MATHEW FRIEND'S SHOCKING CRIME IN LIVERPOOL: DOG STABBING CASE LEADS TO SUSPENDED SENTENCE
In April 2021, a disturbing incident involving Mathew Friend, a resident of Liverpool, has garnered significant attention from the local community and legal authorities alike.The case centers around Friend's brutal attack on his mother’s pet dog, a small Shih Tzu, which resulted in the animal suffering severe injuries.
The events unfolded on November 9, 2019, and have since sparked a complex legal and mental health debate.
According to court records, Friend, who resides on Haslemere Way in the Gateacre area of Liverpool, was initially sentenced to 16 weeks in jail after admitting to causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal.
The incident occurred around midday when Friend, then 38 years old, used a kitchen knife to stab the dog in the back.
Despite the severity of the wound, the dog remained alive and was visibly distressed, trembling and wetting itself at the scene.
What makes this case particularly troubling is the sequence of events that followed.
As Friend left his home to surrender himself to the police, he was still on the phone with ambulance services, during which he claimed to have killed the dog.
When police arrived at the scene, they found the injured animal in significant pain, with a knife lodged approximately three inches deep into its upper back or neck area.
The dog was transported to a nearby veterinary clinic, where it was treated and revived multiple times, but unfortunately, it succumbed to its injuries later that day.
During the investigation, it was revealed that Friend had not been interviewed immediately after the incident because he was sectioned under the Mental Health Act, indicating concerns about his mental state at the time.
The court also learned that Friend had a history of convictions, including a 2018 jail sentence for failing to comply with notification requirements during a suspended sentence, and a 2013 conviction for inciting a girl under 13 into sexual activity, which resulted in a two-year suspended sentence.
In the courtroom, Judge Gary Woodhall addressed the case with particular attention to Friend’s mental health.
The judge noted that Friend’s mother had been present the night before the attack, during which Friend expressed visions of harming her, prompting her to leave the home due to her awareness of his mental health issues.
The judge emphasized that Friend had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and had ceased using prescribed medication for about a year prior to the incident, instead turning to alcohol as a form of self-medication.
Despite these factors, the judge acknowledged that Friend had engaged with mental health services since the attack and was now on regular medication.
The court found that, at the time of the offence, Friend exercised rational judgment and was assessed as a low risk of reoffending but a high risk of harm.
The pre-sentence report indicated that the risk of harm was unlikely unless there was a significant change in his circumstances.
Given the exceptional circumstances of the case, the court decided to suspend the original custodial sentence.
Friend was sentenced to 10 weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months, and was ordered to complete 40 days of Rehabilitation Activity Requirements.
Additionally, he was disqualified from owning or being involved with any animals for a period of 10 years.
This case has raised ongoing concerns about mental health, animal cruelty, and the justice system’s approach to such complex cases in Liverpool.
