Woman avoids jail after her starving XL bully is rescued from squalid conditions
Owner admits regrets having left dog to fend for itself in property 'covered in excrement'
A dog owner who admitted abandoning her XL bully pooch without food or water in a house 'covered' in excrement has been spared prison.
Aoife McDowell also pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to the animal, which was left to chew on cans.
She was handed a suspended prison term at Laganside Magistrates Court last week.
It was revealed during the hearing that ratepayers have been left to foot more than £1,700 in costs relating to her prosecution.
Her solicitor told the court: 'She accepts full responsibility for the offending. She says what happened to the dog has killed her inside.
'This occurred while she was in a violent and controlling relationship where she wasn't allowed to leave the house.
'She had a tooth knocked out and hair ripped out of her head. She has since left this relationship and recognises she made mistakes.
'There has been social media attention on this case and her family has been subject to abuse in the street as a result.
'She has been working with probation and is seeking to return to rehab to deal with pregabalin and cocaine issues.'
Aoife McDowell outside Laganside Courts (Luke Jervis/Belfast Telegraph)
Sentencing her for what he described as a 'serious matter', District Judge George Conner handed McDowell eight months in prison, suspended for 12 months.
He also barred her from keeping animals for 10 years.
Belfast City Council made an application for costs totalling £2,179 but Judge Conner said he had to be 'realistic' about what she could afford and ordered her to repay £400.
Previous hearings were told how a neighbour near McDowell's old address on Bell Steel Manor, west Belfast, contacted animal welfare last November after hearing prolonged barking and crying.
The neighbour told council staff the dog had been left unattended in the house for nine days, apart from a 15-minute visit.
When welfare officers attended the property, they found the dog in a 'very poor' condition, an earlier court was told.
They said the animal was 'barking inside without food or water available' and they left a note for McDowell to contact them immediately.
XL bully (Stock image)
The animal welfare officers visited the following day, and again several days later, only to find the dog left in the same conditions and without access to either food or water.
After gaining a court order to access the property, they were confronted with a horrifying scene.
'Every room was covered in faeces, rubbish and clutter,' prosecutors said, with the animal having 'chewed through furniture and tins of food' in search of sustenance.
They continued: 'Chewing the tins may have damaged the animal's mouth, and a vet assessed the dog as experiencing suffering.'
McDowell, now with an address in Woodside in Lisburn, was one of four people convicted of XL bully-related offences at Belfast Magistrates Court on the same day by the City Council. Three men were each fined hundreds of pounds for XL bully attacks on other dogs.
Aoife McDowell (Luke Jervis/Belfast Telegraph)
News in 90 Seconds - May 29th
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Sunday World
4 days ago
- Sunday World
Woman avoids jail after her starving XL bully is rescued from squalid conditions
Owner admits regrets having left dog to fend for itself in property 'covered in excrement' A dog owner who admitted abandoning her XL bully pooch without food or water in a house 'covered' in excrement has been spared prison. Aoife McDowell also pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to the animal, which was left to chew on cans. She was handed a suspended prison term at Laganside Magistrates Court last week. It was revealed during the hearing that ratepayers have been left to foot more than £1,700 in costs relating to her prosecution. Her solicitor told the court: 'She accepts full responsibility for the offending. She says what happened to the dog has killed her inside. 'This occurred while she was in a violent and controlling relationship where she wasn't allowed to leave the house. 'She had a tooth knocked out and hair ripped out of her head. She has since left this relationship and recognises she made mistakes. 'There has been social media attention on this case and her family has been subject to abuse in the street as a result. 