A man from Leicester has received a suspended prison sentence and been disqualified from owning animals after five dogs were discovered inside a filthy house without food or water provided.
Daniel Berry, of no fixed address but formerly of Kinsdale Drive, Leicester, was sentenced at Leicester Magistrates Court after pleading guilty to five offences of causing unnecessary suffering to five dogs, in a case brought by the RSPCA.
Picture credit: RSPCA
The court heard that the RSPCA and a vet attended a property in Kinsdale Drive in December 2024 as part of a warrant with Leicestershire Police and removed a number of dogs found living in filthy and inadequate conditions. Some dogs were locked inside crates among faeces with nowhere to comfortably rest.
Five dogs were not provided with adequate food and water, four of which were in poor body condition and kept in unsuitable conditions, including one who was also suffering with a flea infestation and a skin condition.
Berry was given a custodial sentence of eight weeks imprisonment, suspended for a period of 12 months, and disqualified from owning all animals for 10 years, which he cannot appeal for five years.
He was also ordered to pay £350 in costs and victim surcharge of £154, and instructed that he must continue to complete 15 existing rehabilitation activity requirement days order and an existing six month drug rehabilitation requirement programme order.
Picture credit: RSPCA
In her witness statement, the investigating RSPCA Inspector who attended the address, said: “There was a strong smell of urine and faeces at the front entrance even before entering the address. Upon entry it was clear that the house was unkempt and unsanitary, and all the rooms were dark, dingy and smelly. The smell throughout the house was pungent and made it difficult to breathe comfortably.
“The front living room was disgusting and covered in a build up of rubbish and grime. There was one dog in this room contained in a crate which had no food or water in it and was covered in faeces and urine. Inside the crate was a young black patterdale type dog, which was removed and examined by the vet. It was offered water which it drank with vigor.”
The court heard how RSPCA officers and police continued to search the property, finding four further dogs, including a puppy, without food or water, and living in filthy conditions.
In their witness statement, the vet who examined the animals said: “It is my expert opinion that the dogs had not been provided with access to fresh water for a period of at least 24 hours and had not been provided with a suitable environment to live in for at least 4 weeks.
“In relation to the severe hunger and the poor body conditions of the dogs this will have been ongoing for a period of at least three weeks. Four dogs were significantly below their normal expected body condition, and this must indicate either that none of these dogs were fed an adequate diet.
In mitigation, the court heard that Berry entered an early guilty plea and experiences mental health issues and drug dependency.
All the dogs were taken into RSPCA care from where they will be rehomed.
