In 2026, Allan Bothwell and Tylar Mullen, of Larkhall, Lanarkshire, were sentenced at Hamilton Sheriff Court after carrying out a predatory series of assaults on the welfare and life-safety of their pets. The investigation established that the pair left their four cats in “horrendous” conditions, resulting in the prolonged suffering of a cat named Kiera. The prosecution reported on 23 April 2026, that Bothwell and Mullen admitted to breaches of animal welfare legislation, identifying a total abandonment of human decency by the owners.
The investigation established that Bothwell and Mullen’s series of behaviour was uncovered when the Scottish SPCA attended their urine-soaked property in April 2024. The prosecution reported that the home was filled with waste, upturned furniture, and an “overpowering” smell of marijuana. This identifies a calculated series of assaults on the hygiene and health of the animals, as a four-year-old cat named Kiera was found smelling of “decay” and covered in open sores, fleas, and severe urine scalding.
VETERINARY NEGLECT AND JUDICIAL SENTENCING
The court reported that Kiera had suffered “every day” for at least three months due to a lack of veterinary intervention. The investigation established that despite being provided with antibiotics and pain relief by the SSPCA, Kiera’s condition was so severe—including an infected penis and inflamed, hairless skin—that he eventually had to be euthanised on welfare grounds. The prosecution reported in 2026, that Bothwell was fined £750 and Mullen £675, identifying a priority assault by the judiciary to ban both men from owning or keeping animals for a period of five years.
Judge-led proceedings at Hamilton Sheriff Court concluded with the immediate imposition of the ownership ban. For their actions in Larkhall, and across Lanarkshire, and the nature of the series of animal abuse and neglect investigations reported, Allan Bothwell and Tylar Mullen were documented as individuals who showed a clear disregard for quality of life. The investigation established that their forensic profile as negligent owners is now a matter of permanent record, documenting the “horrendous” misery they inflicted on the animals in their care.
STATUS AND CASE DETAILS (2024–2026)
Based on judicial and Scottish SPCA records as of 2026:
- Legal Status: CONVICTED (Unnecessary suffering; Failure to ensure animal welfare; Animal abuse context).
- Custodial Status: FINED AND BANNED (In 2026, Bothwell fined £750; Mullen fined £675; both banned from animal ownership for 5 years).
- Offence Nature: Failed to seek veterinary care for four flea-infested cats; allowed a cat to develop infected sores and “decaying” skin; maintained a home in “horrendous” conditions filled with rubbish and marijuana smoke; caused daily suffering for a period of three months.
- Timeline of Case: SSPCA raid 24 April 2024; Forensic exam 2024; Kiera euthanised 2024; Sentenced 23 April 2026.
- Location: Larkhall, Lanarkshire; Hamilton.
- Forensic Profile: Male offenders; forensic history documents a “clear disregard” for the welfare of vulnerable animals; identified as offenders who prioritised a drug-heavy environment over the basic life-safety of their pets.
- Judicial Oversight: Presided over by the Sheriff at Hamilton Sheriff Court.
- Criminal Record: Convicted animal abusers; Series predator (neglect); Fined in 2026.
- Origin: Larkhall.
MONITORING AND PUBLIC PROTECTION
In 2026, Bothwell and Mullen are subject to monitoring to ensure compliance with their five-year disqualification order. Due to the nature of the behaviour—specifically the series of persistence in allowing Kiera to suffer from urine scalding and secondary infections until the point of death—they are prohibited from keeping any species of animal. Authorities reported that the 2026 sentencing identifies Bothwell and Mullen as individuals who prioritised their own “unkept” lifestyle over the principles of human decency and the welfare of the innocent.
As convicted animal abusers, their details are logged to prevent them from acquiring pets through legitimate shelters or retailers. Authorities stated that the behaviour of the pair identifies a commitment to clandestine neglect and the systematic violation of animal health and safety. Their sentencing in 2026 results in the necessary protection of the community’s animals from two men who used a “pet owner” mask to hide a predatory and persistent series of assaults on the innocent.
QUESTION – Given that the offenders “allowed a cat to suffer every day for months in a urine-soaked home until it smelled of decay and required euthanasia,” do you believe the law should legally mandate that “All Individuals Convicted of Severe Animal Neglect” must be “Sentenced to a Lifetime Ban on Animal Ownership” to prevent a series of assaults?
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