Police recovered a ‘severely deformed’ saucepan with dog hair on it which Wheeler had used to ‘bludgeon her dog to death’
A woman who was handed a suspended prison sentence for beating her dog to death with a saucepan has been jailed for failing to comply with the court order.
Jordanna Wheeler repeatedly broke the curfew which was part of her suspended sentence, failed to turn up for multiple appointments, and didn’t engage with any help being offered by various agencies.
Activating the suspended sentence, a judge at Swansea Crown Court said custody was the “best place” for the defendant at the present time, especially given “the state” she turned up at court in.
The court heard that in December last year Wheeler was sentenced at Swansea Crown Court to 16 months in prison suspended for 18 months and was ordered to do a rehabilitation course, complete a 120-day alcohol abstinence requirement, and abide by a three-month nightly curfew after admitting causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal. The defendant was also disqualified from owning any animal for the next 10 years.
The original sentencing hearing was told that on August 19 last year Wheeler attended Neath Port Talbot Hospital “demanding to be sectioned” due to her mental health issues.
While talking to staff Wheeler disclosed that she had attended a party the previous day and consumed a large amount of alcohol before going home.
She said she then “woke up on the sofa covered in spew” and when she went to look for her dog “I discovered I had battered him to death”.
Hospital staff reported the matter to police and when officers went to the defendant’s flat in the Penlan area of Swansea they found a large brown Mastiff dog lying unresponsive and clearly dead on its bed in the living room.
The court heard that officers also found a “severely deformed” saucepan with dog hair on it which Wheeler had used to “bludgeon her dog to death”. For the latest court stories sign up to our crime newsletter
Wheeler, 28, now of Beili Glas, Loughor, Swansea, had previously pleaded guilty to breaching the terms of her suspended sentence when she appeared in the dock via videolink. She had been due to be dealt with on Monday but turned up late to court and was remanded into custody.
The court heard the defendant broke her curfew on six occasions during January and February, failed to attend any of her rehabilitation sessions, missed numerous probation appointments without an acceptable reason, and failed to engage with outside agencies offering help.
Alexandra Wilson, on behalf of the Probation Service, said the defendant had shown a “complete disregard” for the order and that the recommendation to the court was that the original custodial sentence be activated. She added that Wheeler had been candid with probation staff that she had left her flat on multiple occasions to go to the pub or the park and take cocaine.
Sarah John, for Wheeler, said it had to be conceded that activation of the original sentence was the likely outcome, and said the defendant’s reasons for breaching the curfew – namely that she needed to go outside for a walk – was “not one which would hold much weight with the court”.
She said Wheeler had started to engage with probation after breach proceedings were started and she invited the court to reduce the sentence in light of her client’s compliance with the alcohol abstinence requirement.
Judge Geraint Walters said where a defendant breached a suspended sentence the court was expected to activate the sentence unless it would be unjust to do so. He said not only would it be not unjust to activate it in the circumstances but it could be said it would be unjust not to activate it.
He added: “Quite frankly, I think you are better off at the moment where you are, not least given the state you arrived in at court on Monday.”
Judge Walters activated 12 months of the suspended sentence. The defendant will serve up to half the sentence in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community.
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