actions, admitting she could have cared for Shadow "a lot better." Her defense attorney, Danielle Hewitt, argued that Henry’s two children would "suffer if a custodial sentence were to be imposed."

The court sentenced Henry to 12 weeks in custody, suspended for 12 months, with the requirement to complete 25 days of rehabilitation activities. She was ordered to pay £522 in costs, banned from keeping animals for five years, and a deprivation order was made for Shadow and her two kittens.

This case was reported by TeessideLive.