Kirkby man jailed and banned from keeping animals after neglecting dog

A man has been jailed and banned from keeping animals after his dog was seized by police from his squalid flat.

Steven Johnson, 24, from Kirkby, denied neglecting his bulldog, Diego, after he was taken on 27 June 2022.

Johnson was prosecuted by the RSPCA after the charity was sent photographs of the unhygienic and hazardous living conditions at the property. 

The 24-year-old denied neglecting the 18-month-old dog but was found guilty in his absence at a trial in February. 

Following a hearing at Liverpool Magistrates’ Court, he has now been disqualified from keeping animals for ten years and was given a 12-week prison sentence which will run concurrently to a custodial sentence he is already serving for unrelated matters.

A deprivation order was also imposed so the RSPCA to legally re-home Diego after Johnson had repeatedly refused to sign him over.

RSPCA Inspector, Lisa Lupson, visited the property on 29 June 2022 after being sent photographs of the flat which was filthy and littered with rubbish and used food cans, the court heard.

The officer told Johnson that his dog would not be able to return to living in such an unhygienic environment as he was committing animal welfare offences and he was given the opportunity to rectify the situation.

He told her he hadn’t been living at the flat and had already started to clean it up.

However, when Inspector Lupson returned to Westhead Avenue on 6 July 2022 to see if the conditions had improved she saw that the condition had not improved.

Inspector Lupson told the court: “Straight away I could see a large amount of flies and noted rubbish at the bottom and all the way up the stairs to the flat.

“At the top of the stairs I was greeted by more flies and a large pile of filled rubbish bags. 

“The floor was caked in dirt and there was nowhere clean to stand. Rubbish and household items also littered the floor.

"I was hesitant at this point to go further as I already knew the property was in no fit state for a human or an animal to live in.  

“When I saw the bathroom I had to try hard not to gag, it was in a disgusting condition.

"The sink was blocked with dirty water to the top and what appeared to be faeces caked to the toilet. The kitchen was filthy, again containing filled rubbish bags and the floor covered in dirt. 

“The bedroom was also in a similar condition with the floor caked in dirt and rubbish strewn on the bed and floor."

In his interview, Johnson then agreed that the living conditions for Diego were unsuitable and he was sorry for not meeting his dog’s needs.

Now, Diego is being looked after on behalf of the RSPCA and is doing well.

Speaking after the sentencing hearing at Liverpool Magistrates Court on 11 April 2023, Inspector Lupson said: “Conditions at the flat were unsanitary and hazardous and totally unsuitable for humans and animals to be living in.

"Diego is now enjoying life which is lovely to see. His welfare is much improved and we will be looking to re-home him.”

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