Woman killed neighbour's dog by throwing poisoned meat laced with antifreeze over fence

A woman killed her neighbour’s dog by throwing meat laced with antifreeze into his garden, leaving the pet so ill it had to be put to sleep.

Susan Foster, 60, was caught on camera throwing the chunk of meat into neighbour Colin Stark's garden, where his German Shepherd Roxy ate it.

She was also then caught on CCTV stealing the camera and trying to destroy the evidence.

Foster was handed a suspended sentence by magistrates for killing the dog and banned from keeping all animals for a year after she was investigated by the RSPCA. She was also ordered to pay compensation to Roxy's owner, who had owned her since she was eight weeks old.

Stark, 65, from Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, said the incident on 12 June "came out of the blue" when he noticed Roxy vomiting and later found strange bits of meat in his garden.

He said: "She wasn’t being her normal self. She was lethargic, she would just lay there. Over the course of the day, she was getting worse and worse.

"We then took her to the vets and took samples of the meat, and he said: ‘I think that’s poison’."

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Roxy spent four days in pain and vomiting before vets decided to end her suffering and put her to sleep.

Stark played back CCTV after Roxy's death and spotted things being thrown over the fence into his property.

He then found footage of Foster trying to steal his camera to destroy the evidence.

"The camera’s got an alarm trigger, so it detects motion, and it set off a trigger on my phone at 11:45 pm on Saturday.

"I looked at the alarm, and at first I couldn’t work out what it is. Then I realise it’s a hand, and it’s her hand going all over the camera, and then eventually, her face appears on the camera."

He tried to confront his neighbour, banging on her front windows and demanding his camera back until she eventually gave it back, complete with footage of her walking through her house.

He said after the incident Foster "vanished" and went on to sell her bungalow.

He came face-to-face with her again during a trial at Grimsby Magistrates’ Court where she was convicted for killing his dog.

During the hearing, the court heard from an expert veterinary witness who concluded Roxy had been caused to suffer after ingesting antifreeze, also known as ethylene glycol.

The expert believed the symptoms Roxy was showing between 14 and 16 June were consistent with her having consumed the substance on or around 12 June.

Stark said he felt Foster had got off lightly with her punishment as the poisonous meat could have killed his other dog as well as Roxy.

He said: "With an intent like that, I think she should have got at least five years plus straight away. You look at America – you should see what they get.

"Nothing can bring Roxy back, she was a lovely dog. I think about her every day."

Inspector Bradshaw from the RSPCA, who led the investigation, said: "This was an incredibly sad case - Roxy was a beloved pet - and her owners were heartbroken by their loss.

"This act caused Roxy an immense amount of pain and suffering, and deteriorating clinical signs meant this poor dog ended up losing her life as a result."

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