Co Antrim man who left five dogs to starve walks free from court on cruelty charges

Last month Conor Ward was jailed for six months for what a judge said was a “truly harrowing” case of animal cruelty but the 32-year-old appealed that sentence and today Judge Gerard McNamara replaced the jail sentence with a combination order of two years on probation and 100 hours of community service.

The judge told Antrim County Court of Appeal while it was a “very distressing case” involving cruelty to “defenceless animals,” he was varying the sentence because Ward’s cruelty was passive rather than active.

He was also taking account of other “personal mitigation” as well as Ward’s guilty pleas and remorse.

At an earlier hearing Ward, from Cranny Avenue in Carnlough, entered guilty pleas to five of the seven charges against him, all committed on 23 November 2020 at an address in Glenarm including three counts of causing dogs to suffer unnecessarily and two charges of failing to meet the reasonable needs of the dogs - three Staffordshire Bull Terriers and an English bull terrier.

A prosecuting lawyer told the court that on 23 November a neighbour reported dogs fighting in the back yard of the property in Glenarm and “within hours” animal inspectors had obtained a warrant to gain entry.

The property was vacant, there was no food in the cupboards and very little clothing but there was post in the defendant’s name, said the lawyer adding that when investigators looked in the rear concrete yard, they discovered the half eaten dead dog and four other animals.

It had died as a result of “significant trauma to the upper respiratory tract” and one of its hind legs had been eaten.

The four living dogs, three Staffordshire terriers and an English bull terrier, were all underweight, had no access to food or water or proper shelter, they had no clean bedding and all of them had cuts and wounds of varying ages.

One female Staffordshire was found “hiding in the back of a kennel and took some coaxing and reassurance” to entice her out and when she did emerge, they were fresh and bleeding wounds to her face and nose the court heard.

The lawyer also outlined that while “appearing stiff and sore” when they were initially seized, in the space of just four days of being fed and cared for by the council, two of the starved dogs had each gained just over two kilos and thankfully the four dogs found alive have all been successfully rehomed.

Lodging a plea in mitigation, defence counsel Grant Powles conceded “it’s an extremely serious case” but he said that at the time, Ward was dealing with “sensitive” personal issues at the time and had turned to cacti cocaine but he had expressed remorse for his actions.

“The thrust of my plea,” said the barrister, was for the court to impose a combination order to enable Ward to address those underlying sensitive issues.

Judge McNamara said although he could see the logic behind his fellow judge imposing a jail sentence for the “horrific” offences, he stressed again that Ward’s maltreatment had been passive rather than active or intended.

Imposing the combination order, he warned the defendant not to breach the order or he would be brought back and resentenced.

While Judge McNamara varied the prison sentence, he affirmed an order banning Ward from keeping, owning or transporting any animal for 20 years.