Community Order for Client Charged with Animal Offence

Case study summary

Our client was charged with causing unnecessary suffering to an animal. We presented strong mitigation to the court and she was able to avoid custody as a community order was issued. This allowed our client to focus on her mental health and continue to support her family.

Case study

Our client instructed us after being charged with causing unnecessary suffering to an animal. The allegation was that the dog had been neglected which led to its death. Our client informed us that, at the time her dog had unfortunately died, her partner was acting as the primary carer because she was heavily pregnant and bedbound. Because of this, our client entered a not guilty plea at her first court hearing.

To prepare for trial, we ensured that we had all of the relevant papers from the prosecution and that full instructions were taken from the client. She was represented by our expert solicitors at each hearing. This process and the passing of our client's dog was having a significant impact on her mental health, and she eventually decided to change her plea to guilty as she accepted that she also had responsibility for caring for the dog.

The prosecution believed that custody was an appropriate sentence given the seriousness of the offence, however, we disagreed. We persuaded the court that this was not appropriate in the circumstances and presented full mitigation on our client’s behalf. Because of this, she was sentenced to a 12-month community order. Our client was grateful for this result and the opportunity to be able to focus on improving her mental health and continue to care and support her family.