WARNING STRONG IMAGES: Man banned from keeping animals for life after two dogs suffer heat stroke death at Creamfields

THE owner of two dogs has been banned from keeping animals for life after leaving both his rottweilers, who died from heat stroke, trapped in a car during the Creamfields festival.

Paul Cave, from Oldham, was sentenced yesterday, Thursday, at Halton Magistrates' Court after being found guilty of causing unnecessary suffering to Zola and Rebel.

He was not present in court because of what is believed to be an ongoing 'medical problem'.

But in his absence the 60-year-old was found guilty of failing to keep the dogs in a suitable environment and a failure to protect them from pain, suffering and injury.

The court heard how both dogs were locked in 'inadequate' cages at a camping area at the site, while Cave slept in a tent next to his car after finishing his shift as a security guard at the venue on August 23 last year.

Cave had been drinking before falling asleep but when he woke around two-and-a-half-hours later he found the rottweilers had died.

After the incident the cause of death was confirmed as heat stroke and inspectors who attended the site confirmed it was one of the worst cases they had seen.

During a court hearing in February it was suggested that the dogs would have been moving around the kennels in a 'frantic panic' to escape the increasing heat of the car but during a police interview Cave said he did not think the dogs could overheat and denied the dogs were trying to escape.

Prosecuting, Tom Stock, described the seriousness of the 'distressing' crimes to the court.

And chairman of the magistrates David Eccles also raised his concerns with elements of the case prior to sentencing.

"We feel a marker needs to be put down in this case because of how serious it is," he said.

It is believed Zola and Rebel could have spent up to 16 hours in the cages during Cave's shift, although the kennels were only meant to hold dogs for up to an hour due to the state and structure of them.

Festival organisers did provide kennels on the site for security dogs but Cave had chosen not to use them.

Mr Eccles said he took time to deliver a sentence because of the 'difficult circumstances' associated with the horrific case.

"His life ban also involves participating in the keeping of animals, even his wife in the same property can't keep an animal,” he added.

"And he can't influence how animals are kept."

Cave was banned from keeping animals for life, given a 12-month conditional discharge and ordered to pay £260 in costs.

Following the hearing RSPCA inspector Anthony Joynes said the case had been a 'distressing example' of how dogs can lose their life in hot cars.

He added: "The Met Office report for the day was a maximum of 17 degrees, which shows that it doesn't have to be very hot outside.

"Even warm, pleasant outside temperatures turn cars into ovens and therefore death traps for dogs.

“Cave completely failed Rebel and Zola and the dogs paid the ultimate price for those failures. The vet described how the dogs would have suffered to an unimaginable extent. That heartbreaking point has rarely left me.

“I sincerely hope now that Rebel and Zola did not suffer in vain and that some good can come of this case to help prevent other dogs suffering a similar fate.

"The security organisers of Creamfields are doing what they can and asking for RSPCA input on measures to prevent anything similar occurring again."

For further information concerning dogs left in hot cars visit www.rspca.org.uk/dogsinhotcars and if you see a dog in distress in a hot car call 999.

The kennels the two dogs were found in the back of Cave's car

Blood from the dogs was found on the bars and inside the kennels

Other pictures from the RSPCA were too disturbing for us to use.