Crufts gundog trainer allowed three dogs to bake to death after leaving them in Land Rover for seven hours on hot summer day, court told

Daily Mail​

a day ago

A Crufts gundog trainer let three dogs bake to death on a hot summer's day by leaving them for seven hours in the back of his Land Rover.
Andrew Claridge-Fleming, 57, abandoned the four dogs in crates in his Land Rover Discovery at a farm in Hampshire - and has now admitted causing unnecessary suffering to animals.
He claimed he had left a door and the boot open for the dogs when he was unexpectedly called away from his Ashley Manor Farm home in New Milton.
And he told a court that he was 'shocked' to find the boot closed when returning to the vehicle hours later.
Inside were the tragic dogs Milo, a six-month-old fox red Labrador, cocker spaniel Bodger and a cockapoo named Rocky, all of whom had died of heat exhaustion.
A fourth dog, Claridge-Fleming's own cocker spaniel also called Rocky, was alive but had to be rushed to the vet.
The car had been parked at Claridge-Fleming's farm home on August 3 2023.
Claridge-Fleming runs Gordleton Gundogs, a training school he set up in 2022, while his wife Nicola breeds working cocker spaniels under the same name.
He claimed he had left a door and the boot of the Land Rover Discovery (pictured) open for the dogs when he was unexpectedly called away from his home in New Milton, Hampshire
The defendant is a field test secretary for the Hampshire Gundog Society as well as the Kent, Surrey and Sussex Labrador Retriever Club.
He has represented England at the international game fair working test and made his debut at international dog show Crufts last year with a canine called Ato.
A year before the heat exhaustion incident, he was featured in an issue of Gundog Journal talking about Rocky as his 'dog of a lifetime'.
Bournemouth Crown Court has now heard how Claridge-Fleming took the dogs out for training in the morning of August 3 2023 - two of his own dogs, while the other two belonged to clients - and returned home at 9am.
The four animals were in crates in the boot of his car - two in each compartment - and had water and fresh air from the open doors.
At about 10am he was unexpectedly called away to drive his wife and four children to a relative's house and was gone until 4pm, the court was told.
When he returned, the car door and boot was shut and three of the dogs had 'perished' - with Claridge-Fleming describing how he tried to cool down the fourth, Rocky, before rushing him to the vet.
He pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to animals on the basis he was directly responsible for their deaths.
Holly Fagan, defending, read out his statement, saying: 'I had taken the dogs out for training that morning and returned at approximately 9am.
'They were left in a crate in the back of the car with capacity for four dogs, two in each compartment. They were left with water and I left the back door and boot open on my Land Rover Discovery.
'My wife and I had four children, my wife had just given birth. She had gone out to visit her aunt but came back a short while later saying she couldn't cope with the drive with all the children.
'I said I would take them, this was around 10am. It was otherwise unplanned. I was gone until approximately 4pm.
'When I returned I was shocked to find the boot had been closed. Three out of four had perished. I was distraught. I did what I could to cool Rocky down before taking him to the vet.
'I do not accept I am directly responsible for their deaths but I do accept I left the dogs unattended for too long.
'At gundog trials, dogs are routinely kept in crates in the back of vehicles - it is standard practice in the industry. I regret the incident immensely.'
Ms Fagan told the court her client was 'deeply sorry' for the loss of the two dogs owned by others.
The prosecution said they accepted the basis as there was 'nothing we can disprove' and stated they were not actively seeking a disqualification from keeping animals.
The case was adjourned for a pre-sentence report to be carried out, but Claridge-Fleming could be facing jail when he returns to be sentenced in August.
The maximum penalty for causing unnecessary suffering is five years in prison.
Recorder Richard Onslow told Claridge-Fleming: 'I can't tell you what sort of sentence it will be. There are no promises, no guarantees.'