CONVICTED (2025) | Lorien Taylor aka Lorien Ryan, born 9 March 1990, of 31 Oronsay Close, Hinckley LE10 0WY – starved a young lurcher to death.

In October 2024 RSPCA inspectors visited the home Taylor shares with boyfriend and father of one of her children Michael Egginton to investigate a report about a badly neglected dog. There they found the four-year-old lurcher, Sapphire, lying immobile on the landing, covered with a coat.

Inspector Karl Marston described the dog as “lifeless” adding that “it was not until she blinked that it was apparent she was still alive”.

The dog had sores on her face and across her body. Her ribs, spine, hips and leg bones were all prominent through her skin. A pile of red/brown faeces lay by her rear end.

Inspector Marston explained to Taylor that the dog needed emergency veterinary attention. Taylor willingly signed Sapphire over into the RSPCA’s care and she was transported to an RSPCA animal hospital.

Veterinary examination found that she had extensive scabbing and sores around her abdomen, and live fleas in her coat. Despite the vets’ “extensive efforts to stabilise her”, Sapphire died later that day.

A post-mortem concluded that she had suffered malnutrition and an untreated skin disease, with 55 lesions found on her body. She was given a body condition score of just one out of nine and weighed half of a normal weight for her breed.

In the vet’s opinion she would have been denied sufficient food for at least three weeks.

The examination report concluded that her cause of death was “is most certainly related to severe neglect and failure to seek appropriate veterinary care, as evidenced by the emaciation and skin lesions observed clinically”.

The vet said that Sapphire would have been suffering for at least three weeks from pain. The inflammation, ulceration and itchiness caused by the skin disease meant the dog would have been extremely uncomfortable for a prolonged period of time.

They added that Sapphire’s suffering could have “reasonably been avoided by providing an adequate and appropriate diet and by seeking veterinary advice and treatment promptly”.

Taylor pleaded guilty to two offences under the Animal Welfare Act.

The court heard in mitigation that she had ‘”personal difficulties”. She said she had tried to rehome Sapphire, but accepted she should have tried harder.

After the hearing, inspector Mr Marston said: “It is a pet owner’s legal responsibility to properly look after any animal in their care. This poor dog died because of her owner Taylor’s neglect and failure to seek veterinary treatment for Sapphire, when it was clear she so desperately needed it.”

Sentencing | 12 month community order, with 10 days of ‘rehab’ and 200 hours of unpaid work; costs of £464. 15-year ban.