Let off...cop who left dogs to bake

A POLICE dog handler whose Alsatians died after being left seven hours in his car as temperatures hit 82°F was yesterday let off with a conditional discharge.

PC Mark Johnson - suffering depression and obsessive compulsive disorder - repeatedly forgot about Jet, ten, and 18-month-old Jay-Jay as he worked at his force's HQ. 

Tears ... PC Johnson

It was one of the hottest days of 2009 and temperatures inside the vehicle rose to more than 116°F. There was no water and the windows were closed. 

A hearing at Nottingham magistrates court heard PC Johnson had taken three dogs with him to work, but had put a Labrador sniffer dog Dash in the force's kennels. 

The 39-year-old left the other two in the caged luggage compartment of his Ford Mondeo estate.

PC Johnson initially went into the Nottinghamshire force's Sherwood Lodge HQ in Arnold, Notts, to collect keys for a dog patrol van. 

But instead he walked into a 30 minute briefing, then started on some paper work. 

Three hours passed before he thought about the dogs, but as he went to get them at 10.30am he took a radio message and did not go out to the vehicle. 

Heat ... car cage

At noon he went into a two-and-a-half-hour meeting with an officer to discuss his health issues. 

Then he went to clean out one of the dog vans and was surprised not to find his own animals inside. 

RSPCA prosecutor Paul Taylor said: "Then it hit him. He had not transferred the dogs from his own vehicle." 

Tragic ... RSPCA photo of Jet

Sgt David Buckley told the court Johnson had run into his office "in tears" saying his dogs were dead. 

They died from organ failure. 

PC Johnson said he was forgetful because he was suffering from depression and OCD. 

Forgotten ... sick PC Johnson failed to get Jay-Jay

Johnson was found guilty of animal cruelty and given a conditional discharge for six months.

District Judge Tim De Vas said Johnson had been "let down" by his force. 

He said: "This was a dreadful error brought about by an illness and PC Johnson should have been given more help." 

Prosecutor Taylor told the court: "We do not suggest for a moment he desired to cause his dogs suffering."

The Sun - 23 Feb 2010