Eight weeks suspended jail sentence for Birmingham woman who starved her puppy

A Birmingham woman has been handed a suspended jail sentence after starving her dog for three months at a former address in London.

As well as an eight-week custodial sentence suspended for 18 months, Lauren Hopkins (DOB 05/12/1985), of Winterton Road, Kingstanding, was given a 10-year ban from keeping any animal, 30 days Rehabilitation Activity Requirement, a Mental Health Treatment Requirement and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £154.

The case – brought by the RSPCA – concluded on 20 November at Birmingham Magistrates Court after Hopkins pleaded guilty to two charges under the Animal Welfare Act.

The court heard in December 2023, the RSPCA visited Hopkins’ rented flat in High Road, Tottenham, North London, to carry out a welfare check on a dog which had been reported to the charity as being underweight. There was no reply when the RSPCA officer knocked on the door, so he left messages for Hopkins to get in touch and sealed the door with tape. People in the building said Hopkins hadn’t been seen for some time, and the local Haringey housing officer was informed.

Multiple phone calls to Hopkins were unanswered, leading to concerns about her wellbeing, as well as the welfare of her dog. Eventually, she did respond, saying that she was away, and confirmed there was a dog at the property.

When police forced entry into the flat, they found an emaciated young female Staffie puppy. Also in attendance was RSPCA Animal Rescue Officer (ARO) Lee Ricketts, who said: “There was a lot of rubbish and broken furniture in the flat. After some time [the police] came out with a severely underweight brindle puppy, which they named ‘Stella’ . [She] appeared to be around five to six months old.

“The police officers then allowed me to enter the property supervised by an officer as I was
concerned there may be other animals inside they may not have seen. I found no signs of any other animals and no animal food packets either used or unused were present in any of the accessible parts of the property.”

ARO Ricketts took ‘Stella’ to the RSPCA’s Finsbury Park Animal Hospital, to be examined and treated.