Man who left dog to die in hot car while he drank in pub walks free from court
Seven-year-old Staffordshire Bull Terrier Carlo died of massive heatstroke after cruel Ian Czajkowskyj locked him in a Fiat 500 despite two previous warnings from welfare officers
A MAN who left his dog to die in a hot car while he went on a nine-hour pub bender has dodged jail – despite TWO previous warnings.
Cruel Ian Czajkowskyj locked seven-year-old Staffordshire Bull Terrier Carlo in his Fiat 500 before the massive drinking session, despite two previous warnings when RSPCA officers left notes on his windsscreen.
Czajkowskyj, 57, of Elgin Street, Ashton-under-Lyne, has now admitted causing unnecessary suffering to an animal and was given a 12-week prison sentence, suspended for 12 months, at Tameside Magistrates Court.
He was also banned from keeping animals for life and handed £300 costs and a £115 surcharge.
Mark Harper, prosecuting, said: “It is likely that Carlo was subjected to monumental suffering for a minimum of one hour but for a maximum period of nine hours.
“This was a clear case of the owner placing his own needs before those of the animal, especially because he had been warned before.”
In early April an RSPCA inspector found Carlo locked in Czajkowskyj’s car, and left an animal welfare warning notice on his windscreen.
A month later the police were called about a dog in the same car at Ashton Leisure Centre car park.
Members of the public had managed to prise open the door and release Carlo, who they said appeared “hot and bothered”.
Mr Harper said: “Temperatures that day were very high, up to 35.2C and with an average of 28C.
“There was a two to three inch gap in the window.
“The dog was slumped in the back seat and there was a lot of blood.
“It appeared the dog had been dead for some time because rigor mortis had set in and there was a strong smell. Both the animal and the car were warm.
“Officers said there was saliva on the window.”
Czajkowskyj’s lawyer Sonya O’Brien said: “He is embarrassed and ashamed and regrets his actions every single day.
“He has suffered two heart attacks and a mini-stroke, which he says has caused him memory loss.
“But he accepts he should not have locked the dog in the car knowing he suffered from this condition.
RSPCA inspector Nicola Waterworth said: “It is horrible to think what Carlo would have gone through and it is sad to think that we are still having cases where animals are being left in hot cars.”