Co Armagh woman's home had an overpowering smell and a fridge full of rotten food when animal welfare people arrived, Craigavon court hears

The 42-year-old woman had a tabby cat in her Lurgan home despite a 10 year ban on keeping animals, the court heard.

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In the dock was Lisa Glendinning, from Marlborough Park, who pleaded guilty to nine charges of breaching a ban on keeping animals and a further charge of failing to ensure the needs of animals.

The defendant was spotted on multiple occasions walking a dog near her home from July 10, 2023 to May 17, 2024 despite receiving a 10 year ban from keeping animals on June 7, 2022.

On January 26, 2024 an animal welfare officer attended the defendant’s home with a vet on foot of a warrant following a report that a dog was being kept at her home and not being cleaned up after. They found the back garden in an “unkept state and the back door to the property was ajar”.

"The smell from the property was malodorous and overpowering. The kitchen was full of waste and clutter with no floor space to walk. The fridge was full of rotting food and not working,” the Prosecutor revealed.

"The living room was again full of clutter, debris and rubbish. A tabby cat was spotted in the living room and ran upstairs.

“The cat was then spotted in an upstairs bedroom full of clutter. A feeding station was in the doorway, and the room was strewn with empty cat and dog food tins.”

"The bathroom next door contained a heavily used litter tray, a bag of cat litter and faecal matters strewn throughout,” she said, adding the vet certified the animal was likely to suffer if circumstances do not change.

The animal was removed and rehomed however the defendant didn’t attend interviews in respect of the matters.

District Judge Michael Ranaghan asked that the Prosecutor share facts around the reason the defendant was banned from keeping animals for 10 years.

The Prosecutor revealed that on November 11, 2020 police attended Russell Drive, Lurgan with a warrant.

"There was a smell coming from the property particularly of ammonia. The property was littered with rubbish, some dangerous and sharp, with clutter and animal faeces in every room,” she said.

"Multiple dogs were clambering over the rubbish. The windows were tight shut and the council vet found it difficult to breathe due to the atmosphere created by the stale urine.

"There was no food evident in the kitchen. The sofas and chairs in the living room were ripped and covered in urine and faeces. A fish tank was present with three fish. There was a bird cage with a deceased parakeet and its head was jammed in the bars of the cage.

"Another decomposed animal was found in the hamster run. A budgie was contained in a filthy bird cage with no access to water,” she said.

The vet deemed all the animals in the property to be suffering. A total of 15 dogs, three fish, a budgie plus the deceased animals were removed from the property.

Glendinning’s barrister Mr Connor Lunny said his client received the 10 year ban in June 2022 plus a six months jail term suspended for two years.

He revealed that 10 months later his client was found guilty of keeping a dog but that didn't come before the court until January 31, 2024 which is the time period for the current cases before the court.

He raised the issue that these could have been dealt with in one sentencing exercise, adding then Glendinning received a Community Service Order.

Mr Lunny said his client breached the Order revealing there were “repeated problems from the outset”, outlining issues with her task to help out with braille translation and disagreements between his client and those providing that service.

However he pointed out the last time she was in trouble was May 2024. Mr Lunny admitted that from the photos the “house was a mess and that’s the height of the allegations against” his client.

He added that she didn’t deny her involvement in any of the offences and the dog in question belongs to her mother.

"She has no excuse and I can’t proffer an excuse for her blatantly breaching the court order not to have any contact or custody of a dog,” he said.

"She is clearly a lady with an affinity with animals albeit one would raise one’s eyebrows when you hear the facts of the first case four years ago and the state of the house. There is no evidence of actual harm in respect of the matters you are dealing with today,” he said.

He asked the court to consider a deferred sentence. “One would hope the penny has dropped," he said.

District Judge Ranaghan said: “It is quite clear in this case that you did not necessarily set out to harm animals. Your major problem is your repeated refusal to comply with court orders.

"These are flagrant breaches. You have been given every other opportunity by the court to mend your ways. The last straw was Mr Lunny’s request for a deferral but I’m afraid Ms Glendinning the ship for you has sailed.”

She was sentenced to three months in jail on each count before the court to run concurrently. He also partially activated a six months sentence suspended for two years invoking three months of that sentence to run consecutively – leaving a total of six months to serve.

A Prosecutor said the council was seeking a lifetime ban on keeping animals.

District Judge Ranaghan said: “Apart from what you did some time ago, you probably do love animals but I don’t think you are a safe person to have animals around you.”

He banned her from keeping animals for 20 years. The defendant was released on her own bail of £300 pending appeal of the sentence.