LIAM STEZAKER OF HEREFORD SENTENCED FOR VIOLENCE AND ANIMAL MURDER

Liam Philip Stezaker, born on December 3, 1991, with a last known address on Warwick Walk, Hereford HR4, was involved in a brutal campaign of violence and abuse. He strangled and kicked his girlfriend’s dog, Tilly, to death in September 2018.

Stezaker, who has a prior conviction for drink-driving, regularly assaulted his partner, Sarah Griffiths. One attack resulted in her being hospitalized. In a shocking act of cruelty, he attacked her pet dog, Tilly, strangling her before stamping on her to cause fatal injuries, then discarding her body in a bin.

He was charged with causing unnecessary suffering to an animal, assault, and coercive and controlling behavior. Prosecutor Giles Nelson pointed out that Stezaker, who already had a common assault conviction, was on a community order when he killed Tilly. Nelson stated: “Considerable force was used to strangle the dog, causing severe suffering. This was a gratuitous piece of violence against the dog. It was not an accident.”

Judge James Tindal sentenced Stezaker to 12 months in jail for controlling and coercive behavior, plus two concurrent four-month sentences for causing unnecessary suffering to an animal and for actual bodily harm, along with 28 days for cannabis possession.

The court recognized Stezaker as a ‘high risk’ individual, according to the probation service.

This case has garnered significant media attention, including coverage from the Daily Mail and Hereford Times. A follow-up report in July 2019 recounted a further disturbing incident in which Stezaker punched his partner so hard that she blacked out, then strangled and stamped her pet dog to death.