A Crufts dog trainer who left four pets in his car, causing three to die from heatstroke, has been given a suspended prison sentence. Andrew Claridge-Fleming, 57, left the gundogs in a crate in his Land Rover Discovery for six hours on a warm August day in 2023.
Claridge-Fleming claimed he was unexpectedly called away and that he left water and the car boot open. He said he believed the boot was shut while he was away. When he returned at 4pm, three of the dogs—including a client's puppy and cocker spaniel—had died. The fourth dog, his own, survived after emergency veterinary treatment.
At Bournemouth Crown Court, Claridge-Fleming pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering but denied direct responsibility for the deaths. Judge Suzanne Evans KC sentenced him to 27 months in prison, suspended for 18 months, and ordered 180 hours of unpaid work. She told him: 'Your shocking lack of care for these dogs and negligence of them is what led to their deaths.'
The owner of one of the dogs, Rachael Helier, said the family remained angry, adding: 'His lying and being defensive... has made our anger towards him more pronounced.' RSPCA Inspector Patrick Bailey urged the public never to leave dogs in vehicles, especially in hot weather.
