7:10am Friday 19th September 2008


By Catherine Pye »

A COUPLE left four dogs behind at their old home without food or water in one of the ‘worst animal cruelty cases ever seen’.

David Sabin, 26, and his wife Joanne Sabin, 22, from Darwen, locked the dogs inside the house after moving.

The animals were left for six days before the RSPCA broke down the door after calls from worried neighbours.

Inside officers found one of the severely underweight German Shepherd-type dogs drinking from a puddle of its own urine.

The animals were in an ‘absolutely filthy condition’, covered in faeces and some suffering from infections, a court heard.

RSPCA officers also found two dwarf rabbits in a cage with no food or water, a quail and three finches in a ‘filfthy’ cage and two dead fish in a ‘dirty’ tank.

The couple admitted four counts of causing unnecessary suffering to two dogs and two counts of failing to provide a suitable environment and diet for animals.

They were banned from keeping animals for five years, given a year-long supervision order, told to do 100 hours unpaid work and pay £250 towards the £7,165.97 costs of the case.

After the case Inspector Simon Small said: “ think it was a fair judgement, but I wish the disqualification had been for life.

"It is one of the worst cases of neglect I have come across in the seven years I have been an RSPCA inspector.

"It absolutely stank in that house. It was awful and appalling.

“They were left to suffer.

"Hopefully it will be a deterrent for Mr and Mrs Sabin in the future or for anyone else to know that animal neglect can end in court.”

The couple abandoned the animals on March 8 when they moved from Elijah Street, Preston, to Heys Lane Darwen.

The RSPCA first visited the house on March 10 and monitored the property for the next few days.

By March 14, no one had turned up so the RSPCA and police broke down the door.

The couple were traced when David Sabin turned up at the house on March 19, 11 days after abandoning the animals.

When the RSPCA searched their new home in Darwen they found 14 dogs living in ‘dirty conditions’.

All animals were seized by the RSPCA and are being nurtured back to health.

When questioned at Blackburn Police Station, the Sabins admitted to being responsible for all animals in question.

At Preston Magistrates’ Court yesterday, defence solicitor Gary McAnulty said "the adequacy of care of dogs is without question".

But he told the court David Sabin had asked a friend in Blackpool to look after the animals.

Prosecutor Jonathan Sail told the court the RSPCA believed this was untrue and that the couple had left the animals to fend for themselves.

Mr McAnulty asked the district judge not to disqualify the couple from keeping animals.

He said: "Mrs Sabin has depression and having animals greatly helps her."

But District Judge Peter Ward said the animals could not be used as ‘an emotional prop’.

He said: “These animals were left in an absolutely filthy condition.

"There has been no proper realisation of the needs of these animals.

"The story that you arranged someone to look after the animals is unrealistic.

"There was nothing to stop either of you from coming back from Darwen to look after these animals.”

The £7165.97 costs include £3766.15 for the animals’ boarding fees and £1787.65 in legal fees

Darwen couple left animals for six days without food and water (From This Is Lancashire)

Thats really fair judgment i think...

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