CONVICTED (2021) | Chantelle Bigby aka Chantelle Coleman, born c. 1997, of 14th Avenue, Hull HU6 9LJ and Lester Varley-Wade, born c. 2001, of Terry Street, Hull HU3 1UD – left their starving dog locked in a house for so long, he began eating jeans and cans to survive. Chantelle Bigby and Lester Varley-Wade, who are parents, had abandoned their dog Etsio at an address registered to Bigby while they had some ‘alone time’ at a different house. RSPCA officers made multiple visits to the address in January 2020 after receiving reports for a concerned member of the public and managed to feed the animal through the letterbox. Through their investigation they were able to ascertain that black and tan male cross breed Etsio had been neglected by the couple for at least six days, the animal was said to be emaciated with his ribs and bone structure protruding through his skin. Officers found that the dog’s faeces was full of denim and discovered chewed cans littered around the property, which the distressed animal had eaten in desperation. Bigby and Varley-Wade were previously found guilty in their absence after failing to appear at an earlier trial date. They were sentenced separately in court, with the facts of the case being presented during Bigby’s appearance and then only touched on briefly during that of Varley-Wade. The court heard that the RSPCA made multiple visits to the address after receiving a call from a concerned member of the public on January 17, 2020. Officers used tape placed on entrances and letters affixed to the door of the property to see if anyone had entered the house, they executed a warrant to enter the property to assess the conditions and found Etsio living in misery. Mr Brown representing the RSPCA said: “The rooms were cluttered with all sorts of hazardous items including cans which showed evidence of being chewed. “There was a large amount of fecal matter throughout the property including clusters in the kitchen, these showed evidence of having amounts of denim in them possibly from the piles of clothes left around the rooms. “The way that the animal tackled the food that was given to it after examination by a veterinary surgeon suggested that it was at the point of starvation. “Etsio had defecated in the officer’s car on the way to the vet and the significance of this was that examination revealed the majority of the fecal matter at that point was denim.” Officers continued to monitor that address and it wasn’t until January 27 that they found evidence that there had been an entry to the property. It was Chantelle Bigby who presented herself as the occupant and was told by officers that she was under investigation for her neglect of Etsio. In an interview she claimed that she had arranged with a friend to look after the dog during the time that she was away but was unable to provide contact details for that friend as she had subsequently fallen out with her. During Varley-Wade’s sentencing, Mr Brown told the court: “The dog had been left at the address because he couldn’t be taken to Mr Varley-Wade’s accommodation. “He claimed that they left the dog alone when they needed some peace and quiet and alone time and said that it was never more than two days.” Sentencing: Bigby – 12-month community order with 20 day rehabilitation activity requirement; costs of £260. 10-year ban (expires November 2031). Varley-Wade – 12 month community order with 15 days of rehabilitation activity; costs of £260. Five-year ban (expires November 2026). Hull Daily Mail