A hard-hearted brother and sister who allowed a neglected puppy to ‘slowly starve to death’ have triggered outrage after they avoided jail.
Police broke into the home of Sasha Jackson, 23, and Aiden Sherwood, 22, after receiving a tip-off from a concerned member of the public.
Inside, they found the emaciated body of a nine-month-old Cane Corso – an Italian breed of mastiff – called Biggie spreadeagled on the floor of the grimy living room, surrounded by children’s toys and excrement.
Muddy paw marks on the patio doors in the room suggested the pet had made desperate attempts to escape before dying.
A post-mortem examination was conducted by a vet who stated Biggie ‘would have experienced fear and distress as he slowly starved to death’, especially as he was left on his own at the house in Gorleston, near Great Yarmouth in Norfolk.
In a report handed to magistrates, the vet added the distress and suffering the dog experienced must have been ‘extreme’ and that his excruciating death would have ‘taken weeks or months’.
The siblings admitted causing unnecessary suffering to a dog by failing to provide adequate care and supervision between September 27, 2023, and November 27, 2023, resulting in its death.
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Nine-month-old Biggie (pictured), a Cane Corso puppy, was found dead surrounded by excrement and children’s toys
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Biggie was extremely thin and is believed to have suffered a slow and painful death from starvation and cruel neglect
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Sasha Jackson (pictured), of Norfolk, avoided jail after her Cane Corso puppy, Biggie, was found starved to death
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Aidan Sherwood (pictured) was also given a suspended sentence after his sister’s Cane Corso puppy was found starved to death
Sherwood was given a 20-week prison sentence, suspended for 12 months, and was ordered to complete 250 hours of unpaid work by Great Yarmouth magistrates during a hearing on Monday.
Jackson received a 15-week jail term, also suspended for a year, and must undertake mental health treatment.
But furious animal lovers immediately took to social media to criticise the ‘pathetic’ sentences, with one saying: ‘Absolutely sickening that the courts failed again.’
Another wrote: ‘What sort of sentencing is that! This world makes me sick.’
Biggie’s remains were discovered in the newbuild semi-detached house on November 27, 2023, and the RSPCA were called. A check on his microchip confirmed he belonged to Jackson.
RSPCA Inspector Ben Kirby, who investigated the case, said: ‘I could see and smell dog excrement littered all over the floors amongst piles of rubbish, children’s toys and personal effects.
‘The kitchen looked as though it had been ransacked and I could barely see the floor.
‘There were a set of double patio doors leading into the garden and there were muddy paw marks covering the lower portions of them as though something had been trying to escape.
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A view of the house where Biggie was starved to death in Gorleston near Great Yarmouth
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The house where Biggie was left to starve and die was filthy, covered in excrement
‘Lying on the floor between one sofa and the table was the emaciated body of a Cane Corso puppy. He was lying as though he’d fallen asleep, on his front with his head resting on the floor between his front paws.
‘In the 16 years I’ve been an Inspector, he was one of the thinnest animals I’ve ever seen.’
Inspector Kirby said he found no food or water sources available with ‘just empty bowls and torn packaging’ at the house.
It is not clear how often Biggie was given food or water or had any human contact but the vet’s report added he would have been confined to the house on his own for long periods of time and would have lived with near-constant ‘pangs of hunger and thirst’.
The offence, under the Animal Welfare Act 2004, stated that they knew or ought to have known that the failure to do so would cause suffering or would be likely to do so.
However, the offence she and her brother admitted under Section 4 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006 states that they knew or ought to have known that the failure would caused unnecessary suffering or be likely to do so.
Both were also disqualified from keeping all animals ‘until further notice’ and ordered to pay a £154 victim surcharge.
A Norfolk Police spokeswoman said: ‘Police were called to an address following reports of unnecessary suffering of an animal.
‘Officers attended and forced entry to the property where they discovered a deceased dog.’
