Target: Lord Advocate of Scotland Dorothy Bain KC — Scotland, United Kingdom
Goal: Seek review for possible appeal and tougher prosecution policy so starvation of a mother dog and eight puppies results in meaningful custody and a lifetime animal ownership ban.
A mother dog and eight puppies were severely malnourished after weeks of neglect. Rescuers discovered all nine confined in a bathtub with a running shower and a nearby crate heavily soiled with urine and feces. The accused pleaded guilty and was given community service, a brief curfew, and a five-year ban instead of jail.
Chronic underfeeding and confinement caused visible rib cages, weakness, and suffering. Officials had warned about feeding and vet care. The accused ignored advice and left an abusive message for the helpline. When a warrant was executed, officers found the dogs in squalor and one cage with only a heavily soiled pad.
Change is needed. Prosecutors should, where evidence supports it, pursue custody for egregious multi-victim neglect, resist charge bargaining that downplays harm, and seek lifetime bans with enforcement checks. Justice should reflect the seriousness of prolonged suffering and protect communities. Urge the Lord Advocate to review this sentence for possible appeal where law permits and to strengthen prosecution policy on severe neglect.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Lord Advocate Bain,
We are writing about the Edinburgh case where a mother dog and eight puppies were found emaciated in a bathtub and a filthy crate after prolonged neglect. Following guilty pleas, the court imposed unpaid work, a short curfew, and a five-year disqualification. This is inadequate for multi-victim, long-running harm.
We ask your office to review this outcome for possible appeal within statutory limits on the ground that the sentence may be unduly lenient given the number of animals and duration of suffering. We also urge strengthened COPFS guidance so prosecutors routinely file veterinary harm reports, resist pleas that minimize cruelty, and seek custody plus offender counseling where facts warrant it.
We further request support for lifetime disqualification orders and active enforcement checks in the worst cases. Firm action deters offending, supports inspectors, and protects both animals and the public.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo credit: Sudhir Sangwan
Scotland we expected better of you for the protection of animals. There had already been a warning and still these animals were abused and literally nothing done to help them. He is free to do it again. Shame on you.
Totalmente de acuerdo contigo Kerry !!!!
Acabem com essa besta da mesma forma! Matem-no à fome!
This sentence sucks!! The owner needs lifetime ban so he can’t do this again! Have u even though of the pain & suffering theses 9 dogs went through?? Ur laws need changed & a warning was even given & nothing was done!!! SHAME ON YOU!!
Dorothy – You really missed the mark on this case. The perpetrator of this crime had previously been warned by law enforcement about his mistreatment of these dogs, yet he chose to ignore the warning and continued his abuse. Those in the Animal Kingdom who reside in your country and become victims of torture and/or murder depend on you to protect them. There is no one else. So when you give an animal abuser community service vs prison time they’ve earned, you are, in essence, condoning the abuse. I sign hundreds of these Animal Petitions every year, and a lot of them come out of the UK. Please be the change that your country needs and take the crime of animal cruelty seriously…
FFS Scotland!!!!
Don’t let already Suffering Animals suffer to death! WHY was this ignored???? Shame on you! HORRENDOUS! How much pain this Mother dog & her babies endured is unimaginable!
What the hell is wrong with you, Scotland?!?!
Was für ein eine Strafe ist das, dieser Tierquäler sollte nie wieder in die Nähe eines Tieres kommen, er gehört weg gesperrt für sehr lange Zeit von wegen Sozialstunden was stimmt mit euch nicht Schottland. Dieser Basdart sollte das gleiche bekommen was er den armen unschuldigen Hunden angetan hat, verdammt nochmal ändert endlich die Gesetze und mscht einen anständigen Job .
‘Community service, a brief curfew, and a five-year ban instead of jail.
The court imposed unpaid work, a short curfew, and a five-year disqualification’ .
These inadequate, weak punishments only exacerbate the epidemic of animal cruelty! WAY TO GO JUDGE!! You obviously don’t give a rats ass about animals. You should step down!!!
Edinburgh is the Capital of Scotland and it is the Capital of crime. It is a cess pit and the judiciary will for the most part be too scared to put these monsters in prison. The place is full of gangsters and lowlifes whose crimes go unpunished due to fear of reprisals. Best idea is to publish details of this scumbag, name and address so that a dog loving hard man can take care of this.