A dog owner who neglected his pets for weeks in a locked room resulting in one of them cannibalising another has walked free from court.
Disturbing and distressing details of Paul Wynne's neglect of his dogs, Blue, George and Polly, were revealed in court as the 42-year-old was prosecuted for the inhumane treatment of the animals.
Police officers had to forced their way into Wynne's home in Liverpool after neighbours reported the stench of decomposition and "maggots coming through the ceiling" of the flat below.
Inside, officers discovered the remains of three dogs as it later transpired Wynne had left them there after they died and he "couldn't cope with what happened".
The remains of Blue, a lurcher, were found in a cage in the flat alongside a second - another lurcher named George - with horrifying evidence the pet had resorted to cannibalism to keep herself alive.
There were no food or water bowls and the room was covered in a large amount of flies and other insects, the ECHO reports.
Both dogs were also lying on filthy bedding and the floor was caked in white and black faeces, while the remains of a Saluki puppy named Polly were also discovered on the kitchen pool surrounded by a pool of dried blood.
Further horrors were also found outside where officers discovered the remains of four ferrets in hutches.
RSPCA prosecutor Peter Mitchell told Liverpool Crown court that Blue weighed just 12kg when she was found - less than half than the 27-32kg she should been.
Wynne had told his partner Laura Martin - the registered owner of the flat who had moved out to care for a sick relative - that Blue, the only dog in the flat at the time, had died of a seizure.
But when Ms Martin returned in October, she claimed to have heard barking while Wynne had changed the locks meaning she couldn't get inside.
Ms Martin said the first she knew about the horrors inside the flat was when she was contacted by the RSPCA to gain entry.
RSPCA Inspector Louise Showering repeatedly tried to contact Wynne between November 2022 and February this year, but the defendant refused to take calls, cancelling meetings and instead only responding to texts.
He eventually attended police station on February 7, where he denied starving the animals.
In mitigation, Chelsey Kearns, defending, told the court Wynne accepted sole responsibility for the "prolonged cruelty and neglect".
She said he had long suffered from depression which he had managed successfully until now.
She added the suffering of the animals "came from neglect instead of sadism".
Wynne pleaded guilty before magistrates last month to causing unnecessary suffering to Blue and neglect of both the dogs and the ferrets, before a district judge ruled the offences were too serious for their jurisdiction.
Recorder Michael Blakey at Liverpool Crown sentenced Wynne to 30 weeks in jail, suspended for 12 months, on Wednesday.
Recorder Blakey said the animals had "suffered considerably" and had "extremely painful" deaths.
Noting the fact Wynne is the sole carer for two members of his family, Recorder Blakey told him: "I hope the care you express to your family isn't the same as the poor animals."
However the judge told Wynne, who appeared in court supported by his dad, he had "weighty caring responsibilities" and had realistic prospects of rehabilitation outside of prison.
Recorder Blakey also issued 20 rehabilitation days, 30 hours of unpaid work and disqualified Wynne from owning any animal for 10 years.
