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Date: 30 June 2026
Two individuals were sentenced today, Tuesday 30 June 2026, at Belfast Magistrates Court for separate animal cruelty offences following successful prosecutions brought by Belfast City Council.
In the first case, Ms Jessica Edwards, of Ashfield Court, was sentenced for causing unnecessary suffering to animals in April 2025.
Council initiated the prosecution after receiving a complaint regarding a dog left unattended for a number of days at Ashfield Court. Upon entering the premises, an Animal Welfare Officer discovered the bodies of a Staffordshire Bull Terrier type dog and two rabbits. All three animals showed clear signs of starvation.
Ms Edwards was handed a 180-hour Community Service Order, ordered to pay legal and court costs of £198, and disqualified from owning any animal for a period of ten years.
In a separate case, Mr Michael Valliday, of Albert Court, was convicted and sentenced for animal welfare offences.
The prosecution followed complaints that a dog was showing signs of starvation at the Albert Court property. Animal Welfare Officers attended the premises on 5 December 2025 and took a severely underweight Akita type dog into the care of the council.
Mr Valliday was convicted of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal and failing to ensure the welfare of an animal. He was handed a 100-hour Community Service Order, ordered to pay legal and court costs of £182, and disqualified from owning any animal for a period of ten years.