Birmingham man who claimed dog's injuries were caused by 'falling down stairs' is jailed

A man who claimed his dog's horrific injuries were caused by 'falling down the stairs' has been jailed and banned from keeping animals.

Five-month-old puppy Pepsi was found by the RSPCA in a skeletal state with burns, fractured ribs and mis-shaped lame legs. Owner Dontea West, 19, claimed he'd accidentally fallen on the dog and knocked over a hot drink, but experts say the injuries were caused by abuse.

He was convicted of five offences under the Animal Welfare Act - admitting one and later found guilty of four more after a trial at Birmingham Crown Court.

West, from Birmingham, was given a three-month prison sentence on Monday (August 5) and banned from keeping animals for 10 years. The court heard how a neighbour raised the alarm in March 2023 and RSPCA officers attended West's address, where he spun a web of lies.

Pepsi had suffered fractured ribs and a fracture to the left side of his neck while his back legs were completely lame. Vets found his front left leg was misshapen and abnormally bendy while a chunk of his fur on the side of his body had been burnt off.

RSPCA Inspector Vicki Taylor, who attended the address, said: “Pepsi was clearly lame on the back end and was extremely wobbly, his back left leg was not weight bearing. West informed me that he had fallen on the dog when carrying Pepsi down the stairs and injured the dog.

“The front left leg of the dog Pepsi also looked misshapen and abnormally bendy. There was fur loss on the side of the dog which West stated was a burn as he had had a hot drink which the dog, Pepsi had knocked over and burned himself.”

The court heard how the puppy had all the tell-tale signs of animal abuse and was unable to walk properly.

An expert vet witness who investigated the case said in a statement, presented to court: “While in the care of West, Pepsi sustained a number of skeletal fractures on various locations of his body.

"He also sustained a scald injury to the right side of the chest which was not consistent with an accidental spillage of a hot drink.

“Rib fractures are a common abuse finding in cats and dogs. In animal abuse cases, rib fractures may occur due to focal application of force, which includes the animal being struck, kicked, stomped or thrown against a blunt object.

"The finding of bilateral rib fractures is a strong suspicious indicator of abuse. In my opinion the evidence in this case indicates that a number of diagnostic indicators are satisfied and ‘Pepsi’ has been caused to suffer as a consequence of physical abuse.

“Suffering will have been experienced by this animal via mechanisms of fear, distress and pain on a number of occasions.”

Speaking after the sentencing, Inspector Taylor said: “West stated that Pepsi received these injuries accidentally, but following a trial the courts decided otherwise. It is heartbreaking that Pepsi was treated in this way.”

West was also handed a further two-month prison sentence for possessing a bladed article and a one-month prison sentence for assault, which will run consecutively.