Derbyshire has seen some horrendous examples of animal abuse in recent times – in fact, the RSPCA says there were 361 reports of animal beatings in the county last year – that’s almost one a day.
Animal abuse can be anything from physical torment and neglect to poor living conditions and abandonment.
The perpetrators – if they are found – often fancy lengthy bans from keeping animals and in some cases, people are banned from keeping animals for life.
Below are a list of deplorable cases which have seen innocent animals forced to suffer in Derbyshire:
Warning – this article contains images some readers might find distressing
Decade-long ban for women who forced German Shepherd to suffer
Narla was found in an emaciated state when the RSPCA took her from the previous owners(Image: RSPCA)
Melissa Harrison and Megan Chapman, both aged 26 and of Penncroft Lane in Danesmoor, Clay Cross, pleaded guilty to failing to meet the needs of a dog called Narla, a three-year-old German Shepherd.
Chesterfield Magistrates’ Court was told how the pup was found in a very poor condition at Chapman’s property. She was underweight, suffering from fur loss and riddled with fleas.
Animal Rescue Officer Lucy Kingsley, who attended at the address on June 25 last year, said: “Narla’s ribs, vertebrae and pelvic bones were clearly visible and she had significant fur loss, concentrated around her back end and her skin was dry in bony areas.”
Harrison told the officer that Narla “had gone off her food” for a week a month previously, but she had not been seen by a vet.
The dog was taken by the animal rescue officer to a vet who signed a seizure order so she could be taken into the care of the animal charity.
A veterinary expert who examined the canine scored her two out of nine in a body condition score, where five is an ideal weight.
She said the dog was emaciated and had an untreated flea infestation with a secondary skin disease. She was likely to have been neglected for between six to 12 weeks.
Court was told that mitigating circumstances for the defendants were they both had suffered from mental health challenges.
As well as a 10-year-ban from keeping animals, the pair were also handed a 12-week suspended prison sentence and told to pay victim surcharges of £154.
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Couple banned from keeping animals after forcing snake to suffer
Frank the snake died after being left to starve for months(Image: RSPCA)
Stephen Brown, 53, and Annette Harris, 37, both of Dean Close in Bollington, were found to have abandoned a pet snake for around three weeks following the end of a tenancy.
The RSPCA were called to a home in Station Road, Hadfield, in October 2024 after an estate agent reported an abandoned snake following the end of a tenancy.
Animal Rescue Officer (ARO) Lee Ferrans told a court hearing in July this year that, upon arrival, the flat was cold and dark, and that the previous tenants had vacated the property three weeks prior.
He said: “Inside the flat, I observed a corn snake within a vivarium. There was no water or visible food, and no heating or lighting was operational within the enclosure.
“The snake was moving, and… he looked underweight, with his body appearing more triangular than round, which is not consistent with a healthy condition.”
The snake, named Frank, was taken for veterinary treatment.
Clinical findings at the time included “non-regenerative anaemia and an immune response indicative of a debilitated snake with evidence of a response to infection”.
Clinical records also indicated that starvation was estimated to have been for at least four months.
On October 17, Frank’s weight had increased to 470g and was discharged to a fosterer for ongoing support and feeding.
However, he later died, with the post-mortem report concluding that the cause of death was believed to be from “chronic wasting resulting in terminal septicaemia”.
Brown and Harris were found guilty of one animal welfare offence following an investigation and prosecution by the RSPCA.
Alongside a 10-year ban from owning all animals, the pair were also sentenced to an 18-month community order, with 15 rehabilitation activity requirement days, and a nine month drug rehabilitation requirement.
They were also fined £180 at the sentencing hearing.
In mitigation, both defendants cited bereavement and remorse for their actions.
Man ‘lucky’ to avoid prison after dogs found living with ‘piles of mouldy faeces’
The dogs were seized by police as evidence and immediately taken to two veterinary practices.(Image: RSPCA)
Three dogs were found living among mouldy piles of faeces and excrement at an address in Queens Walk, Holmewood, belonging to 29-year-old Adam Gee.
In what the courts heard was one of the “most appalling cases of animal mistreatment“, three dogs were found living among mouldy piles of faeces and excrement at the address after the RSPCA was told Gee had left the house and wasn’t thought to be returning.
RSPCA Animal Rescue Officer (ARO) Neil Coleman removed the dogs from the address, and in his statement to the court he described how it was difficult to move anywhere inside without stepping in faeces.
He said: “There were three dogs within the property, a female German Shepherd type named Luna, a male German Shepherd type named Chaos and a male terrier cross named Toby.
“There was no food or water seen down for the dogs and no clean comfortable resting space.”
The dogs were seized by police as evidence and immediately taken to two veterinary practices.
Photographs taken by the RSPCA showed the extremely poor conditions the dogs had been living in over a prolonged period.
Piles of faeces were present in the hallway and smeared on the floors, doors and furniture.
The banister at the bottom of the stairs and the cupboard doors in the hall had also been chewed, while there were further piles of mouldy excrement in the kitchen covering the majority of the floor.
The rest of the area was darker in colour from urine and faecal smearing. The bathroom floor was also covered in dog waste and the door had been chewed through.
