A Nottinghamshire police dog handler is facing prosecution after two dogs died when they were left in a car. The German Shepherdswere left in the handler’s car at Nottinghamshire Police headquarters on June 30.
Temperatures approached 30C that day in Arnold on the outskirts of Nottingham. On the afternoon the officer had gone into the station, with his car allegedly parked a short distance from a new £300,000 kennels complex.
The officer in question has been suspended and an internal inquiry is being conducted.
The RSPCA said: “Legal proceedings will be brought against the Nottinghamshire police officer for causing unnecessary suffering to the two animals.”
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I was mortified at the time about this but was very careful about passing judgement not knowing the circumstances, I trust now the RSPCA are involved there is a case to answer, in which case it’s totally inforgiveable…x
There might be a case to answer, or it may be that a prosecution was brought, to prevent allegations of a cover up.
Yea, let’s just wait and see!
I am waiting the outcome before passing comment. As i said earlier it could be something out of his control which has caused this to happen.
A very sad incident all round, the death of two dogs, and an experienced police dog handler who probably is quite uspet about the whole thing. I wont judge his actions ,dog handlers I have met always put the welfare of their dog first, but would question what sort of kennels complex are built at the cost of £300,000. Even if Notts have 50 dogs going through training at any given time, that is alot per kennel.
I believe police dogs once trained live with their handlers, perhaps you can clarify that one Which end
We must be heartened by police restraint in the shadow of sub judice and we must struggle to convince ourselves that the same fairness extends to defendants other than police.
Daily Mail have published pictures of PC Mark Johnson and one of his dogs. Didn’t take long to ‘out’ the guy, and I’ll bet he’ll regret that mistake for the rest of his days.
Back to the beat, I suppose…..if he doesn’t get kicked out completely. I’m truly sorry for him, but that won’t help, as I prophesy he’ll get a frosty reception at the court case.
That cannot be fair, to ‘out’ him before a possible trial? Surely?
I find the whole thing very odd, to be honest. I’ve been watching “Send in the dogs” on ITV London and there’s a real bond between dogs and handlers. Still reluctant to judge until the whole story comes out (presumably at the trial).
Would the gutter press out someone other than a police officer for something like this? me thinks not. It’s a tragic incident for everyone involved and for them to show photos of the handler is wrong.
If he has done wrong or has been stupid causing the suffering then fine afterwards i would have no issues with it.
But to do it before has to be so very wrong, only done because of what he does for a job. As i have said i will hold judgement.
Knee jerk reaction from me I am sorry, let’s wait and see what happens but unfortunately it now appears to have been a very unfortunate accident, I never for one minute thought it was deliberate though…he must be going the hell!
Its all a terrible tragedy, that’s for sure.
If there can be any good result at all from this SO tragic case, perhaps it will be in the form of a warning to every dog owner, that if it can happen to the hallowed police dog patrols, then it can happen to ANYONE.
The weather this year has not been the hottest on record, but let everyone take note…… in July & August, if and when the rain ever stops, the sun up above those clouds is HOT and the temperature inside a car can rise at a ridiculous rate.
Beware of complacency!
AlphaTango. Most dogs live at home with their handlers.
Dr Mel. The restraint will be as normal and the same fairness will not extend as with other defendants because other defendants do not have to cope with two bites of the same cherry with the discipline side waiting ion the wings to follow in the wake of other proceedings when they finish. Internal inverstigations are thorough and it is a pity that all crimes do not get the same treatment. As ever the media seek to pre-judge and grab that little bit extra for having that exclusive headline to set themselves above the competition. As with all offenders, innocent until proven. We may be heartened or struggling or we may simply not like it but, it is a fact we are all aware of.
We are talking about a professional police dog handler here whose life in the line of duty, would have depended on his dog at times. These dogs would have defended him no matter what, no questions asked. They deserved to be treated with the utmost respect. Nobody in their right mind especially a professional dog handler, would have left these dogs in a car on one of the hottest days in years, to suffer the fate of being roasted alive.
There was a deliberate attempt to hide this officers identity – we wonder why!
If he had come clean and expressed his regret and remorse, things may have been different.
I have had many shepherds over the years and I have NEVER EVER left any of them in a car unattended during hot weather. Anyone with an ounce of common sense knows this can be fatal to a dog.
If he had left 2 of his colleagues or 2 suspects in a locked car to die, he would be facing a manslaughter charge.
In effect, these 2 dogs were ‘serving police officers’ and he and he alone was responsible for their deaths. There simply are no excuses.
I see he has opted for a ‘poor me’ defence after legal consultation.
I work for 15 years as a police officer.
He has gone for the ‘wibble clause’ defence as it is commonly called in those circles.
It prevents a direct proving of ‘willful’ or ‘negligent’ act due to overwhelming mental issues but not to the point where he should’ve been removed from duty.
My own view is that he treated the dogs like rubbish and should be required to resign having brought discredit upon the force.
But now The Job won’t get rid of him as he’ll sue them for ‘letting him down’ as he has mental health problems that the court has said they failed to support him with.
It stinks of game playing to prevent a wanker facing up to his actions.
If it were a member of the public it’d be different.
Now this case has been to Court, it is worth noting that [according to BBC news on line]
District Judge Tim Devas described the incident as “a dreadful error of judgement” and said it had been brought about by an illness that should have been diagnosed and treated properly.