Hull man jailed for starving dog to death

Wilson was jailed for 12 weeks by magistrates in Hull

A man who starved his dog to death has been jailed and banned from keeping animals for 15 years.

Craig Wilson, 29, of Beverley Road, Hull, pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to his Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Marshall.

RSPCA inspectors said the dog was so emaciated that every bone was protruding from its body.

Wilson, who appeared at Hull Magistrates' Court, was jailed for 12 weeks.

It heard the defendant had called a vet on 14 December to say Marshall had collapsed.

The vet urged him to seek emergency treatment but Wilson said he did not have transport and was concerned about the costs.

He then booked a taxi but by the time he arrived at the surgery, Marshall was dead. Concerned the animal had been neglected, the vet contacted the RSPCA.

'Suffered for some time'

The animal charity sent Insp Claire Marshall to investigate and the dog was examined by an independent vet, who said the animal weighed just over 14lb (6.8kg) - half the weight it should have been.

"Marshall has either starved to death due to lack of feeding, or due to inattention to a serious underlying disease process," the vet said in a statement.

"In either case, it would appear that significant neglect has occurred in not seeking medical care prior to the point of death."

A post-mortem examination confirmed starvation, with nothing found in Marshall's stomach apart from a piece of plastic and some green material.

In mitigation, the court heard Wilson had difficult personal circumstances.

After sentencing, Insp Mitchell said: "The images of Marshall when he attended the vets are haunting and he clearly suffered for some time looking at his significant weight loss.

"It is very upsetting to see a pet left in this awful condition."

She said the defendant had claimed the dog was fed every day, but there was no evidence of that.