Court heard Gee had not been back at the house for four days, and food and water for the dogs was being provided by other people.
A vet who gave written evidence in the case said Gee had failed to provide the dogs with clean, dry and comfortable resting places.
She said the accumulation of faeces and urine in the house could harbour bacteria and cause the dogs and their owner to become ill.
In their sentencing remarks magistrates, who suspended Gee’s 12-week prison sentence for 12 months, said: “This was a disgraceful case of neglect.
“You left these dogs in squalid filthy conditions without food or water. This has clearly been going on for a long period of time and the animals have been caused considerable harm.”
In mitigation the court was told that Gee, who was also ordered to pay £750 costs and a victim surcharge of £154, was suffering from mental health issues.
He was also banned from keeping animals for life.
Read the full story here.
Freddy the cat shot by an air rifle
X-ray images show the pellet lodged near his spine(Image: RSPCA)
Freddy the cat went missing for five days in August, and when he returned his owners were shocked to find he had been shot by an air rifle.
It is believed he was shot in the vicinity of Priors Barn Close and Conway Avenue in Borrowash between August 13 and August 18.
The RSPCA launched an appeal into the incident, with a spokesperson saying: “Freddy was shot by an air rifle pellet in Derbyshire, and we need your help to find out who did it.
“Freddy went missing for five days and returned with an air rifle pellet lodged next to his spine. We believe the incident may have happened in the vicinity of Priors Barn Close or Conway Avenue in Borrowash.
“If you witnessed anything, have footage or any other information that could help, please reach out, and share if you live locally.
“If you have any information that could help us in our investigation, please call us on 0300 123 8018, quoting incident number 01883678.”
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Lifetime ban for man who neglected dog with ‘foul-smelling tumour’
The tumour was described as ‘pungent'(Image: RSPCA)
Jeremy Stephen O’Keefe, of Tower Street in Derby, was given a suspended prison sentence and a lifetime ban on keeping all animals after being found guilty of neglecting a dog he owned whilst in breach of an existing disqualification order.
He was sentenced at Derby and Southern Derbyshire Magistrates Court in May to 18 weeks imprisonment, suspended for two years, and a 16 week imprisonment, to run concurrently, suspended for two years for each offence. He was also ordered to pay costs £750 and victim surcharge £154.
An RSPCA investigation was launched after 10 year-old Alaskan Malamute, called Kodiak, was found significantly overweight and struggling at O’Keefe’s Derby home with a large, ulcerated, and infected anal mass, causing severe pain and restricting his ability to sit comfortably.
The investigation also revealed that 74-year-old O’Keefe had been in breach of a lifetime animal ban, imposed in April 2017.
RSPCA animal rescue officer (ARO) Ross Allan attended the property in April 2025, where he discovered the dog with a “watermelon-sized”, bleeding, and foul-smelling, tumour on his rear.
Despite O’Keefe possessing an unopened bottle of prescribed pain relief, Kodiak did not appear to have received recent physical veterinary intervention despite his rapidly deteriorating condition.
ARO Allan described the moment he first saw the extent of Kodiak’s condition: “A pungent, foul odour was immediately noticeable upon approaching the doorway.
“The stench intensified as I entered the premises. The animal presented with a severely inflamed, watermelon-sized tumour located on his rear end
“The tumour was visibly engorged and appeared to be the origin of the overwhelming odour and appeared to be bleeding. Kodiak needed to be seen by a vet immediately.”
With O’Keefe’s permission, ARO Allan transported Kodiak to RSPCA Newbrook Animal Hospital in Birmingham for urgent examination.
The vet concluded that O’Keefe failed to take reasonable steps to protect his dog from pain, suffering, injury and disease after failing to provide necessary pain relief for the large untreated tumour, while also failing to manage the dog’s obesity.
Kodiak’s prognosis was very poor, so with the permission of O’Keefe, the dog was put to sleep.
In mitigation, the court was told that the defendant is 74 years of age and has health issues, and that his relationship with Kodiak clouded his judgement in providing palliative care, as he didn’t want the dog to die.
The court was also told that while O’Keefe accepted that the court record is correct, he claimed to have no knowledge of the existing disqualification order.
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‘Gentle’ cats abandoned in box next to broken tent in field
A view of where the cats were found(Image: RSPCA)
When two “gentle-natured” Tabby cats, believed to be siblings, were abandoned in a cardboard box near George Street in Church Gresley in January, an RSPCA spokesperson said it was “really sad that such sweet cats have been let down like this”.
The resident who found the cats asked people living nearby if anyone recognised them, but no one did, so she took them home and contacted the RSPCA.
They were collected by one of the charity’s Animal Rescue Officers, Tom Hall, and taken to a local vet to be checked over, before being transferred to the RSPCA’s Birmingham Animal Hospital.
The cats, who were around two years old and have been named Tom Jones and Melinda, had heavy worm burdens.
The female also had scarring from a previously ruptured eye, which the vet said is not causing her any ongoing issues.
After being vaccinated and treated for fleas and worms, the siblings were transferred to the RSPCA’s Hillfield Animal Centre at Stretton.
Staff there said the pair were closely bonded and have gentle-natured temperaments.
The charity said it was in the process of rehoming the cats.
Read the full story here.