Police have issued an appeal for a Harrogate man who is wanted for breaching a court order for animal cruelty.

Robbie Nelson, 24, of Woodfield View, was given a community order last year after neglecting two dogs at a house on High Street in the town.

The case was brought by the animal welfare charity the RSPCA, which revealed that the animals were living in a flat covered in faeces and with carpets soaked in urine.

Nelson was banned from keeping animals for five years and handed a community order to undertake rehabilitation activity following a court hearing in July 2022.

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North Yorkshire Police has now issued an appeal for information on his whereabouts after the 24-year-old failed to comply with the order.

He was due to attend Harrogate Magistrates’ Court on March 3, 2023, but he failed to appear resulting in a warrant for his arrest.

The conditions in the flat in Harrogate. Picture: RSPCA.

Enquiries are ongoing to find Nelson, including multiple address checks and contact with the Department for Work and Pensions and the Job Centre.

A police statement added:

“If anyone knows where he is or have information that could help us to find him, please make a report via the North Yorkshire Police website or call 101, select option 1, and speak to the Force Control Room.

“If you’d prefer to remain anonymous, please contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

Please quote reference number 122300039283 when providing details.”

The owner of Ripon celebrity cat Badger has said she has been overwhelmed by support from people after shocking cruelty towards her pet.

Badger was regularly seen in Ripon and even has a Facebook page with 1,000 followers dedicated to him and his brother Bodger.

But Badger has rarely ventured out since the incident in which he is believed to have been kicked and hung by his collar by children.

The attack has sparked a huge response, with numerous posts on social media and local people putting up £2,000 for information leading to the conviction of whoever was responsible.

Naomi Walker, who owns Badger and Bodger, said she has been amazed by the response but at the same time doesn’t want to encourage vigilantes, particularly towards children. She told the Stray Ferret:

“If anything comes out of this, I would like it to be for people to talk to their kids about animal cruelty. You don’t have to like cats to not hurt them.

“But I can’t thank everyone enough for all they’ve done. I’m overwhelmed and grateful for all the support.”

Ms Walker said she didn’t go public about the incident for several weeks because she didn’t want to generate too much fuss, particularly because Badger is now nearly 12, but she felt people deserved to know what had happened. She said:

“It’s endearing that people care so much about him. He does have a large fan base and has become a local celebrity.”

Badger was seen regularly around Sainsbury’s and the cathedral until Ms Walker moved elsewhere in the city. The gregarious moggy then started frequenting Lead Lane, and took a particular fondness to a local fish and chip shop.

Bodger has always been less adventurous and rarely strays far from home.

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The RSPCA has said that two dogs who were so thin their ribs were protruding when police seized them are now healthy and seeking new homes.

Rocco, a mastiff, and Smudge, a lurcher, were taken from a home in Harrogate when Robbie Nelson refused to sign them over to the animal welfare charity last year.

A vet who examined the dogs concluded both animals were malnourished.

He gave Rocco a one out of nine score on a body condition test, which is classed as a state of emaciation, while Smudge scored two out of nine.

Robbie Nelson, 24, of Woodfield View, was banned from keeping animals for five years when he appeared in court in July.

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His brother Charlie Nelson, 28, of Woodfield View, Harrogate, was also disqualified from owning pets for five years when he was sentenced this month.

RSPCA inspector Tom Hutton found the dogs underweight and living in accommodation littered with household waste, scrap bikes and dog faeces when he was called out by police to a flat on Starbeck High Street on March 18, 2021.

The flat was covered in dog faeces.

The RSPCA said today that under its care, Rocco and Smudge have returned to a healthy weight and condition and the charity will “now look to find them loving new owners”.

Inspector Hutton said:

“We thank North Yorkshire Police for alerting us to the dreadful situation Rocco and Smudge were in. It meant we were able to rescue them and now we will be able to find them new homes where they are loved and cared for.”

Rocco (left) and Smudge now, looking healthy and seeking new homes.

A Harrogate man has been disqualified from owning pets for five years after being found guilty of neglecting two dogs.

Charlie Nelson, 28, of Woodfield View, was found to be in breach of the Animal Welfare Act at York Magistrates Court yesterday.

The court heard Nelson did not take reasonable steps to look after a mastiff called Rocco and a lurcher called Smudge at High Street, Harrogate, on March 18 last year.

Court documents reveal he was banned from keeping animals “to ensure no animals suffer at the hands of the defendant during this period”.

They also show an order was made under section 33 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006 depriving him of ownership of a dog and for its disposal.

Nelson was also ordered to pay costs of £200 and a surcharge of £95 to fund victims’ services.

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• Malnourished dogs found in Harrogate flat covered in faeces and urine
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North Yorkshire Police issued warrants in July for the arrest of Nelson and his brother Robbie Nelson after they failed to turn up in court to face animal cruelty charges.

