INTENTIONAL cruelty to pets and even organised dog fighting is on the rise in Merseyside according to figures released today.

RSPCA inspectors have even identified “no go zones” where it has become too dangerous to investigate complaints without support.

Inspector Claire Cain, of the RSPCA Liverpool Branch, said: “There’s one street in Huyton that we won’t go to anymore without police.

“Last time I went there I was surrounded by eight youths and they had been organising dog fights.”

Figures released today show that 19 people have been convicted for 38 crimes involving either criminal neglect or vicious attacks against pets. Only one person was jailed.

In Cheshire only one person was put behind bars and 14 people were convicted for 25 crimes.

This is the first time the animal welfare charity has broken its statistics down county by county so it is difficult to gauge any emerging trends.

Nationally, however, the number of people convicted for cruelty to animals rose last year by almost a quarter.

Insp Cain said: “We’re seeing more cases of intentional cruelty to animals and our pets: stabbings, beatings and that level of thing.

“I’m dealing with a case at the moment where a dog has been attacked with a hammer.

“He is denying it but evidence shows the dog was attacked by a blunt instrument. The trauma to the dog is there.

“There was an incident that has been through court already where a man didn’t get a job so he went home and stabbed his puppy to death.

“This is the kind of people you’re dealing with and they’re becoming more and more prevalent.

“What we’re seeing a lot of now is people that are showing no remorse for what they’ve done.

“Sometimes they don’t appear to think they’ve done anything wrong at all.”

Others like Andrew Ward, 25, of Alwen Street, Birkenhead, pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering when they were caught.

His dog Buster was so thin when he was taken to the RSPCA centre in Wallasey, that staff and volunteers couldn’t identify his breed.

The male boxer bull-mastiff cross had been starved to half his natural body weight.

Ward was convicted of failing to provide an adequate diet and failing to exercise reasonable supervision of the dog.

He was banned from keeping all animals for five years, ordered to serve a two year supervision order and do 200 hours of unpaid work as well as pay costs of £300 at Wirral Magistrates Court.

Carly and Les Church, from the Wirral, offered Buster a new home, where he’s flourished.

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