Vet nurse poisoned her pet dog
A Scots veterinary nurse at a private clinic deliberately poisoned her pet dog in a bizarre case of animal cruelty.
Georgina Bretman, 28, injected her cocker spaniel, Florence, with a drug that made the animal collapse and suffer from convulsions and seizures. She was handed a community payback order as a “direct alternative” to jail.
A Scots veterinary nurse at a private clinic who deliberately poisoned her pet dog in a bizarre case of animal cruelty has been spared jail.
Georgina Bretman, 28, injected her black-and-white cocker spaniel, Florence, with a drug that made the animal collapse and suffer from convulsions and seizures.
The damage was so severe that the two-year-old dog could have ended up in a coma or even dead.
Bretman was convicted – after a trial at Glasgow Sheriff Court – of causing the animal unnecessary suffering on 23 June, 2013, by injecting her with insulin.
Although no explanation was offered as to why the vet nurse had harmed her pet, the court was told that she was an “attention-seeker”.
On one occasion her employer gave Bretman an evening off – then correctly predicted that, within a few hours, the dog would suddenly become ill and be brought back to the surgery requiring emergency treatment.
It is understood to be the first prosecution and conviction of its kind of an owner harming their dog in such a way.
Sheriff Joan Kerr found Bretman, of Rhu, Helensburgh, guilty of a charge under the Animal Health and Welfare Act, of injecting Flo with insulin resulting in her requiring immediate treatment to “avoid coma or death”.
Florence the dog has been under the care of the SSPCA since the allegations against Bretman came to light and has since returned to good health.
Yesterday, Bretman was handed a community payback order as a “direct alternative” to jail, with the condition that she must carry out 140 hours of unpaid work.
Sheriff Kerr said: “Flo was vulnerable and completely dependant on you for her care.
“Your motivation to cause her this suffering may never be known, you have chosen not to shed any light on that when you spoke to a social worker.
“You have expressed no remorse for causing Flo such suffering.”
The sheriff ordered that Flo not be returned to her care but rather sold or re-housed as the SSPCA see fit, and that she be disqualified from owning or possessing a dog for two years.
It was noted Bretman harmed her own pet in her leisure time, not any animals which she worked with, and is not banned from working with animals.
Vets at the out-of-hours practice Pet A&E where Bretman worked became suspicious after Florence was brought in for emergency treatment on several separate occasions – always suffering from the same mysterious symptoms.
She started working as a veterinary nurse in 2011 for the clinic in the Kinning Park area of Glasgow.
Scottish SPCA inspector Laura Mcintyre said: “Unfortunately this dog has missed out on a very large chunk of her life due to the length of time it has taken for the case to go through the courts.
“It has taken only now, over four years later at almost seven years old, she is able to start looking for a lovely new home. Bretman caused Florence a great deal of unnecessary suffering and whilst we’re disappointed that the disqualification isn’t longer we do welcome the fact she has been dealt with by the court.”