Man who starved snake banned from owning animals

A man has been banned from owning animals after he starved a snake to death and kept six dogs in what police described as "appalling conditions".

Jake Riley, 35, pleaded guilty to seven offences at Sheffield Magistrates' Court after police found the animals at an address in Rotherham in February.

Officers said two of the dogs were found to be living without water inside dirty crates, while a royal python was found dead inside a glass case.

Three of the six dogs later had to be put down due to medical issues, South Yorkshire Police said.

The other three have since been rehomed, police added.

At a sentencing hearing on 15 December, Riley, of Radcliffe-on-Trent in Nottinghamshire, was given a 26-week prison sentence, suspended for 12 months.

He was banned from owning animals for seven years and given a community service order.

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