A Swansea man has been handed a suspended jail sentence and banned from keeping all animals after a German Shepherd dog starved to death at his Tudno Place home before being dumped in the back of a vehicle.
Lee Roger Aylott, 43, pleaded guilty to three Animal Welfare Act offences at Swansea Magistrates’ Court on 27 July.
Two offences related to German Shepherd dog Shadow – whose condition was so bad that he had starved to death, before Aylott concealed his body in the back of his people-carrier vehicle.
RSPCA Cymru was alerted to this after receiving reports of a dead dog hidden in a pink duvet in the back of the car.
Post-mortem examination confirmed that Shadow had suffered unnecessarily due to his extremely poor body condition, severe weight loss, ear disease and skin lesions.
Aylott has been handed a 12-week prison sentence, suspended for two years – and banned from keeping all animals indefinitely.
He must also do 140 hours of unpaid work and pay £2,500 in costs.
Another German Shepherd dog – named Suzie – had also lived at the Tudno Place property, and was found to have such a poor body condition that Aylott later admitted at court he had failed to meet her needs – contrary to the Animal Welfare Act. Fortunately, Suzie survived and will soon be made available for rehoming, having gone through considerable training.
RSPCA inspector Holly Brown said: “Poor Shadow suffered and ultimately lost his life because of a lack of nutrition and suitable care.
“His body was concealed in the boot of a car – but, fortunately, we were able to find Shadow’s body and secure some justice for the suffering he had faced.
“Thankfully, another dog – Suzie – will get another chance of forever home happiness, but her body condition was also very poor and her needs were clearly not being met.
“Owning animals is a privilege – and something this man will no longer be entitled to do, as a result of the way both Shadow and Suzie were treated.”
