Malton woman sentenced after she starved two dogs and buried one in her garden

Sylvia Woodward claimed Sam and Merlin had gone missing from her home near Malton and were found by someone else in an emaciated condition.

She later admitted to the RSPCA that Sam had starved to death and she’d buried his remains in her rear garden at Victoria Bungalows in Burythorpe.

Woodward appeared for sentencing at York Magistrates’ Court on September 4 after previously pleading guilty to one Animal Welfare Act offence at an earlier hearing.

The court was told that RSPCA Animal Rescue Officer James Dack went to the property on December 5 last year after the charity had been sent photographs of emaciated looking dogs in the back garden.

The front windows had been blacked out with paint and there was no response from anyone in the house or any sign of dogs in the overgrown garden.

A calling card was left in the letterbox asking the occupant to contact the RSPCA urgently.

Woodward responded the following day and rang the RSPCA.

She claimed that Merlin and Sam, who were both under a year old, had unexpectedly gone missing a few months ago and had been returned to her by a member of the public the day after the charity’s visit.

She said they were both in a skinny condition and, “in a bad way.”

Sam was said to be vomiting and not walking properly and Woodward said she couldn’t cope and wanted the RSPCA to take them.

Animal Rescue Officer Dack returned to the property that afternoon.

In his written evidence to the court he said: “As I pulled up in my vehicle, Woodward was already standing on the doorstep with a German Shepherd dog on a lead. She said it was Merlin.

“The dog appeared subdued and very nervous and I assessed his body condition score to be approximately 1.5 out of 9 (with a healthy score being 4 to 5).

"I asked Woodward where the second dog named Sam was.

"She informed me he had escaped shortly after our earlier phone call.

"She had no idea where the dog was now.

“She did not appear to be overly concerned by this and just informed me that she would call us if the dog turned up.

"When I asked why Merlin was emaciated she replied, ‘they came back that way.’

Woodward signed Merlin over into RSPCA care and was advised that if a vet confirmed he was suffering or had suffered, this would be investigated.

She was also told to report Sam as missing with the relevant authorities and make enquiries as to his whereabouts.

In her written evidence to the court the vet who examined Merlin said: “At first glance, and in my professional opinion, Merlin showed signs of abuse.

"His body condition score was one.

"His ribs, lumbar vertebrae, pelvic bones and all the other bony prominences were evident from a distance.

“There was no discernible body fat and obvious loss of muscle mass.

"His coat was also in a bad condition.

"He was very tiny, small and underdeveloped for a German Shepherd puppy of his age.

"At the time of examination he was only 8.6 kilograms (18.9 pounds) in weight.

“The amount of psychological abuse suffered by Merlin is unknown.

"He was clearly suffering from malnutrition and neglect, when brought in by the officer.

"He had been suffering from it for months by the look of his body condition and physical state.”

Merlin was dehydrated and needed further tests to ascertain the extent of a heart murmur and other possible health conditions, including rickets.

Woodward was subsequently interviewed by RSPCA Inspector Elizabeth Boyd.

She admitted Sam had starved to death and she had buried him in her back garden.

His body was not exhumed because of the amount of time that had passed, but the vet said that judging by the images of him and the limited information she had, he looked malnourished and had suffered the same physical and psychological abuse as Merlin.

Magistrates suspended Woodward’s 12-week custodial sentence for 12 months because they said the risk of her re-offending was low and there was 'strong personal mitigation’.

It was said she had health and mobility issues and hadn’t deliberately set out to harm the dogs.

She also accepted that conditions in her house were inappropriate and not fit for humans or animals.

Woodward, now of The Green in Hovingham, was also ordered to pay costs of £400 and a £154 victim surcharge.

She will be unable to contest her disqualification order for ten years.

Merlin remained in RSPCA care but sadly in the weeks that followed his physical and mental health continued to deteriorate and he was put to sleep on veterinary advice.