Border terrier Meg was the much loved family pet of Steven Woodhouse's neighbours, Mr & Mrs Boddington. The Boddingtons bought Meg as a puppy for their seriously ill daughter, Lauren, who has since sadly died. They described Meg as "good natured" and said that she rarely left their daughter's side.

For reasons that have yet to be established, Mr Woodhouse stole Meg from the Boddingtons' garden, drowned her and then concealed her body. Believing Mr Woodhouse to be a friend, the Boddingtons even sought his help in finding their missing dog, which he went along with. A full three days later it appears that Mr Woodhouse finally admitted that he had drowned the dog.

Steven Woodhouse is due to appear at Corby Magistrates Court on 20 May 2015. We would urge the court to consider imposing the maximum custodial sentence on him. His actions were unspeakably callous and cruel, not to mention dishonest. The courts need to set an example here and make it known that animal cruelty is not acceptable in a civilised and humane society. He must also be punished for his blatant dishonesty.

It is concerning that Mr Woodhouse holds a responsible job as a commercial airline pilot and it is to be hoped that the Civil Aviation Authority will withdraw his license to fly as he is evidently unsuitable for such a post.

Thank you for reading. We await the court's decision with interest.