Castleford man jailed for cruelty to pet dog which suffered burns from cigarettes

Joe Bucktrout, 21, had initially denied causing a serious injury to the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, named Sasha, but changed his plea to guilty at Leeds Magistrates' Court.

He also changed a plea to guilty for failing to get veterinary treatment to the dog.

RSPCA inspector Vanessa Reid said: “We attended the address after we were passed a number of recordings taken over a four-day period where Bucktrout can be heard shouting at Sasha, there are loud bangs and Sasha is screaming.

“Sasha had sustained a number of severe injuries over several months including the dislocation of both hips - her left hip was out when we rescued her, which hadn’t had any veterinary attention, and she was operated on in RSPCA care.

“She also had three fractured ribs that were in the process of healing and severe and obvious scarring to her head, consistent, according to the veterinary expert, with burns most likely caused by cigarettes.

“In interview Bucktrout said that the first hip dislocation was due to an accident in the garden where a mattress had fallen on Sasha, and that he thought the second dislocation had happened when she was recovering from an operation to repair the first and fell down the stairs.

"However, the veterinary expert said that couldn’t be true and concluded that he believed the injuries were caused by intentional and repeated violence against her, which Bucktrout went on to admit in court.”

Bucktrout, of Lumley Avenue, was sentenced to 18 weeks for the first offence and 10 weeks for the second - to run concurrent - and a minimum of nine weeks in custody allowing for good behaviour and then supervision on licence. He was ordered to pay a £115 victim surcharge.

Victoria Louise Chamberlain, 20, -of Mickle Court, Temple Street, Castleford - and Bucktrout’s then-girlfriend and owner of Sasha was convicted in absence of two offences and a warrant issued for her arrest.

She was arrested earlier this week and is scheduled to appear at Leeds Magistrates’ Court for sentencing on Tuesday, December 3.

Sasha was signed over to the RSPCA earlier on in the process and has been happily rehomed.

Inspector Reid said: “I’m so happy for her. She’s such a wonderful, loving dog who just craves affection despite all that has happened to her.”