Dog owner, 26, avoids jail after leaving pet to die in cage while she went on two-week holiday

A woman who left her dog to die in a cage while she went on a two-week holiday has avoided jail but has been banned from keeping animals for 10 years.

Jade Roberts, 26, left Staffordshire bull terrier Daisy behind when she jetted off on holiday last summer.

The RSPCA was called but by the time an inspector went to the property in Botanic Place, Liverpool, in August 2021, Daisy was already dead.

Roberts, of Ash Street, Northampton, pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to the dog but was spared jail at Northampton Magistrates' Court and instead handed a suspended sentence.

The RSPCA said that Daisy had last been alive on 31 July, 2021, but a lack of sufficient food and water had led to her death.

Describing the scene she was greeted with when she entered the property, RSPCA Inspector Leanne Cragg said: "On entering the property I was hit by an overpowering stench of decomposing flesh. There were a lot of live flies flying about the property.

"I could see a dead, decomposing brindle and white Staffordshire bull terrier type dog at one end of a large cage in the front room.

"The base of the cage was covered in a layer of old faeces. At the front of the cage there was a turquoise plastic bowl upside down, a metal bowl of dried food and another metal bowl which was empty.

"The property was messy and dirty with clothes and rubbish strewn all over the furniture and floor. I removed Daisy from the cage and I could see that her body was very badly decomposed with her eyes missing, there were holes straight through her body and there were a lot of maggots of varying sizes."

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Following Roberts' sentencing, she added: "It was a very sad sight and one which could easily have been avoided."

Roberts pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering by leaving Daisy unattended without sufficient food and water resulting in her death.

In mitigation, she claimed she was unaware Daisy was not being cared for as she had arranged for a friend to look after her while she was away. She expressed genuine remorse for Daisy’s death and the court heard Roberts was also dealing with personal issues at the time.

The 26-year-old was sentenced to 12 weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months, 20 rehabilitation activity requirement days, mental health treatment requirement for six months and a victim surcharge of £128. She was also banned from keeping all animals for 10 years and ordered to pay £500 in costs.

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