The 33-year-old was banned from keeping animals indefinitely after hearing how French bulldog Athena was treated
A man was told he can't own another pet after he was found to have abused his dog who died in his bathroom. Simon Johanson-Griffiths made French bulldog Athena suffer before her eventual death, with witnesses telling a court how they saw the 33-year-old abuse the pet.
Johanson-Griffiths appeared at Chester Magistrates' Court on Thursday, March 26, where it was heard police officers attended his flat, in Warkworth Court, Ellesmere Port, on May 31 last year. they arrived at around 11pm after a person reported hearing noises coming from the flat, including banging, thudding, yelling and a dog yelping.
Johanson-Griffith opened the door before telling officers he had just returned home from the pub and Athena had choked on her own vomit and died on the floor of his bathroom. He later told officers the dog appeared to be fine when he got home but after five or ten minutes she started making heaving noises. He claimed he saw a “bulge” in her throat and tried to open her mouth.
Johanson-Griffith said he sat with her between his legs on the bathroom floor and, in a panic, “pounded” Athena on her back a number of times in an attempt to dislodge what was in her throat. He told officers his dog wasn’t breathing and he could feel her tongue had swollen. She then went limp and he said that was when he knew she had died.
The court was told the police officers saw a small graze on the top of Athena’s head which the defendant claimed was due to her scratching fleas a week or so before her death. Following further enquiries, Johanson-Griffiths was arrested under section four of the Animal Welfare Act. The RSPCA was informed and subsequently took on the investigation, arranging for a post mortem to be carried out.
The court was told the report’s findings did not support vomiting and choking as the cause of Athena’s respiratory distress. It also showed haemorrhage consistent with blunt force trauma to her head.
Athena was also found to have a compromised respiratory anatomy in the form of Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome (BOAS) and tracheal hypoplasia which would have adversely affected her breathing on a day-to-day basis and was likely the underlying cause of her death, said the report.
The vet who reviewed the post mortem and gave written evidence in the case, said: “It is likely that just prior to her death, Athena had sustained the trauma to her head in circumstances which caused her distress, and possibly the rapid development of non-cardiogenic oedema, resulting in exacerbation of her respiratory issues, leading to her death.
“In an animal with normal respiratory anatomy and function, non-cardiogenic pulmonary oedema would not be expected to cause respiratory compromise severe enough to cause death. However, in a French Bulldog dog with BOAS it could be sufficient to cause death.
“The history of Athena having vomited and choked is inconsistent with the postmortem findings. Bruising to the right side of her head is not consistent with being pounded hard on her back multiple times and there were no reports of the dog having sustained any accidental injuries that might have reasonably explained the post mortem findings.
“In my opinion Athena has been caused to suffer as a consequence of physical abuse on a number of occasions.”
The vet said Johanson-Griffiths contradicted himself by telling police that Athena had vomited and he had cleaned it up, but had later said she hadn’t been sick, although he thought his dog had died as a result of choking. Describing the case as “very unpleasant”, magistrates said Johanson-Griffiths had caused a “high level of suffering” to Athena and displayed “prolonged” abusive behaviour towards her which had been seen by a number of witnesses.
In mitigation, the court was told the defendant had mental health issues and a personality disorder diagnosis. Speaking after the sentencing hearing Inspector Leanne Cooper, who investigated for the RSPCA, said: “We’re very grateful to the witnesses and the police who helped us with this very upsetting case and ensured that Athena’s owner could be held to account for his abusive behaviour.”
Johanson-Griffiths, 33, of Warkworth Court, in Ellesmere Port, pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to his French bulldog and was handed a ten-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, and disqualified from keeping animals for an indefinite period. He was also ordered to carry out 30 Rehabilitation Activity Requirement days.
Another dog signed over by Johanson-Griffiths has since been rehomed by the RSPCA’s Southport, Ormskirk & District Branch and is doing well in his new home.
