Suzanne Clifton's husband refused to give her money to feed herself, her children or the dog and became violent if she spent any time with it, the defending solicitor told magistrates.

And he described how, when Mrs Clifton left him, her ex husband - a nightclub doorman alleged to have criminal connections - made death threats to her and her new partner, prompting her to flee and abandon the dog plus three cats.

He said: "Mrs Clifton bred the dog herself and has numerous certificates and rosettes from when she used to show it.

"But her husband was jealous of the dog and beat her if she spent any time with it. She was hospitalised due to beatings on several occasions.

"In addition, Mrs Clifton had no income of her own and her husband often refused to give her any money to feed herself and the children, let alone the dog or the other animals."

He also asked for leniency in any financial penalty as Mrs Clifton and her new partner were both on benefits.

But David Hardy, prosecuting, said that the dog had been in such a bad state when rescued that it had to be put down.

He said that over 50 per cent of the dog's body was covered in small clusters of lumps, like bunches of grapes, many of which were infected and discharging pus, and that its nails had not been clipped in almost a year.

He said that when Mrs Clifton moved to Nelson, she had made a very casual arrangement with a neighbour to look after the dog and cats, and had made no subsequent checks on their welfare.

He applied for £600 costs and recommended that Mrs Clifton be subject to a ban on keeping animals.

Magistrates ordered Mrs Clifton - formerly of Mount Avenue, Lancaster and now living in Nelson - to pay a £300 fine and £200 costs, to be paid at the rate of £5 a week.

They also banned her from keeping an animal for three years.

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