A DOG starved by its owner and fed pasta and tuna has been given a “second chance of happiness”.

The owners of Molly, a Staffordshire Bull Terrier, appeared at Wrexham Magistrates Court for sentence after they starved their dogs and buried one of them in the woods wrapped in bin bags.

Hayley Ann Wolsoncroft, 29, of Bowen Court, Ruabon, had been found guilty in her absence of three counts of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal kept at her address and her partner Gavin Lee Lewis, 32, of Cobden Road, Wrexham, was convicted in his absence of one count of the same charge.

District judge Gwyn Jones sentenced both Wolsoncroft and Lewis to 10 weeks custody, suspended for a year.

The couple were also prohibited the couple from owning a dog for 10 years.

The court heard how an RSPCA inspector visited the Bowen Court address and reported a “strong smell” of dog faeces and urine on the living room floor.

Woolsoncroft had fed Molly pasta and tuna and the dog was described by the inspector as bloated but very thin and its spine bones could be felt through its back.

As previously reported in the Leader, the RSPCA also learned that another Staffordshire Bull Terrier called Fudge, previously owned by Lewis, had been buried in the woods near Bowen Court.

A pathology report on Fudge showed he too had an extended stomach and had been starving for a period of two to three weeks before he died.

Molly was taken away and looked after by the RSPCA after inspectors visited the home.

The RSPCA staff noted how much Molly’s health had improved since she was taken under their care.

They believed the suffering of both dogs could have been alleviated by seeking veterinary attention.

An RSPCA Cymru spokesman said: “We’re delighted that Molly was happily rehomed from our RSPCA Bryn-Y-Maen Centre at the end of October.

“The centre rehomed 453 animals in 2016 and exists to give animals – like Molly – a second chance of happiness.”