A deviant animal abuser and torturer from Cheshire, Phillip David Walsh, the Crewe Nonce, has received a 10-year prohibition on animal ownership after neglecting two dogs, resulting in their acute malnourishment, which led to one being euthanised owing to its suffering.
One so malnourished that he collapsed and required euthanasia.
Phillip David Walsh, 40, of Market Street in Crewe, admitted to inflicting needless suffering on his two dogs, in violation of the Animal Welfare Act, in a case initiated by the RSPCA.
The Crewe Magistrates Court was informed that RSPCA Inspector Nadine Pengilly visited Phillip David Walsh’s residence on November 21, 2024, subsequent to a report from a local veterinarian who had assessed Walsh’s male bull-breed dog, Duke, after it had collapsed.
Duke was exceedingly thin, with his bones apparent; the veterinarian characterised him as “severely emaciated,” assigning him a bodily condition score of zero out of nine, the lowest possible rating. A healthy dog should achieve a score of approximately five.
Duke was significantly dehydrated, and because to his deteriorating condition, the decision was made to euthanise him to avert more suffering.
In a court statement, the veterinarian who examined Duke reported: “He [Phillip David Walsh] indicated that his dog had been unwell for several days and had experienced weight loss over the past four weeks.”
He stated that the dog was consuming food and water enough and that there were no instances of vomiting or diarrhoea.
“Duke was very cold and did not move at all from the table. I tried to take his temperature but it did not read on the thermometer. You could see every bone in his body.”
Post-mortem results showed that Duke’s death was likely due to prolonged starvation, with no medical condition found that could explain his extreme weight loss.
The RSPCA were called to investigate following Phillip David Walsh’s admission to the vet that there was another skinny dog at his property.
Inspector Pengilly found Queenie, a female bull breed at the property – she was also severely emaciated, with her spine, ribs and hip bones clearly showing, with a body condition score of just one to two.
She also had untreated fleas, overgrown nails, and no water available in her enclosure.
In a statement to the court, inspector Nadine Pengilly said that Phillip David Walsh had shown her an open bag of food he had for the two dogs.
She said: “There were no blankets or bedding as he told me she chewed them up. There were two metal bowls inside this cage that were both empty. There was no water available so I asked Walsh to put some in one of the empty bowls, which he did.
“He told me he only had £50 to help get Duke to the vets and that he had no more money left to help Queenie.”
Queenie was immediately removed from the property and taken for urgent veterinary care at the RSPCA’s Greater Manchester Animal Hospital. Vets later confirmed she was suffering from malnutrition and neglect. She weighed just 21.4kg.
In a statement, an RSPCA vet said: “The owner of Duke and Queenie did not meet their demands for an adequate diet, and both dogs suffered due to their underweight condition.
“I would expect a reasonable owner to see that live fleas and flea dirt were present and that both dogs were in a very poor body condition, prompting the need for early veterinary intervention.”
As well as being banned from owning animals for 10 years, Phillip David Walsh was also handed an 18-month community order, 20 RAR days and 120 hours unpaid work.
He was also ordered to pay £400 in court costs, to be deducted from his benefits.
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