Copyright birminghammail
A mum 'concealed' her severely underweight bulldog from an RSPCA inspector who came knocking at her door. Jessica Hunt, from Birmingham , refused the officer entry to her home claiming she had guests over for a birthday celebration. She showed them one of her three dogs, the most healthiest, and admitted there was another in the home who she could not bring to the door because it would run away. READ MORE: Birmingham criminals jailed in October 2025 including Broad Street thug teen However, she failed to mention her four-month-old puppy Thor who was in the worst condition. Ultimately the RSPCA reinspected later the same day and seized all three dogs, two of which were assessed as having very low body condition scores. Hunt, aged 33, of Par Street, Frankley, and her partner Jonathan Rounds, aged 35, of Severn Road, Walsall , were prosecuted by the charity. They both admitted a charge of causing unnecessary suffering to Thor and an adult Staffordshire bull terrier named Bane, for a period of a 'few days up to a week'. At Birmingham Crown Court on October 21 Hunt was handed a community order, while Rounds received a three-month sentence to be served concurrent to a 14-year term he is serving for a separate set of crimes. An RSPCA inspector initially attended the couple's home at around 10.30am on December 6, 2023, following a report expressing concerns for an underweight dog. Prosecutor Sarah Pratt said: "Miss Hunt opened the door and refused the inspector access stating there was a birthday and they had guests. "She did agree to bring a dog to the door for the inspector to see. "A dog called Patch, which was slightly underweight, was brought to the door. "Mr Rounds stated Patch had been seen by the vets several times and they didn't wish to investigate." Ms Pratt added the couple 'confirmed there was another dog in the house', named Bane, but he 'couldn't be brought to the door because he would run away'. The prosecutor told the court that Thor was 'not mentioned at all'. The RSPCA advised the couple see a vet and closed the case because the initial report only spoke of one dog. However, later that afternoon the charity's national call centre received multiple calls reporting concerns for three dogs, prompting a return visit that same day. This time the officer was allowed entry to the address and they discovered Thor who was 'extremely underweight'. All three dogs were seized. Thor scored a 1 on a body condition scale of 1 to 9, with 1 being underweight, 9 being overweight and 4 and 5 being ideal. Bane scored a 2 and Patch scored a 3. Thor and Bane also had worms. A vet estimated they had suffered for a minimum of two weeks, not withstanding the shorter period the couple ultimately confessed to. April Beech, defending, stated Hunt was remorseful. She confirmed the mother-of-four had suffered various traumatic incidents in her life as well as had physical and mental problems. The barrister told the court that serving prisoner Rounds also had mental health issues but was doing well in custody. Judge Kerry Maylin said: "This was well-intentioned care of both dogs but completely incompetent." She added: "You were trying to conceal the existence of the most emaciated of the dogs in your care. "You were certainly not being open with the RSPCA who had come to investigate." Hunt's community order included 10 days of rehabilitation activity. Both she and Rounds were banned from keeping dogs for six years.
