CONVICTED (2023) | Craig A Lee, born 20 April 1982, of 376 West End Road, Haydock, St Helens WA11 0AY – fatally injured his elderly dog after kicking and punching her before attacking her with a metal pole Dog killer Craig Lee aka “Crazy Craig” from Haydock in the Borough of St Helens, Merseyside Lee, who calls himself “Crazy Craig”, kicked 12-year-old springer spaniel Carly so hard his shoe came off. He then beat the petrified dog repeatedly around the head and body with the pole, causing unsurvivable injuries. The wounded dog was taken to a vet and put to sleep. Victim Carly. The elderly dog suffered catastrophic injuries at the hands of her evil owner Lee’s attack on Carly was witnessed by his carer Ceri Pickering. The court heard that Ms Pickering would regularly see Lee become violent towards Carly, shouting at the dog and raising his fists. On one visit she watched him punch Carly in the face. She said the dog would urinate in terror any time Lee came towards her. On July 10, 2022, police contacted Ms Pickering with welfare concerns for Lee. She arrived at the address to find him in bed. No food or water had been provided for Carly so Ms Pickering tended to her. Carly urinated as Lee approached her and he reacted by kicking her in the head, losing a shoe in the process. The dog yelped in pain and urinated again. Lee went to the kitchen and returned with a metal pole, saying “watch this now” and thrashed the dog over and over again. Ms Pickering tried to get between Lee and Carly and was also hit with the pole although she said this had not been deliberate. She managed to get the pole off Lee and called the police after Lee told her he would “stab” the dog if she left. Ms Pickering agreed to look after Carly who was described as having “glazed eyes” and being “unable to walk”. Veterinary examination showed that Carly had suffered internal injuries and brain damage from which she could not recover. There was no other option but to put her to sleep. On August 1, 2022, Lee visited Ms Pickering’s address after sending her a series of menacing text messages, one of which said it was “payback time”. Lee began “violently kicking the door” saying he would “smash up the house” and calling Ms Pickering a “grass”. She described being so scared that she locked her 11-year-old daughter in the bathroom before contacting the police. On arrest, Lee was heard to tell officers that he “didn’t care” about going to prison because “Altcourse is like a holiday”. The court heard that Lee had 13 previous convictions for 16 offences. Lee pleaded guilty to three counts of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal and one of intimidating a witness, In mitigation, Lee’s solicitor told the court that Carly was already poorly with cancer and end-stage kidney disease. He said it had been agreed that her death had not been solely caused by Lee’s vicious assault. He described Lee as suffering from a “psychotic episode” brought on by “drinking to excess” and added that the defendant had a long history of mental health difficulties. He added Lee had “felt betrayed” by Ms Pickering contacting the police and that their relationship was “not a supportive one and they were not on the best of terms”. Recorder Eric Lamb, said the defendant’s behaviour had been “violent and abusive”. He added: “The twilight years of that animal were made entirely miserable,” Sentencing | one-year prison sentence, suspended for two years. Five year restraining order; six months of alcohol treatment; 25 days of rehabilitation activity. No mention of a ban. St Helens Star