The filthy, disgusting 'cell' where cruel family locked poor dog inside covered in its waste all day

Three members of an Oldham family have been convicted after they confined their pet German Shepherd to a room 'like a cell', the RSPCA said. The pup, which spent almost all day alone in the tiny room apart from being allowed out to eat and drink, also developed an ear infection, the charity said in a statement.

Leo was found smelling of urine with matted hair after being left in a bare 5ft by 6ft room at a flat on Covert Road. Last month, three members of the same family were hauled before a court after pleading guilty to offences under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.

A vet’s report said the dog was only let out into the kitchen for food and water, but spent most of the day inside the room and if the door was opened a baby gate was placed across it to prevent it leaving. After the dog was saved, it was left needing veterinary treatment.

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Michael Newell, 31, of Shaw Road, Oldham, pleaded guilty to two offences under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and was disqualified from keeping animals for 10 years when he appeared at Manchester Magistrates’ Court on April 22. Susan Stewart, 51, of Covert Road, Oldham, who pleaded guilty to two offences under the Animal Welfare Act 2006. She was also banned from keeping dogs for 10 years.

Her partner, Lee Stewart, 50, also of Covert Road, Oldham, admitted the same two offences under the Animal Welfare Act 2006. He was banned from keeping animals for life. The RSPCA was alerted after a caller advised 'a dog was being kept in a small room and never let out'.

When RSPCA inspectors visited the flat on November 9, 2019, Susan Stewart told inspectors that Leo belonged to her son Michael, who had left him in her