Why can't they be tougher on these 'people'?

Read in my local paper - Yorkshire Evening Post - This is literally 2 mins from my house - makes me sick to know it went on so close...

A COUPLE from Leeds put their dead dog out with the rubbish after allowing her to starve to death, a court heard.

Nathan Parker and Samantha Riley, of Boston Towers, Burmantofts, wrapped the body of Stella – a Staffordshire bull terrier – in a duvet cover and bin bag before dumping it.

The animal was found by RSPCA inspectors after a call to the charity’s cruelty line.

Inspector Sarah Bricoe said: “This dog starved and died in their home and was literally put out with the rubbish.”

Leeds Magistrates’ Court heard how the RSPCA found Stella among rubbish in the bin at the property on November 12 last year after receiving a tip-off from a concerned member of the public.

A vet estimated she had been starved for six to eight weeks before her death. Parker, 19, and Riley, 21, initially denied she was theirs, but backed down as evidence mounted up. Witnesses told investigators they owned the dog and CCTV showed them taking the bin bag out.

The duvet cover she was wrapped in matched the pillow cases in the couple’s flat.

They eventually pleaded guilty to three allegations under the Animal Welfare Act – failing to give Stella an adequate diet, causing unnecessary suffering by failing to investigate and treat her weight

loss and causing unnecessary suffering by failing to provide adequate veterinary attention.

Parker – currently in prison for other matters – was jailed for 16 weeks.

Riley was sentenced to 12 weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months.

She was also given a 30-day community order and ordered to pay £250 costs. Both were banned from keeping any animals for life.

Inspector Bricoe added: “This was a very serious case which has rightly resulted in a very serious sentence.

“This dog suffered for a long time – the vet estimated she was starved for six to eight weeks before contracting pneumonia in the last 48 hours, when she would have been struggling to breathe.

“In cases like this we always hope for a life ban on keeping animals as the best way of preventing others from suffering in future.”

Why suspend the sentence, just put her away straight away...are they really going to be bothers that they are banned for life? who is going to even be keeping an eye on them?

any animal crulety or child cruelty to me should be lifetime bans and tubes tied!

It's just horrible

12 & 16 weeks is a joke!

It really is a joke - they even had a pic of the dogs body (not its face), but i couldnt look at it...Why have the sentence suspended? Makes me want to go round there and lock them up & starve them, let them see how it feels.

starve them for weeks on end and see how they like it! Ridiculous. Stuff like this makes me cry

Omg that is horrid ... What I really want to know is how does this lifetime ban work? What's stopping them goin out and gettin another poor animal ... its not like we have to have licenses any more.... unfortunately.

It makes me so angry

I suggested on my face book page the other day, half in jest half serious, a new law.

Woodys new law. Mistreat an animal and you have to go through exactly the same suffering as you put them through!

B**tards. Those sentances are never enough

woody

disgusting!

We just have to be thankful that not everyone is like this , death penalty would be warranted in my book. I just fail to comprehend how anybody could even contemplate things like this . If I tread on the dogs paw I am racked with guilt