AR-News: (UK) DAD SLIT DOG’S THROAT IN FRONT OF KIDS

[Animalara2003 at aol.com]

The News & Star 
Published on 19/05/2004


By Staff Reporter

A WEST Cumbrian man killed his dog by slitting its throat in front of his 
partner and two daughters in the village of Gosforth.

Derek Ian Ford, 50, had also stabbed the Border Collie, Jess, several times 
in the thigh before inflicting the fatal wound.

Whitehaven magistrates heard that the backlash in the village from the 
incident, on April 24, was so bad that Ford was forced to move away. He is now 
living in Runcorn, Cheshire. Ford admitted torturing the dog and causing it 
suffering, following an afternoon of heavy drinking in a pub in Gosforth with his 
partner.

The couple had been arguing about the dog, which Ford had taken in only a 
week before because its owner could no longer cope with it.

He took it to a vet and was given pills to calm it down, but it continued to 
prove extremely difficult to control – running round, jumping and barking. 

That caused arguments between Ford and his partner.

Defending solicitor Ian Nancollis said that their row on the day of the 
incident tipped Ford over the edge.

He had been threatening to kill the dog and when he saw it, he picked it up 
by the scruff of the neck and stabbed it two or three times in the thigh area 
with an eight-inch knife.

He then brought the knife under the dog’s throat and sliced it across. 

Ford had also stabbed himself in the leg during the attack .

He was found by police lying face down behind a parked car.

Officers were unsure if he still had the knife with him and he was bitten by 
a police dog and sprayed with CS spray while he was being arrested.

Mr Nancollis said Ford, who has no previous convictions, suffered from a 
stress-related illness, which had forced him to give up work.

He had been receiving treatment for some time but his condition had been 
exacerbated by excessive drinking, family issues and trouble with the dog.

Mr Nancollis said: “Unfortunately it seems it has tipped him over the edge 
and he has lot control.

“He is extremely remorseful and terrified by the way he has behaved,” he 
said.

“I don’t really think he can apologise enough.

“He has always prided himself on caring for animals in the past and looking 
after them properly.

“This is clearly an appalling incident and one that he deeply regrets.”




full story:
 
 http://www.newsandstar.co.uk/news/viewarticle.asp?id=99594 
______________________________________________________________________ 
for the news items that Animalconcerns 
volunteers have entered on the site
go to the Animalconcerns.org main page 
and click on "More News Headlines."

`````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````------

    "The day may come when the rest of the animal creation may acquire those 
rights which never could have been withholden from them but by the hand of
tyranny. - Jeremy Bentham 1748 - 1832 
The question is not can they REASON, nor can they TALK, but can they SUFFER?" 
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://lists.envirolink.org/pipermail/ar-news/attachments/20040519/14a4554c/attachment.html