LAUREN AND MARC ROBSON CONVICTED IN NORTHUMBERLAND FOR ANIMAL CRUELTY

Husband and wife Lauren Taylor Robson, born around 1993, and Marc Robson, born August 1, 1993, formerly residing on Lynwood Avenue, Newbiggin-by-the-Sea, Northumberland, and now on Alexandra Road, Ashington NE63, were convicted in 2025 for abandoning their pet rabbit in deplorable conditions.

The couple, who have three children, admitted that they failed to meet the needs of their rabbit, Doris. Doris was discovered in a filthy hutch with no food, in a neglected state so severe that she had to be euthanized.

Court proceedings revealed that after the Robsons moved out of their rental property on Lynwood Avenue, the landlady found Doris, emaciated and abandoned in a dirty hutch with no provision of food. She took the rabbit to a local veterinarian, who then contacted the RSPCA.

RSPCA Inspector Lucy Green responded to the vet and was shown Doris, a black rabbit. She later visited the property where Doris had been left behind. Describing the scene, she stated: “In the back garden was an outbuilding, the door was open and there was an open hutch inside with a thick layer of faeces, no bedding, two bowls — one empty, one with faeces — a wooden chew and a water bottle. The hutch had thick cobwebs on the bars.”

The first veterinary examination revealed Doris was severely underweight and malnourished, with severe ataxia (poor muscle control) and atrophied back leg muscles. She was transferred to a specialist vet for further assessment.

The second vet’s report indicated that Doris was extremely malnourished. Although she was eating well at the clinic and showed no signs of illness causing her poor condition, her lack of mobility suggested she had struggled to access food, likely due to her severely impaired state.

X-ray scans showed a dislocated left hip joint and chronic bone changes, probably resulting from calcium and nutrient deficiencies. The vet expressed that Doris’s ability to regain normal use of her legs was highly unlikely. It was deduced that her weight loss had likely been ongoing for at least two months, possibly longer, and that the dislocated hip would have caused her significant pain, discomfort, and limited mobility, severely reducing her quality of life.

Given her condition, the vet made the heartbreaking decision to euthanise Doris.

Inspector Green emphasized: “It was the owner’s legal responsibility to properly care for their animals. This poor rabbit was starved and suffering from mobility issues due to hind leg problems, yet the owners failed to take her to a vet.”

In sentencing, both Lauren and Marc Robson received community orders. Marc Robson was ordered to complete 100 hours of unpaid work, while Lauren Robson was given a 10-day ‘rehabilitation’ requirement. Additionally, each was fined £114 in victim surcharges, paid £85 in costs, and faced a five-year ban on keeping animals, which will expire in February 2030.

Source: Northumberland Gazette