A man and a woman from Amersham have been given suspended prison sentences after their cat was forced to have its leg amputated.

Justin Parker, 30, and Sharon Parker, 54, both of Hillway in Amersham, have each been given a 12-week jail term suspended for one year for causing unnecessary suffering to a black female cat called Mama.

Last year, between July 27 and September 3, the pair failed to act properly when Mama broke her leg, failing to take her to the vet and forcing her to suffer for months.

At a hearing at Wycombe Magistrates’ Court on January 19, the magistrates heard that the pet’s leg had to eventually be amputated due to the length of time she had been carrying the severe injury.

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The justices found the Parkers “highly culpable” for Mama’s suffering and found that the creature had undergone a “high level” of harm during those months.

Both offenders pleaded guilty to a charge of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal.

A note on the court listing added: “The bench found high culpability due to the length of time the suffering went on for and a high level of harm as the cat's fractured leg could not be repaired in surgery and had to be amputated due to the time the injury had been allowed to continue.”

As well as the suspended sentence, both Justin and Sharon Parker were ordered to pay £278 in costs and both have been banned from keeping or owning cats for three years.

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