Animal ban issued after car found covered in blood

A man has been banned from owning animals after police officers discovered his car was covered in dog blood.

Usama Hassan, 22, of Eastfield Road, Birmingham pleaded guilty to causing the unnecessary suffering of a protected animal, which had to be put down after being found by police in Elton, Cheshire.

Chester magistrates handed him a six-year animal ban under the Animal Welfare Act and a 20-week custodial sentence, suspended for 12 months.

Hassan was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £154 and additional costs of £85.

During his hearing on 2 July, the court heard how officers from Cheshire's Rural Crime Team were on patrol in Pool Lane, Elton, when they came across a car parked in a layby.

They noticed the rear bumper was covered in blood, and after forcing their way into the vehicle they found a female German shepherd sitting inside a metal cage.

Officers reported that some bars of the cage were stained with blood and the floor was covered in the animal's faeces.

A large wound was found on the dog and the officers recommended that Hassan, who had been in the vehicle at the time, accompany them to a nearby vet.

At the surgery, it was found the dog had a large immovable mass. The consultant believed it had been present for a considerable amount of time and had been left untreated.

As a result, the animal was put to sleep. Hassan was then arrested and taken into custody for an interview where he told officers he believed the vet had made a mistake in the diagnosis.

He went on to say that the RSPCA had visited his address in Birmingham within the last two weeks and had said the dog was fine. Cheshire police said this claim was not true.

Hassan eventually admitted the dog had been in his care for about two months, but in her ten years of life had never been to see a vet before that day.

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