Tower block dog death pair freed

A Black Country couple who were jailed after admitting throwing a dog from the balcony of a block of flats have been freed on appeal.

Sheena Spence, 62, and her husband Alexander, 60, from Charlemont Farm, West Bromwich, had been jailed for 12 weeks after admitting cruelty.

The court heard they beat the dog before throwing it over the balcony.

But the sentence has been reduced to 10 weeks suspended for a year by a judge at Wolverhampton Crown Court.

Animal ban reduced

Their trial was told they had been looking after Scottish terrier Laddie for 86-year-old Nancy Howells, who was ill in hospital.

The Spences said they had attacked the dog after it bit Sheena Spence on the ankle.

Mrs Howells died weeks later without knowing that her pet had died.

They couple told the hearing on 14 August that they believed the sentence was too harsh.

Their lifetime ban on keeping animals has also been reduced to 12 months.