A North Belfast woman from Shore Road, Ms Connie Vokes, was sentenced at Belfast County Court on Tuesday 6 January 2026, after being convicted of animal welfare offences.
The prosecution followed a visit to Ms Vokes' home in November 2024, where a Shar Pei dog was discovered in need of urgent veterinary treatment. Improvement Notices were subsequently served on Ms Vokes, instructing her to ensure the dog received professional veterinary care and to provide evidence of this treatment within seven days.
However, Ms Vokes failed to provide the necessary veterinary care as instructed by the notices. As a result, she was sentenced to four months custody for failing to ensure the welfare of an animal, along with three months for each of the two failures to comply with the Improvement Notices. All sentences will run concurrently and are suspended for a period of 12 months.
In addition to the suspended sentence, the court ordered Ms Vokes to pay £200 in legal and court costs. Furthermore, she has been disqualified from owning any animal for the next five years, a measure aimed at protecting animal welfare in the community.