- Nottinghamshire, England -
UPDATE on 32-year-old LEIGH JOHNSON and 31-year-old CHARLENE LATHAM (both pictured below).
On Thursday, April 16, the case of these despicable individuals, who now live in Devon, appeared in Nottingham Magistrates' Court in relation to a horrific case of animal cruelty that happened on January 6, 2020.
On January 6, 2020, the duo took their 10-year-old Belgian Shepherd named Bella to the River Trent at Farndon near Newark, placed a massive rock inside a plastic bag which they tied to Bella’s leash, and left her to drown.
Thankfully, a brave lady spotted Bella and was able to haul the furbaby to safety.
The Good Samaritan, Ms. Jane Harper, was out walking three dogs with her friend Joanne Bellamy when she noticed Bella in the river.
Nottinghamshire Police immediately launched an investigation in collaboration with the RSPCA, and a few hours later, the pair were arrested on suspicion of animal cruelty offenses.
Later that day, the Nottinghamshire Police wrote in their Facebook post: “Two people arrested in connection with a report of a dog that was rescued from the River Trent yesterday have been released under investigation, as a multiagency investigation into the circumstances surrounding the discovery continues.”
LEIGH JOHNSON and CHARLENE LATHAM have been jointly charged with an offense under sections 4(1) and 32(1) of the Animal Welfare Act 2006.
The case against them was adjourned until May 12 in the afternoon before the same court.
Culprits’ picture via Name and shame UK animal abusers