Starved Dogs Discovered After Maggots Come Through Apartment Ceiling

Starved dogs were discovered in a U.K. apartment after neighbors noticed maggots coming through their ceiling in October 2022.

Police officers went to inspect the house in Kirkby, Merseyside and found the skeletons of three dogs, British newspaper Metro reported. The officers entered the property after receiving a report from neighbors in the apartment beneath who had spotted the maggots and noticed a smell of decay.

Two of the dogs were found crushed into a crate in the living room.

The room was covered in feces, Metro reported, and the animals had been left without food and water. A dead puppy was also discovered lying in the kitchen.

It was evident that one of the starving dogs had tried to eat another—an autopsy of the dog revealed hair in its stomach, the newspaper reported.

This dog, a lurcher, only weighed 26 pounds. The normal weight for a healthy dog of this breed is 66 pounds.

There were also four dead ferrets found inside a hutch.

The property was registered in the name of a woman called Laura Martin, who had gone to look after her sick mother. She had left her partner, Paul Wynne, to look after the pets.

However, she found out soon after leaving that he had changed the locks.

Police tried to contact Wynne multiple times from November 2022 to February this year. On February 7, he finally spoke to police and denied leaving the animals to starve.

He told officers that he "couldn't handle what had happened," after discovering the animals had died, which is why he left the bodies in the apartment, Metro reported.

He appeared in Liverpool magistrates court on May 31, where he pleaded guilty to three offenses under the Animal Welfare Act, according to the newspaper. It was reported that Wynne had a "limited history of criminality," with one previous offence in 2006.

The offenses listed in court were causing unnecessary suffering and failing to ensure the needs of the dogs and ferrets were met.

The case was referred to Liverpool crown court, where it will be heard on June 28.
Under the U.K.'s 2006 Animal Welfare Act, pet owners and keepers have a "duty of care to their animals and must make sure they meet their needs."

This includes providing any animal with food and being protected from pain and suffering.

Failure to do this can result in being banned from owning animals, an unlimited fine, or prison time of up to six months.

Newsweek has contacted the RSPCA in Liverpool via email for comment.