'She has been working with probation and is seeking to return to rehab to deal with pregabalin and cocaine issues.' Aoife McDowell outside Laganside Courts (Luke Jervis/Belfast Telegraph) Sentencing her for what he described as a 'serious matter', District Judge George Conner handed McDowell eight months in prison, suspended for 12 months. He also barred her from keeping animals for 10 years. Belfast City Council made an application for costs totalling £2,179 but Judge Conner said he had to be 'realistic' about what she could afford and ordered her to repay £400. Previous hearings were told how a neighbour near McDowell's old address on Bell Steel Manor, west Belfast, contacted animal welfare last November after hearing prolonged barking and crying. The neighbour told council staff the dog had been left unattended in the house for nine days, apart from a 15-minute visit. When welfare officers attended the property, they found the dog in a 'very poor' condition, an earlier court was told. They said the animal was 'barking inside without food or water available' and they left a note for McDowell to contact them immediately. XL bully (Stock image) The animal welfare officers visited the following day, and again several days later, only to find the dog left in the same conditions and without access to either food or water. After gaining a court order to access the property, they were confronted with a horrifying scene. 'Every room was covered in faeces, rubbish and clutter,' prosecutors said, with the animal having 'chewed through furniture and tins of food' in search of sustenance. They continued: 'Chewing the tins may have damaged the animal's mouth, and a vet assessed the dog as experiencing suffering.' McDowell, now with an address in Woodside in Lisburn, was one of four people convicted of XL bully-related offences at Belfast Magistrates Court on the same day by the City Council. Three men were each fined hundreds of pounds for XL bully attacks on other dogs. Aoife McDowell (Luke Jervis/Belfast Telegraph) News in 90 Seconds - May 29th
Irish Examiner
21-05-2025
- Irish Examiner
Senator tells defamation case Gerry Adams 'was a dominant character within the IRA'
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RTÉ News
21-05-2025
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Gerry Adams had reputation of being in IRA, Michael McDowell tells High Court
Independent Senator Michael McDowell has told the High Court that Gerry Adams falsely represented himself as a go-between in negotiations for the Good Friday Agreement when in fact he was a leading member of the IRA at the time. The former attorney general and minister for justice was giving evidence in a defamation case that Mr Adams has taken against the BBC. Mr Adams alleges he was defamed in a 2016 Spotlight programme and a subsequent online article, which he says falsely claimed that he sanctioned the killing of former senior Sinn Féin official Denis Donaldson. Mr Donaldson was shot dead in 2006, months after admitting being an informer for the police and MI5 over two decades. Mr McDowell said Mr Adams had the reputation of someone who "is a politician now who was a leading member of the IRA and who was active in the armed struggle as he calls it". 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Asked if she would agree that it was now peaceful she said "of course we should all be grateful that we are not getting murdered anymore", adding "thank you to Gerry Adams for people being able to go to work now and the IRA not murdering us anymore". She said while Mr Adams might work with victims groups he had never done anything for the groups she was involved in and most of the groups he worked with were Republican families and not families like hers who were murdered by the IRA. Asked if her view was tainted by personal hurt and tragedy she replied: "I'm 56 years old and all I ever knew growing up was troubles, and since that all I know is that victims and survivors of both loyalism and republicanism are living with a lot of pain. "It is a joke when he talks about being a peacemaker or denies his involvement with the IRA…he has lied consistently." She did not agree with counsel that there would be no peace in Northern Ireland without Mr Adams. Former rugby international Trevor Ringland told the court he believed Mr Adams had the reputation of "peace taker not a peacemaker". Mr Ringland, who said he grew up in "a police family" in Northern Ireland and had worked with various groups in more recent years said he believed a person's reputation could improve over the years but he did not agree that Mr Adams' reputation had improved. During cross-examination it was put to him that his description of Mr Adams as a "peace taker" was a "soundbite". He said the people of Northern Ireland would regard Mr Adams as a peace taker. He said to suggest he was a peacemaker was like having someone attack you, pull you to the ground and kick you and then being told you should thank them for stopping something they should not have been doing in the first place. He said malign causes were still damaging Northern Ireland and he believed Mr Adams "messes with peoples' minds". It was put to Mr Ringland that while he had been a rugby player and a solicitor he was also a Unionist politician. Mr Ringland said he had left the Ulster Unionist Party because another party member had said he would not go to a GAA match. Declan Doyle, SC, said to him "and you then joined the all inclusive NI Conservative Party".
