A defenceless dog who was starved to death is just one of a number of horrific animal cruelty cases on Merseyside over the last year.
The ECHO reported earlier this week on the tragic case of bulldog Coco who died after being left for days at a time without food or water in a flat covered in faeces. ECHO readers were shocked and disgusted after hearing the news, branding the owners' actions as "heartless" and "unforgivable".
Here we take a look at some of the cases of animal abuse and neglect brought before our courts over the last 12 months. In each case, those responsible were banned from owning an animal for up to 12 years.
