CONVICTED (2018) | Eugene Stanley Crooks, born 1945, of Elmstone Gardens, Hemlington, Middlesbrough TS8 9EL – left his elderly dog to become emaciated, flea-infested, with rotten teeth and in a state of constant pain. Eugene Crooks neglected his 16-year-old dog Barney while ‘failing to notice his condition’. He admitted to an RSPCA officer that he only fed him Weetabix on a morning and a small tray of dog food at night. Crooks pleaded guilty to four counts of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal at Teesside Magistrates’ Court. John Ellwood, prosecuting on behalf of the RSPCA, told the court that Barney suffered between August and November 2017. He said: “On November 13, the RSPCA went to Crooks’ home. “The premises smelt strongly of urine but also that typical smell associated with infection. “He had apparently been fed on Weetabix with a small tray of dog food on an evening. There was no clinical reason why the dog should be underweight. “He had been starved.” After the RSPCA took Barney in, he was found to have “severe dental disease” that was extremely painful to him and a number of his teeth had to be removed as a result. He also had chronic arthritis and an untreated skin disease, which may have been caused by chronic flea infestation. There were also visible fleas on him. Mr Ellwood added: “He was anaemic as a result of blood loss. “The suffering in this case is extreme and the neglect prolonged.” Barney had to be put down by a vet after his kidneys failed not long after being rescued. Before sentencing, chair of the bench, Carole Freeman-Dunn, said: “We are dealing with a faithful friend you had for many years. In his later years, you let him down.” Sentencing: Ordered to pay £300. Banned from keeping animals – excluding cats – for at least 10 years. TeessideLive