A thug who battered the dog he had owned since it was a puppy has been jailed after it died of blunt force trauma.
A judge told David Bernard, of Priory Road, Hall Green, that owning a pet was a “privilege” and those who meted out cruelty that led to death should expect to be locked up.
The 65-year-old was jailed for 27 months and banned from keeping animals for 15 years having admitted inflicting “blunt force trauma” on his English bulldog, called Babaloo, “resulting in non-accidental injuries”.
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Birmingham Crown Court heard a vet discovered bleeding coming from the dog’s mouth, nose and anus after Bernard took it in on August 13, 2024.
The RSPCA was called and officers spoke to witnesses who reported seeing Bernard being physically and verbally aggressive to Babaloo the night before.
They confronted him and were told the dog had died.
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English bulldog, Babaloo, suffered repeated ‘blunt force traumas’ at the hands of his owner David Bernard, from Hall Green and died
The police seized the dog’s body and RSPCA inspector Laura Brewerton arranged for a post-mortem examination to be carried out.
Independent veterinary expert witness Dr Sean Taylor said: “The findings suggest the dog was subjected to multiple forceful impacts shortly before death.
“This caused the bruising to the subcutis and underlying skeletal muscles as well as injury to the liver resulting in bleeding into the abdomen and also likely caused injury to the kidneys.
“Forceful impacts to areas of the chest likely caused a compromised lung function with concurrent shock and resultant lung collapse in an already anatomically abnormal respiratory system.
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Babaloo was said to have been brachycephalic – a condition where an animal’s respiratory system is narrowed. But Dr Taylor said there were no clinical signs suggesting the dog had been adversely affected by it.
He said the condition “often leaves little room for respiratory compromise to be tolerated”.
Dr Taylor went on: “The evidence indicates Babaloo had sustained multiple blunt force trauma injuries to his chest and abdomen that would have caused pain as well as injury to the liver and kidneys resulting in internal bleeding into the abdomen.”
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Babaloo suffered from ‘brachycephalic’ – a condition where an animal’s respiratory system is narrowed – but had been adversely affected by this before the attack by owner David Bernard
He found blunt force trauma was the cause of death via a mechanism of ‘respiratory compromise and eventual failure’. He said the trauma triggered a series of events that lead to failure of the dog’s compromised respiratory function.
Death likely happened over a period of time after the blunt force trauma was sustained, he said.
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Dr Taylor added: “These injuries would have caused an increased demand on Babaloo’s respiratory function, which in turn would have resulted in further respiratory compromise, an increased breathing rate and the development of pulmonary oedema.
“A vicious cycle developed resulting in respiratory failure and death.”
Bernard was jailed on Wednesday, June 3. He cannot appeal his animal ban for three years.
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In sentencing, Judge Sarah Jayne Buckingham, told him that “having a pet in a home is a privilege” and “all pets are entirely dependent on owners for safety and care”.
She said Bernard had owned Babaloo from a puppy and the animal was a loyal, loving and vulnerable pet who trusted him.
She said his jail term was a “sign and deterrent that when people treat animals cruelly and leads to death they can expect custody”.
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Bernard’s legal team said it was a one-off and he had been struggling with health issues. Inspector Brewerton said after the case: “This was an horrific attack on a defenceless dog and this kind of behaviour is never acceptable.
“It was a particularly harrowing case to deal with knowing how much Babaloo must have suffered during the beatings that led to his death.”
