Ealing Couple Barred from Keeping Dogs
They let their pet starve to death (upsetting photo in article)
Casanova was less than half the weight she should have been. Picture: RSPCA
December 24, 2024
A couple from Ealing have been banned from owning a dog for 10 years after their pet died from starvation.
Bull terrier Casanova, who belonged to 32-year-old Nelson Pierre Luke and 26-year-old Shona Jayda Patricia Thomas-Ross both of Northfield Avenue, was brought to a vet in Victoria on 27 November 2023.
The owner claimed to have come home and found her dead body, saying she’d been ill for a few days but that they’d had no credit on their phone to call for a vet.
Casanova weighed just 11.85kg but should have weighed between 25-30kg and it was found that her intestines were ‘completely empty’. She was covered in sores and faeces.
Vets alerted the RSPCA and Inspector Phil Norman launched an investigation.
The vet’s statement added, “[Casanova] was suffering from a prolonged period of anorexia or not being able to keep her food down. All of this suffering could have been prevented by bringing her to a veterinary practice for medical attention.”
Luke and Thomas-Ross were sentenced at Willesden Magistrates' Court on 5 December.
Luke previously pleaded guilty to one offence, under the Animal Welfare Act 2006, of causing unnecessary suffering to Casanova. Thomas-Ross pleaded not guilty but was convicted.
Luke was sentenced to 16 weeks in prison, suspended for 18 months, and ordered to carry out 15 days of Rehabilitation Activity Requirement, 26 days of an accredited programme and 250 hours of unpaid work. He was ordered to pay £300 in costs, a £187 victim surcharge and was disqualified from keeping dogs for 10 years.
Thomas-Ross was sentenced to a 12-month community order with 20 days of Rehabilitation Activity Requirement. She was ordered to pay a £100 fine, a £114 victim surcharge and £300 in costs, and disqualified from keeping dogs for 10 years.
Sentencing the pair, the chair of the bench said that, in all his years working in the magistrates’ court, it was the most horrible case of cruelty he’d ever come across.
Pet owners can find a range of practical help and advice on the RSPCA’s dedicated cost of living hub. The charity has also launched a dedicated phone line for those looking for support (0300 123 0650).
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