A man who repeatedly beat a young cockapoo in south London and broke two of his legs has been handed a suspended sentence and a ten year ban on keeping animals.
Satheesh Fernando (DOB: 11/11/1989) pleaded guilty to animal welfare offences at Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court on 28 July.
Bruno the cockapoo, who belonged to Fernando and his then partner, was taken into a Dulwich vet surgery in November 2021 with injuries after it was claimed he’d been knocked over by another dog. He’d suffered a collapsed lung and a fractured rib.
He was taken back to the surgery in July 2022 after allegedly falling into a tree in a park, and x-rays showed he had a broken left leg (x-ray pictured below). His partner asked the vet if he may have a brittle bone disease as he’d broken a leg before.
Due to the suspicious nature of the injuries, the RSPCA were called in to investigate and police seized Bruno and placed him into the care of the animal welfare charity.
Inspector Leanna Hone, who investigated for the RSPCA, said: “Bruno had been taken to the vets with several injuries including two broken femurs, spinal pain, rib fractures and a punctured lung. The explanations from the owner as to how he’d been injured didn’t seem to add up.
“The vet called us as they were concerned the injuries were the result of non-accidental injuries.
“This was a distressing case, poor Bruno had suffered badly, but we’re relieved now that he is safe.
“Thankfully Bruno is now in a fantastic new home and is loved and cared for the way he deserves”.
On sentencing, the judge said that while the cruel acts met the threshold for custody, the fact Fernando showed remorse and that he was a first time offender and could potentially lose his job, meant the sentence could be suspended.
Fernando was sentenced to 10 weeks custody suspended for 12 months and to run concurrently for both offences, a single requirement of 40 hours unpaid work and £4000 in defendants costs. He was also banned from keeping animals for ten years.
