A man threw a poisonous sausage into his neighbour's garden to harm her dogs after a row over a boundary wall.
Michael Moore had been in a row with his neighbour Jade Wilkinson for around 18 months because of a dispute over a boundary wall. But the row escalated in July last year after Moore was caught on CCTV throwing a sausage over the fence before walking back into his house.
Ms Wilkinson managed to wrestle the sausage away from her two dogs - a German Shepherd called Miles and a Belgian Shepherd called Storm. Andrew Page, prosecuting, told the court: “It was a piece of sausage covered in a white powder and green paste. She Googled what it might be and thought it might be slug pellets."
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When the mum-of-three checked her CCTV footage it showed at 3.26am that morning, “Michael Moore came out from the rear of his house and could be seen walking to the end of the fence and was seen to throw sausage over the fence before walking back to his house.
“The sausage was sent for analysis which demonstrated a medical preparation of codeine and paracetamol, crushed tablets and capsules. It was not possible to identify the green substance but from its appearance it may have been a slug pellet preparation.”
Mr Page told Liverpool Magistrates' Court Moore, 62, was contacted by police on numerous occasions to come for an interview but he declined to do so. He said Ms Wilkinson had lived at her home in Gordon Street, Southport for many years while Moore moved in about four years ago.
Initially they got on well but their relationship soured 18 months ago “when a dispute broke out over the boundary wall.” Moore, of Gordon Street, Southport, had pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to administering a poisonous drug or substance to a protected animal, namely a dog, knowing it was poisonous or injurious.
At a subsequent hearing however he applied to change his plea but a district judge refused his application and his solicitor then had to withdraw from the case. Consequently Moore has now appeared for sentence unrepresented.
Asked by District Judge James Hatton if he had anything to say he began to make derogatory assertions about his neighbour but was stopped by the judge. Asked about his behaviour Moore said: “I didn’t throw anything over the fence.”
But DJ Hatton told him that “that ship has already sailed” as he had pleaded guilty and said: “You have thrown those items over the fence”.
Moore muttered “I cannot really say anything" but went on to say while he is still living next to Ms Wilkinson he has sold his house and plans to move to the Preston area. The court heard Moore had previous convictions for failing to provide a breath sample in 2010 and kidnapping in 1998, for which he got a community sentence.
DJ Hatton told Moore he had committed a very serious offence by throwing poisoned sausages over the fence with intent to cause suffering to the dogs. He said: “You did that because you had had a falling out with your neighbour.
"You not only placed those animals at significant risk but there are three young children who could have been put at significant risk.”
He said only a custodial sentence was appropriate and imposed an 18 week jail term but suspended it for 12 months. He also ordered him two carry out 20 days rehabilitation activities and to pay £213 court costs. A five year restraining order to keep away from Ms Wilkinson was also imposed on Moore.
