Ex-Newport County footballer jailed for neglecting pet dog

Tinkerbell is now recovering after treatment

A former footballer has been jailed for eight weeks after admitting causing unnecessary suffering to his pet French bulldog.

The dog was left with untreated ear masses - one of which was so severe it could have been growing for a year.

Cortez Marvin Belle, 38, from Orb Drive, Newport, a former Newport County and Chester City player, has also been banned from keeping animals for life.

Newport Magistrates' Court heard of Tinkerbell's "prolonged neglect".

Belle said he could not afford to pay for treatment, but the court heard Tinkerbell had had two litters of puppies, with each dog selling for about £1,500.

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After concerns were raised, RSPCA officer Isobel Burston visited in August, and described a smell of "rotting flesh" in the house, with a "tennis ball-sized growth" dangling out of Tinkerbell's left ear.

Ms Burston said: "The growth looked wet and had debris and hair stuck to it in some areas, and open sore-looking yellow patches underneath."

Belle told the officer he had taken Tinkerbell to see a vet but had been told she would need very expensive surgery he could not afford, and his ex-partner had cancelled pet insurance following their break-up.

A vet believes the growth could have been developing for a year

Three-year-old Tinkerbell was taken to a vet by the RSPCA and found to be in a poor bodily condition, with her spine and ribs visible and a tucked appearance at the waist.

The vet who treated Tinkerbell said: "The growths looked polyp-like and these polyps had invaded both of her ear canals, leaving no obvious ear canal for hearing. At this point I imagine she is almost deaf."

A mass attached to her left year was described as "grossly infected and ulcerated in places".

'Permanently deaf'

RSPCA inspector Gemma Cooper interviewed Belle on 16 August and he told her there had been ongoing issues with Tinkerbell's ears in the two-and-a-half years he had owned her.

After the hearing, Ms Cooper said: "His inaction resulted in Tinkerbell suffering for months and she is now permanently deaf as a result."

Belle, who the court heard is a youth football coach and a railway worker, was also ordered to pay costs of £420 and a victim surcharge of £128.

In his defence, Belle said was experiencing mental health problems and expressed remorse and regret.

Tinkerbell is recovering at a RSPCA animal centre and will be rehomed.