Cruel thief, 32, is jailed for six months after he stole an American XL Bully named Marley from a dog’s home and then chopped his ears off to try to fool police
- Martin Carter stole the previously abused canine from Birmingham Dogs Home
- He removed Marley’s microchip and cut his ears off to stop the dog being traced
- Pet was re-homed after his previous owner used him in an attack on a woman
- Carter admitted theft and was jailed at Leamington Spa Magistrates’ Court
A thief who sliced the ears off a dog he stole has been jailed after police caught him despite the 32-year-old having the canine’s microchip surgically removed.
Martin Carter snatched American XL Bully Marley from Birmingham Dogs Home and today begins his six-month sentence.
Officers found the dog at an address in Keresley, Coventry, after staff at the rescue shelter appealed for help from the public.
Marley came to the home after his previous owner used him to attack a woman. Carter stole him in November 2017.
Marley (pictured) had his ears removed after Carter snatched him from Birmingham Dogs Home
He hoped that having the ears removed by a surgeon would help conceal the canine’s identity and replaced Marley’s microchip too.
Three forces investigated the disappearance, with officers from West Mercia, Warwickshire and the West Midlands searching for Marley.
Marley was placed in the care of Birmingham Dogs Home after his previous owner used the pet to attack a woman
Carter was jailed at Leamington Spa Magistrates’ Court, but could own animals again one day as the prosecution’s application for a lifetime ban was not granted.
He received a six-month prison sentence for handling stolen goods and three months for causing a prohibited procedure to be performed on an animal after pleading guilty to both offences.
A spokesman for West Mercia Police said: ‘We are committed to preventing any unnecessary cruelty and suffering being caused to animals and will seek to prosecute anyone involved in such practices to the full extent of the law, asking for owners to be disqualified from keeping animals in future wherever possible.’
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