A vile pair of drug dealers have been jailed after three helpless pooches were found with serious health conditions after being locked away in abhorrent conditions.
The RSPCA rescued Sox and Nelson, two Staffordshire bull terriers, and Bella, a French bulldog, from a cramped bathroom with a mountain of faeces inside the home of their owners, Neil Coates and Vikki Hoyland. Four empty bowls were also found on the floor.
Two of the animals were so malnourished and suffering from serious underlying health problems that they were unable to stand, while Bella had a severe skin infection, which had left her with red raw patches. All three pets were taken to a vet for treatment but, sadly, Sox and Nelson had to be put to sleep.
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Kirsty Keogh-Laws, an inspector with the animal charity, found the dogs “without adequate supplies of food” and in urgent need of veterinary treatment, at the property on Kingsley Terrace, in Arthur's Hill, Newcastle, on February 6. She said: "The bathroom was absolutely filthy.
“There was a very strong smell of urine and faeces covered the floor from one side of the room to the other. There was a pile of around 30 faeces next to the radiator in the room. Some of these appeared to have been there some time as they were beginning to turn white.
“The faeces had been spread across the floor and ingrained into the flooring, there were paw prints set into the faeces as if they had been there for some time. There were four bowls in the room all of which were completely empty, the bowls had faeces stuck to the side of them. The flooring had been ripped up in places.”
The animals were also malnourished and dangerously underweight, particularly Nelson whose hips, ribs, and spine were “clearly visible”. Sadly, Nelson was put to sleep after his condition failed to improve and he was suffering from pancreatitis. Sox was also unable to recover after suffering from a malignant tumour.
Bella’s fate, however, has been far more favourable after she overcame a skin condition and is soon to be rehomed with a loving family after a stint at Felledge Animal Centre. The RSPCA prosecuted the dog’s owners, Coates, 51, and Vikki Hoyland, 38, who pled guilty to two offences each under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.
At Newcastle Magistrates' Court this week, they were both jailed for 20 weeks to run concurrently to prison sentences they are both already serving for drug dealing. As previously reported on Chroniclelive, the dozy pair were jailed last month after leading police to a £28,000 drugs haul when they fell asleep in a car with the engine running and half a kilo of heroin in the footwell.
"Hapless and shambolic" Coates and Hoyland drew attention to themselves when they parked up and nodded off in a vehicle. Police officers attended the scene and found the pair, who appeared to be under the influence of drugs, with the £10,000 batch of heroin, 21g of cocaine, a knife and baton in the car.
This discovery, in Nottingham, led police to search their home in Arthur's Hill where another half kilo of heroin, worth more than £10,000, was found stashed in a safe, along with £1,500 in cash and weapons, including machetes, a crossbow and BB gun.
Newcastle Crown Court previously heard how, two days later their house was the target of a break-in and arson attack and when police arrived at the scene to assist them, officers found more heroin, worth over £6,000. Prosecutor Helen Towers told the court the total value of all of the drugs that were seized from the pair was £28,310.
Coates was found guilty of possessing heroin with intent to supply after a trial and pleaded guilty to possessing the knife and baton found in the car. He was jailed for six-and-a-half years. Hoyland admitted possessing cocaine and heroin with intent to supply. She was jailed for 40 months.
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