Boater stabbed his dog then drowned her

A LIVE-ABOARD not wanting his dog any more stabbed her then threw her in the canal leaving her to drown.

Though Brendan Murphy told that his pet Japanese Akita Tara died of natural causes, he was seen throwing her in the Shropshire Union Canal and reported to the RSPCA, who later discovered the body that had been removed from the water and buried, and took it to a vet for a post-mortem examination.

Stabbed twice

This exposed that she had been suffering from a lung disease for a number of weeks and had been stabbed twice, with a  microchip showing Murphy was her owner, but he claimed the dog had died a natural death.  However the examination revealed the presence of algae, which indicated she had drowned.

At the hearing at Chester Magistrates Court the vet stated:

Alive when in canal

"It is my expert opinion that Tara was suffering as a result of underlying ill-health at the time of her death.

"It is further my expert opinion that Tara was alive when she was placed in the canal and that she was deliberately anchored down with a length of chain." (Pictured.)

Murphy was prosecuted and given a suspended jail sentence of 10 weeks and was banned for keeping animals for 10 years and ordered to pay £300 costs and a £115 victim surcharge.  He was also convicted of failing to provide proper and necessary veterinary care for Tara.