Clacton man sentenced at Colchester Magistrates after RSPCA case

Ronnie Calver, 34, of Berkley Road, Clacton, appeared before Colchester Magistrates’ Court on March 28 for sentencing.

He had been found guilty at an earlier trial of causing unnecessary suffering to a cross- breed dog known as Marley, by failing to investigate and address the cause of the dog’s lameness and the hard mass affecting its pelvic area.

The Magistrates found him not guilty of failing to provide adequate nutrition for the animal’s needs. He was also sentenced to an 18-month community order, with 15 days rehabilitation activity requirement, 150 hours unpaid work and ordered to pay £1000 in costs.

The court heard that Marley was taken to a vet by the RSPCA in the June 2021, after she had been removed from the home by another person.

Animal Rescue Officer Rebecca Yarrow said: “She was lying down outside, not willing to stand. Her face appeared to be sunken with no muscle tone. She also had a large, hard mass on the left side of her pelvis and looked to be very underweight.”

Marley was taken to a vet and given pain relief, where she was made comfortable. A further examination found that the large mass was a bone tumour, which had been eating into Marley’s lower pelvis and spine.

It was decided that her pain was too much, with a vet noting that under the circumstances, the kindest thing to do was to put her to sleep.

A vet who examined Marley said: “I believe without doubt that this dog was suffering due to the degree of pain she was in.

“This suffering could have been reduced by pain relief medication in the weeks preceding her being presented to us.

“I believe this dog would likely have been suffering for a period of at least 4-six weeks due to the size of the mass and the amount of destruction of the bone seen on the radiograph.

“The needs of this animal were clearly not being met as it would have been very clear even to a novice owner that this dog was in pain and was unable to walk as a normal dog should be able to.”