An opportunity look by way of an animal cruelty web site led to the rescue of pets from a Kettering man’s faeces-ridden home.
Lee Howard was banned from preserving animals for all times in 2006 when he was jailed for 26 weeks for permitting horses, hens, dogs and a rabbit to die of thirst and hunger.
Despite the ban he overtly went on to be a paid pet-sitter for somebody who had no thought about his previous – solely to be caught once they noticed him on a web site about animal cruelty.
And when the matter was escalated police and the RSPCA discovered but extra animals dwelling in filthy circumstances with out entry to water at his Scott Road home.
On Wednesday (August 30) the 57-year-old was handed a suspended jail sentence and ordered to participate in rehabilitation actions.
Northampton Magistrates’ Court heard Howard, who was handed a second lifetime animal ban in 2007 after breaching his first, was initially advisable to a licensed canine breeder who wished somebody to pet-sit for him when he wasn’t home.
Prosecutor Janita Patel stated Howard would go to the person’s deal with the place he would have management of 15 dogs, 4 chickens and quite a few finch-like birds and could be paid £35 a day. The courtroom heard he sorted the animals on at the least 15 events between August 2021 and August 2022 – together with the odd in a single day keep – and was even listed as a keyholder on the person’s council animal welfare licence.
But Howard’s world of working as a pet-sitter quickly got here crashing down.
Reading an announcement from the person who paid for his companies, Ms Patel stated: “In September 2022 I used to be trying by way of an animal cruelty web site by probability and noticed a photograph of Lee Howard.
“I recognised him as the person who had been pet-sitting for us.”
He reported it to the RSPCA and it was escalated to Northamptonshire Police, who gained a warrant to look the home of Howard, as soon as often known as Lee Howard-Smith.
On January 6 this 12 months cops and an RSPCA inspector searched the deal with and located him in sole custody of plenty of animals within the ‘cluttered’ property.
Confined within the kitchen was a Boston terrier canine referred to as Harriet, which Howard stated he was taking care of for a good friend.
Ms Patel stated: “The ground of the kitchen was lined in faeces and there was no entry to water and no correct bedding.”
Bird cages have been discovered within the lounge, with one containing an Amazon inexperienced parrot referred to as Jud and the opposite housing two cockatiels referred to as Paxo and Stuffing. Both cages have been soiled with outdated meals, faeces and no contemporary water. Fish tanks with goldfish and tropical fish have been additionally discovered.
Two feminine cats referred to as Sooty and Blacky have been found in a bed room described as ‘almost floor to ceiling’ with belongings and outdated cages and tanks.
Ms Patel stated: “The floor was dirty with faeces…both cats had evidence of fleas.”
Police also seized documents from as far back as 2012 with breeding and pedigree certificates, animal course certificates and even a judging education certificate from The Kennel Club found in a frame.
Ms Patel added: “What you have is a plethora of evidence of this gentleman having breached two lifetime disqualification orders on numerous occasions from 2012 to 2022.”
The dog was later taken back to its owner who was not aware of any animal welfare incidents relating to Howard. The court heard he had been looking after it since 2017.
Howard later went on to plead guilty to failing to take reasonable steps to ensure animal needs were met and breaching a disqualification from keeping animals after the RSPCA prosecuted him.
Mitigating, Sewli Kuddus said Howard suffers from physical and mental health issues and has problems with self-care.
She said he has no family and has only recently been given a carer.
She said: “He had no-one to say to him ‘what you are doing is wrong’.”
Ms Kuddus urged the case for a suspended prison sentence and said Howard no longer has any animals.
She added: “He does love animals. He does love dogs.”
Howard was sentenced to 18 weeks in prison, suspended for 18 months, and ordered to complete 20 rehabilitation activity days.
Chairman of the bench Dr Romanos Daskalou told him he hoped he would work with the probation service and cooperate with them.
Howard was also handed another lifetime ban from keeping animals and cannot apply to have it lifted for 10 years.
He will also have to pay costs of £400 and a surcharge to fund victim services of £154.
Speaking after the case, RSPCA inspector Susan Haywood said: “I hope that now that he has been sentenced by the court the defendant will learn from this experience and not get animals which he clearly is unable to look after properly.”