Robbie Nelson, 24, of Woodfield View, was subsequently banned from keeping animals for five years.

The RSPCA said Rocco and Smudge were malnourished and living in a flat covered in faeces and with carpets soaked in urine.

An RSPCA picture of the flat where the brothers kept dogs.

The RSPCA has revealed that two malnourished dogs rescued in Harrogate were living in a flat covered in faeces and with carpets soaked in urine.

Robbie Nelson, 24, of Woodfield View, was banned from keeping animals for five years last week.

The animal charity has revealed the mastiff called Rocco and the lurcher named Smudge were so underweight their ribs were protruding when RSPCA inspector Tom Hutton was called to a flat in High Street, Harrogate, on March 18 last year.

The inspector, who was called out by police executing a search warrant in relation to another matter, needed to squeeze through the living room door to reach the dogs because of the large amount of clutter, scrap bikes and household waste piled up.

The flat was full of clutter.

Areas of the flat were covered in faeces and the carpets were soaked in urine.

Nelson refused to sign over the dogs to the RSPCA so the animals were seized by the police.

They were taken to a vet for treatment and an examination showed Rocco had a body condition score of one out of nine, which is classed as a state of emaciation.

Rocco is back in good health after being emaciated.

The veterinary surgeon said in her witness statement:

“He (Rocco) weighed just 24.3kg and I would estimate a healthy weight would have been nearer 36kg,”

“The lurcher (Smudge) was also very thin. He weighed 17kg and his body condition score was two out of nine. I estimate a healthy weight for him would have been 23kg.”

The vet concluded that both dogs were malnourished and the “state of their accommodation had compromised their health”.

Robbie Nelson was banned from keeping animals for five years last week.

In mitigation, the court was told the defendant suffered from mental health issues and he felt his brother, Charlie Nelson, should have taken responsibility for the dogs as he was their “true owner”.

Smudge is waiting to be rehomed.

At an earlier hearing, a charge of failing to ensure the needs of the two dogs were met was also proven in absence against Charlie Nelson, 30, also of Woodfield View, Harrogate.

He has yet to be sentenced and a warrant remains outstanding for his arrest.

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The RSPCA said in a statement that both Rocco and Smudge had “returned to good health and remain in the care of the RSPCA”. They will be rehomed when the outstanding court matter is settled.

After the hearing, inspector Hutton said:

“Both these dogs were skinny and living in awful conditions. The house was full of rubbish and dog faeces.

“We thank North Yorkshire Police for alerting us to the situation the dogs were in, which means we will be able to find them new homes where they are loved and cared for.”

A Harrogate man has been banned from keeping animals for five years after being found guilty of cruelty.

Robbie Nelson, 24, neglected a Mastiff called Rocco and a Lurcher called Smudge at a house on High Street, Harrogate, in March last year.

The case was brought by animal charity the RSPCA.

Nelson failed to turn up in court to respond to the charges on December 17 last year and was found guilty in his absence.

Police issued a warrant for his arrest on the same day and eventually arrested him in June.

He was then remanded on bail for pre-sentence reports to be prepared.

Nelson, of Woodfield View, Harrogate, appeared before North Yorkshire Magistrates Court in York on Tuesday for sentencing.

Magistrates disqualified him from owning or being left in charge of any animal for five years.

He was also ordered to pay £200 costs and a £95 surcharge to fund victim services, and was given a community order to undertake rehabilitation activity.

The RSPCA will decide what to do with Rocco and Smudge.

A Harrogate man has been found guilty of mistreating two pet dogs.

Robbie Nelson, 23, of Woodfield View, appeared before magistrates in York yesterday.

He was accused of failing to provide a suitable environment for a mastiff type dog called Rocco and a lurcher type dog called Smudge.

The case was brought by animal charity the RSPCA.

Nelson failed to turn up in court to respond to the charges on December 17 last year and was found guilty in his absence.

Police issued a warrant for his arrest on the same day and finally arrested him on Sunday.

At yesterday’s hearing, he was remanded on bail until June 28 for pre-sentence reports to be prepared.

North Yorkshire Police has issued a fresh appeal for information on a wanted Harrogate man.

Robbie Nelson, 23, failed to appear before York Magistrates Court where he faces an animal cruelty charge.

A warrant was issued for Nelson’s arrest on December 17 last year.

Police issued a similar appeal for information on the whereabouts of Nelson in April.

A North Yorkshire Police statement added:

“Enquiries are ongoing to find Nelson including multiple address checks and contact with the Department for Work and Pensions and the Job Centre.

“If anyone knows of his whereabouts or has information that could help us to find him, please call North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 1, and speak to the Force Control Room.

“If you would prefer to remain anonymous, please contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

“Please quote reference number 12210262539 when providing details.”

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