Police officers found guilty of abusing pet dogs

Two police officers from Prestatyn, North Wales, have been found guilty of abusing their pet dogs. They pleaded guilty in court to the offenses, and the court was shown a 20 minute film of footage of the two police officers kicking their dogs.

They face a possible jail term as a result of their offenses.

The two police officers, Anja Mason (29) and Craig Macleod (34) also risked being sacked from the police force over the incident. The evidence of them abusing their dogs was caught on camera by a neighbour, who then reported them to the RSPCA.

The video can be seen on the BBC website.

The two dogs, a collie puppy named Tess and a rottweiler named Snoopy, were both abused and kicked by the pair.

According to the prosecution, Glenn Murphy, the neighbour had notified the RSPCA repeatedly about cruelty but they could find no evidence when they visited, which prompted the neighbour to purchase video equipment so that they could gather their own evidence.

To her credit this lady purchased a camera and she took many hours of video footage.

In scenes on the video both police officers were observed mistreating the dogs, and Mason was seen kicking the puppy, Tess.

Wendy Gibbs, the Magistrates chairwoman, told the two officers:

There were several incidents of deliberate ill-treatment and frightening of the dogs.

You intentionally caused pain and suffering to both dogs and mental terror to both dogs.

You risked injury to both dogs by kicking them.

The case hinged on the evidence provided by the neighbour as there was no other evidence of abuse. As a result of the caring neighbour, the two dogs are now with the RSPCA and are being cared for.

Gethin Russell-Jones of the RSPCA stated:

There was no other evidence, and this neighbour had constructed this camera and concealed it and over the course of about a month…had captured these scenes.

Yes, that was crucial, and I’m sure as far as the court was concerned it was fairly striking evidence.

The fact that the two defendants were police officers didn’t prove a mitigating factor for the RSPCA, who are only interested in the well being of the animals involved.

We prosecute without discrimination, and always fairly, so their occupation is irrelevant as far as we’re concerned.

If we find that animals have been treated unfairly, cruelly, or there’s been unnecessary suffering, then the whole weight of the law comes down on them. The magistrate did say that, and it was a very harsh summing up.

The two officers currently remain in their jobs, but have been consigned to desk work until the proceedings are completed later next month.

Darren Jamieson