A 27-year-old woman from Herefordshire has been sentenced to 16 weeks’ imprisonment and handed a lifetime animal ban after starving her pet American bulldog to death.
Lucy Marie Craddock, of Leominster, appeared for sentence before the magistrates’ court after admitting an offence of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal, concluding an inquiry conducted by the RSPCA.
The prosecution outlined that the case came to light on 13 June 2025 when Craddock arrived at a veterinary practice carrying her American bulldog, named Ocean. Upon inspection, veterinary practitioners established that the dog was already deceased. Ocean was wrapped inside a duvet that was heavily soiled with urine and faecal matter.
Clinical staff noted that Ocean’s eyes were deeply sunken and her body was reduced to a skeletal state. When placed on scales, the dog weighed a mere seven kilograms—less than a quarter of the healthy 30-kilogram weight standard for the breed.
Craddock claimed to veterinary staff that the dog had stopped eating only a few days prior and asserted that she had been attempting to hand-feed the pet. The veterinary team rejected the explanation due to the severe state of wasting and alerted the RSPCA.
An independent post-mortem examination instructed by investigators confirmed that Ocean had suffered prolonged, catastrophic starvation. The post-mortem report noted an almost total absence of subcutaneous fat reserves and severe muscle atrophy. The dog had also developed extensive pressure sores from immobility. Pathological findings confirmed that in her extreme hunger, the animal had consumed her own faeces.
When presenting the case in court, prosecutors submitted detailed photographs illustrating the level of wasting Ocean endured prior to her death. The presiding magistrates dismissed any suggestion that Craddock could not have observed the profound deterioration in the dog’s physical wellbeing over the weeks of starvation.
Sentencing Craddock, the magistrates told her:
“Given the extreme level of neglect and cruelty, only an immediate custodial sentence could be justified.”
The court imposed an immediate custodial sentence of 16 weeks’ imprisonment. Craddock was also ordered to pay a statutory victim surcharge of £154.
To ensure long-term animal welfare and prevent future offending, the magistrates made an order disqualifying Craddock from owning, keeping, participating in the keeping of, or controlling any animals for life.
Image – Anonymous Artist Impression
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