October 2026

April Richardson sentenced after animals left without food or water

Two dogs were left without adequate food or water and two kittens died after April Richardson left them alone at her Chelmsford home over Christmas.

Police and RSPCA officers forced entry to the property in Stansted Close on 3 January after Richardson missed an appointment for the dogs to be assessed. They found two dead kittens and two underweight dogs. The court heard one kitten appeared to have been partially eaten by the dogs.

Keanu, a Dogue de Bordeaux, was seriously underweight and Major, a Staffordshire bull terrier, moderately underweight. The property smelled strongly of faeces and contained mouldy food. Judge Christopher Morgan said Richardson could have sought help or taken the dogs to a vet.

Richardson, 34, admitted three counts of causing unnecessary suffering relating to the animals. She received a ten-month prison sentence suspended for two years and was banned from owning pets for at least five years.

The court heard she had previously received a suspended sentence in 2024 for stealing around £150,000 from elderly people while working as a carer.