WOMAN WHO ABANDONED DOZENS OF ANIMALS IN DUNDEE FLAT GETS BANNED FROM KEEPING PETS
A woman named Stevie-Ley Murray has been legally prohibited from keeping animals after she confessed to abandoning cats, rats, a hamster, and two bearded dragons in a Dundee flat.Murray, 22 years old, fled the property on Benvie Road following her partner's arrest, leaving behind a collection of 19 animals.
Scottish SPCA officers responded to the scene, which was described as extremely unclean, and found a dozen cats among the animals, along with four rats, two bearded dragons, and a hamster.
The officers reported a strong, almost unbearable stench and found that no food had been provided for the animals, with some suffering from neglect; one of the rats had died, and the bearded dragons were suffering from metabolic bone disease due to malnutrition.
Murray was ordered to pay a £400 fine and was banned from keeping animals for two years.
Court proceedings revealed that she had been living at the flat with her partner but left after her partner was arrested for domestic assault and released on bail.
The court was informed that she had committed these offenses between March 13 and April 2014 under the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act.
During the hearing, her defense attorney stated that Murray wanted to avoid her ex-partner and did not neglect the animals intentionally, but acknowledged she did not do enough to care for them.
The sheriff emphasized the severity of her neglect, describing the situation as 'really appalling,' and the Scottish SPCA inspector expressed satisfaction with the outcome, hoping Murray would learn responsibility for her actions and consider future care of animals.
