Belfast Woman Banned from Owning Animals After Welfare Conviction

Belfast City Council has successfully prosecuted a local woman, Ms. Connie Vokes, who appeared before Belfast County Court on Tuesday, January 6th, 2026, for animal welfare offences. The court handed down a significant sentence, including a five-year ban on owning any animals.

The prosecution stemmed from an incident in November 2024 when Council staff visited Ms. Vokes’ home in Belfast. During the visit, they discovered a Shar Pei dog that was clearly in need of immediate veterinary treatment.

Following this discovery, Ms. Vokes was issued two formal Improvement Notices. These notices legally required her to seek professional veterinary treatment for the dog and provide proof of this care within a strict seven-day timeframe.

Crucially, Ms. Vokes failed to provide the necessary veterinary care as instructed by the notices. For failing to ensure the welfare of the animal, she received a four-month custodial sentence, alongside three months for each of the two failures to comply with the Improvement Notices.

All sentences were ordered to run concurrently and were suspended for 12 months. In addition to the suspended sentence, Ms. Vokes was ordered to pay £200 in legal and court costs, and the court imposed a significant five-year disqualification, prohibiting her from owning, keeping, participating in the keeping of, or being in charge of any animal.