Dog abuse police officers keep their jobs

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Feb 4 2009 WalesOnline

TWO police officers caught on video abusing their dogs have been fined ten days’ pay by their force but allowed to keep their jobs.

A neighbour captured Pc Craig Macleod, 34, and Pc Anja Mason, 29, on film hitting and violently yanking the pets from the ground.

The couple appeared in court after the outraged neighbour bought a video camera and filmed 240 hours’ footage of them outside with their pets, Tess, a collie pup, and Snoopy, a rottweiler.

But the pair were told at Denbigh Magistrates’ Court in November last year they would not be jailed, after Macleod admitted two counts of causing unnecessary suffering and his girlfriend Mason admitted one count.

Today an animal welfare organisation criticised the punishment from North Wales Police.

Anne Owen, founder of North Clwyd Animal Rescue which cares for animals in the area that the officers are from, said: “I’m very disappointed and angry that that is all they have been given. It just gives completely the wrong impression to people.”

The prosecution was brought by the RSPCA but a spokeswoman for the organisation said today they would not be making a comment on the hearing or its outcome.

A spokeswoman for North Wales Police said today: “We can confirm the hearing was held on Monday and each will forfeit ten days pay.”

The spokeswoman said the disciplinary hearing was in front of senior officers and all restrictions against the Pcs had now been lifted.

But the spokeswoman said she could not confirm how much ten days’ pay was worth for each officer.

The pair had been taken off front-line duty while an investigation was carried out.

The couple, who live in The Meadows, Prestatyn, in North Wales were forced to give up Tess and Snoopy, who they owned for four months and four years respectively, when they were questioned.

In November magistrate Wendy Gibbs, sitting with another JP, banned them from owning or keeping any animal for five years and ordered each to pay costs of £1,267.

She sentenced Macleod, who has been a police officer for 11 years, to 180 hours’ unpaid work and Mason, who has been in the service for four years, to 120.

A Pc who has served four years would be paid £28,575 from September 1 last year and an officer of the same rank who has served 10 years would receive £35,610, according to the Home Office.