Overview
- Buckworth, 23, was convicted of causing unnecessary suffering and on September 15 received a 15-week prison term suspended for two years.
- Maggie, a one-year-old Cavalier King Charles spaniel, was taken to a vet on November 5, 2025, in an emaciated state, making a 'haunting, howling' noise and gasping before vets advised euthanasia.
- A post-mortem found a diffuse loss of muscle mass and no visible body fat, concluding Maggie had suffered prolonged malnutrition with calorie intake too low for her needs.
- The RSPCA brought the prosecution and the court ordered Buckworth to pay £1,082 in legal and veterinary fees and banned him from keeping all animals for ten years, a ban that cannot be challenged for eight years.
- RSPCA inspector Natalie Hill described the case as heartbreaking and said the conviction reflects the charity's efforts to hold owners to account and deter serious neglect.