BAn for mAn who lEft Dogs to DiE in hot CAr

Court told pets would have suffered panic, fear and stress

A man who let his three dogs die in a baking hot car in June has been banned from keeping animals for 10 years. Jonathan Theobald (65) of Lincoln Road, Peterborough, was visiting a gym in Hampton when his three dogs - Daisy, Mitch and Rascal - where left in his car in the car park.

When he returned after five hours in the gym, the three Staffordshire Bull Terrier-type dogs had died as a result of the heat.

On Wednesday he appeared at Peterborough Magistrates Court, after he pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary cruelty to a protected animal at a previous hearing.

William Powell, prosecuting, told the court a post mortem carried out on the three dogs showed they would have ‘shown signs of panic, fear stress and injuries having tried to escape from the car.”

Thecourtheardstaffatthe gym saw Theobald carrying the dogs around 3pm in what they thought wasanapparent attempt to bury the dogs behind the gym - and they called the police.

Richard Brown, defending, said Theobald had been a ‘model dog owner’ before the incident, and had learnt his lesson from the case.

RSPCA inspector Justin Stubbs said temperatures on the dayhadreachedabout19C - and even mild temperatures were dangerous to dogs.

He said: “This very sad story shows that the reality is that a dog left in a car faces a very probable risk of suffering, or possible death. Even on a mild day, temperatures inside a parked car can soar very quickly.”

Theobaldwasalsoordered to pay£250prosecutioncosts, avictimsurchargeof£115, and a £1,500 fine.