KEITH LEWIS FROM YORK BANNED IN ANIMAL CRUELTY CASE

Keith Lewis, born around 1948 and residing on York Road, Barlby YO8 5JH, has a history of animal cruelty and neglect, with three prior convictions involving dozens of animals including dogs, rabbits, ferrets, and birds.

In the latest case, Lewis admitted to causing unnecessary suffering to a dog named Meg. The RSPCA responded to a call from a member of the public on December 13, 2018, and, accompanied by police, visited Lewis's property. They found Meg tethered inside a dark, muddy shed, chained to a pipe.

RSPCA inspector Claire Mitchell described the scene: “The chain and tether were absolutely filthy, caked in mud and faeces. You could see that whatever Meg had around her neck was really tight and there was an obvious smell of infection coming from her. On closer inspection it became clear that it was in fact bailer twine and she needed urgent veterinary attention.”

Meg was seized by police and taken to a veterinary clinic, where veterinarians found her neck swollen with pus. The twine, which had been wrapped around her neck multiple times, was embedded in her skin and muscle, infected. When the veterinarian cut it away, they discovered a wound encircling her neck.

Her body temperature was high, likely due to infection, and her lower body was smeared with dirt and faeces. She underwent surgery to clean and stitch her wound and was hospitalized for five days. Veterinary assessment indicated Meg had suffered for at least two weeks.

Inspector Mitchell stated: “This is the worst tethering injury I’ve ever seen in a dog. It was absolutely terrible and she suffered a great deal.

The RSPCA does not support tethering dogs for extended periods, as it can cause distress and prevent natural behaviors, but tethering itself is not illegal if their needs are met.”

Following her rescue, Meg was transferred into RSPCA care and has since been rehomed.

At court, it was explained that Lewis had pleaded guilty, and that Meg had been moved to the shed after complaints about her incessant howling when tethered near a public footpath. The court heard he had kept animals his entire life, and a ban from keeping animals would significantly impact him. Nonetheless, the court noted his previous animal cruelty convictions as an aggravating factor.

Lewis's criminal history includes a 2016 conviction where magistrates in York found he was keeping 60 animals in squalid conditions in former agricultural buildings in Barlby. He admitted neglect of around 30 animals, mainly poultry and rabbits, and received a 10-year ban on keeping caged animals as well as a 12-week curfew.

Three months later, police and RSPCA inspectors discovered two ferrets at Lewis’s residence in a deplorable state—without water, with piles of faeces and soiled bedding, and three rotting rabbit carcasses. Lewis later admitted to breaching his 10-year ban and neglecting these animals.

He was handed a second 10-year ban preventing him from owning caged animals.

In December 2018, inspectors found Meg with a severe untreated wound around her neck. Despite multiple hearings, Lewis’s solicitors claimed the animals belonged to his son, a claim the RSPCA contested.

In February 2019, Lewis was sentenced to a 24-week prison term, suspended for two years, with total costs and charges amounting to £415. He received an indefinite ban from owning or caring for any animals and a court order to forfeit all remaining animals—including dogs, cats, poultry, sheep, cows, and pigs—found in his care.