Ellesmere Port couple banned from keeping animals for 10 years

Maya, a crossbreed Mastiff-type puppy, went through her sickening ordeal while living with Craig Shingler and Esha Proudlove at a house on Shakespeare Road, Neston.

The couple, now of Conway Court, Ellesmere Port, have been banned from keeping animals for ten years following the beatings carried out by Proudlove, which led to the young dog suffering from broken ribs and a punctured lung – just weeks after she had suffered two suspected head traumas.

At their trial, Proudlove, 18, pleaded guilty to three animal welfare offences while Shingler, 24, admitted two when they appeared before Wirral Magistrates’ Court.

Proudlove admitted she was behind the abuse and Shingler admitted he was present when the incidents happened but did nothing to prevent them.

The RSPCA has confirmed that Maya – now renamed Roo – and another dog owned by the couple at the time, named Milo, were rehabilitated by staff at the Southport and Ormskirk district branch and have since both been rehomed.

Maya is enjoying life with a new family and has recently enjoyed holidaying in Scotland.

Inspector Anthony Joynes said: "I am in touch with her new owners who were initially fostering her but they fell in love so adopted her.

"She looks fantastic, and is now at her normal body weight.

"Her coat looks immaculate and from the photographs I have seen she is clearly loving life. I am so pleased for her as she is such a lovely dog and it is always great to see a happy ending."

Maya was taken to a nearby vets following an incident at the home she lived at with the couple in Neston on November 13, 2020.

They said the injuries were caused to 15-week-old Maya when she tried to free herself from a crate at the property.

The following day the RSPCA were called to investigate following an anonymous call from a member of the public who was concerned the Maya was being beaten.

Inspector Joynes was sent out and soon discovered that just a few weeks earlier – on October 17 – Maya had been taken to a vet with a severe head trauma, which Proudlove claimed had occurred when Maya had fallen off the settee after being nudged by her other dog Milo.

PIC: RSPCA

The following day Maya was presented at the vets again after it was claimed she had a seizure and she was sore around the neck.

After consulting with a veterinary surgeon, Anthony was told that in his expert opinion both dogs were at serious risk of harm and should be removed.

The veterinary expert suspected Maya had been kicked with force and the head trauma may have been caused by strangulation.

On Sunday, November 15, Anthony attended the property – along with officers from Cheshire Police – to remove the dogs and place them in RSPCA care.

While inside he also questioned the couple about the injuries to Maya.

Proudlove suggested a family member had squeezed Maya causing the rib fractures, while the pair claimed the head injury was the result of her falling from a low sofa after she was nudged by Milo.

Inspector Joynes told the court: "Shingler accounted for the head injury Maya sustained on October 16, saying that the puppy had fallen off the sofa onto the floor.

"He advised that both him and Proudlove had witnessed the incident and that Maya had been on the sofa with second dog Milo and that Maya had fallen off the edge of the sofa.

"I was shown exactly where this had occurred with Shingler pointing out the exact spot. This was not the arm of the sofa or the back of the sofa but the seating area of a low lying sofa. Proudlove confirmed this account to be true.

"I noted that Esha had two toes on her foot strapped together and enquired about how that had happened. She stated that she had ‘tripped up’ over."

A concerned neighbour spoke to Inspector Joynes when he was at the premises and said he was convinced the pair were beating the dogs.

He said they were often shouting at each other and heard the dogs yelp, adding that he was happy to provide a statement.

The man said he was aware the couple had a young Staffordshire Bull Terrier-type but had not seen him taken outside and said the the dog was toileting in the flat as the smell from the property of faeces and urine was “overwhelming” with many residents reporting the matter to the local council.

He also heard noises coming from the flat and had challenged the couple as he feared for the safety of the pet but Proudlove said he yelped when she put his harness on.

Then on October 15 he was aware the couple had also taken on another puppy and two days later he heard another loud bang come from the flat.

The court was told that the couple's explanation of what happened to Maya changed on a number of occasions and none were consistent with the severity of her injuries.

PIC: RSPCA

An independent veterinary expert said: “It would be totally inconsistent that a puppy of Maya’s size would sustain a significant head injury if she fell off the sofa.

"It would be highly unlikely that firstly she would land on her head and secondly if she did there would not be sufficient force to cause the clinical signs that resulted.

"Furthermore the following morning Maya was noted to have bleeding into her sclera on one of eyes which would be associated with a very high force blow to the head or a direct blow to that eye.

"The alternative mechanism is strangulation which would also be consistent with the clinical findings of neck pain when seen by the vets.

"What is clear is that the account given as to how the accident occurred is utterly inconsistent with a scleral bleed. Of even more concern is that this worsens and then is noted in the other eye and it would be my expert opinion that this would reflect a second incident of injury subsequent to the first presentation."

Shingler admitted causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal between October 15, 2020 and November 13, 2020.

He also admitted not taking reasonable steps to ensure the needs for an animal in relation to Milo between April 9 and April 13, 2020.

He was handed a 10-week prison sentence suspended for one year. He must also complete 10 hours Rehabilitation Activity Requirement and 150 hours of unpaid work. He was also ordered to pay costs and a victim surcharge of the same amount.

Proudlove admitted two counts of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal between October 15 and November 13, 2020, in relation to Maya and not taking reasonable steps to ensure the needs for an animal in relation to Milo before October 15.

At their sentencing hearing, Proudlove was handed a 12-week prison sentence suspended for one year, ordered to complete 20 hours Rehabilitation Activity Requirement and handed an eight-week curfew from 7pm to 7am.

She was also ordered to pay £250 costs and a £128 victim surcharge.