Couple sentenced for the cruel treatment of their pet Labrador Molly after she was found starved to death in their backyard with just a few blades of grass in her stomach
- The couple pleaded guilty to animal cruelty after their Labrador starved to death
- Craig, Kylie Hazelton were sentenced to eight months for the ‘distressing’ crime
- RSPCA NSW inspectors found the dog, Molly, responding to reports of cruelty
- Autopsy found Molly was malnourished with few blades of grass in her stomach
- The couple are also barred from owning a pet for two years, new NSW laws state
A couple has been sentenced for the abuse of their pet golden Labrador after inspectors found the dog starved to death.
Craig and Kylie Hazelton, aged 53 and 50, from the south Wollongong suburb of Albion Park were each handed an eight-month jail sentence to be served in the community after pleading guilty to aggravated animal cruelty at Wollongong Local Court on Monday.
Inspectors from RSPCA NSW found the golden Labrador, Molly, dead in the backyard of the Hazelton home at around 8:30pm on August 22 after receiving reports of ongoing animal cruelty.
Magistrate Claire Girotto called the case ‘quite a distressing matter’, as she sentenced the couple.
‘She [Molly] would have suffered over a significant amount of time,’ Magistrate Girotto said, according to the Illawarra Mercury.
‘Animals are at a real disadvantage as they are entrusted with care by their owners.’
A couple has been sentenced after pleading guilty to aggravated animal cruelty after their golden Labrador, Molly, was found starved to death by RSPCA NSW inspectors (pictured, stock image)
No one was at the property when inspectors arrived and searched the Hazelton home.
The court was told Molly was ‘severely emaciated’ when she was found by the inspectors with most of her muscle mass deteriorated.
Near her body, inspectors found a water bucket filled with rancid green water.
Two separate food bowls sat next to the bucket, one that had been disused and another that contained ‘very old’ dog kibble.
Shortly after the heartbreaking find, inspectors took Molly to the nearby Illawarra Animal Hospital where Dr Simone Brown performed an autopsy.
Dr Brown estimated Molly had died anywhere from 12 to 48 hours before inspectors found her with only a few blades of undigested grass found in her stomach.
Molly most likely succumbed to chronic malnourishment, as Dr Brown found no evidence of any underlying diseases that could have contributed to her passing.
The couple admitted to knowing Molly had been drastically losing weight over the previous few months when being interviewed by inspectors one week later.
RSPCA NSW inspectors found Molly after responding to reports of animal cruelty at the couple’s Albion Park property, the pooch dying only 12 to 48 hours prior to them arriving (pictured, stock image)
Neither Craig nor Kylie sought veterinarian help, instead chalking up Molly’s severely declining health as a sign of her old age.
The couple dodged jail-time and instead will serve the eight-month sentence in the community.
They were also fined $1000 each and need to complete 100 hours of community service.
On top of these punishments, the Hazeltons will not be allowed to own a pet for two years after new laws passed in NSW last November.
The couple was sentenced to eight months to be served within the community, alongside a $1000 fine, 1000 community service and being prohibited to own a pet for two years by Magistrate Claire Girotto at Wollongong Local Court (pictured)
The laws state that any person found guilty of certain animal cruelty crimes ‘will be prohibited from owning, breeding, or working for a business relating to animals’.
‘Pet ownership is a privilege and not a right,’ RSPCA NSW Chief Inspector, Scott Meyers said in a statement in October.
‘We will continue to carry out our mission of preventing animal cruelty across the state and advocating for all creatures great and small.’
