Shrewsbury man killed the 'sweetest dog in the world' during 'wicked' attack

Richard Forbes
-Credit:West Mercia Police


A thug has been jailed for killing his landlady’s beloved pet dog in a 'wicked' attack. Richard Forbes stabbed the elderly Pomeranian multiple times and left it with a broken neck and jaw.

The dog, called Comet, was raced to an emergency veterinarian, but there was 'no alternative' than to euthanise the animal, described by his owner as "the sweetest little dog in the whole world". Forbes, 46, had been out drinking on June 29 last year, when he returned home and assaulted his 64-year-old landlady.

Police were called when she fled to a neighbour's address, with officers arriving as Forbes attempting to drive away in the victim’s car. When Forbes was in custody, he boasted about harming the 22-year-old dog, who was later found with wrapped in a blanket with multiple stab wounds.

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Forbes was sentenced for the charges relating to the incident in Shrewsbury on January 31, as well as grievous bodily harm for a separate incident that took place in Shrewsbury on July 28, 2023, where he assaulted several people, leaving one man with serious injuries. He'd previously pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal, intentional strangulation, possession of a class A substance and failing to provide a specimen of breath.

The judge at Shrewsbury Crown Court handed Forbes a seven-and-half-year custodial sentence for all the offences, plus an order banning him from owning animals for 30 years. He was also given a 10-year restraining order against his landlady and was he was disqualified from driving for six years.

Following the sentencing, Detective Constable Geoff Anslow, from Shrewsbury CID, said: “This is a horrendous case, involving a sickening act of cruelty towards a defenceless animal and a much-loved pet. The actions of Forbes were wicked beyond belief and have had a devastating impact upon the victim.

“I welcome the sentence handed to Forbes and hope that justice has now been achieved for the victim and Comet, whom the victim described as the sweetest little dog in the whole world.”