A Dover couple who kept a dog trapped in a squalid cage for more than five years have been spared jail.

Suzanne Bunyard, 42, and her 53-year-old husband Mark let elderly Jack Russell Spike run loose in their squalid, dilapidated house in Boston Close.

And the pair, who admitted six charges of causing unnecessary suffering, kept Jasper locked in a filthy cage – emaciated and covered in sores on his legs.

The couple were disqualified from owning any animals for life at Canterbury Magistrates’ Court yesterday.

They were handed a nine-week prison term – suspended for 12 months – and a further 12-week jail term, also suspended for a year.

Magistrates heard Spike was discovered covered in fleas and running around in an unsafe environment.

RSPCA inspector Caroline Doe said: "I am disgusted to think that Jasper, the dog in the cage, had led a life of misery for more than five years.

"There is no excuse for keeping animals like this. They admitted that neither dog had received any veterinary treatment and both had suffered badly from neglect."

Both defendants also pleaded guilty to failing to meet the needs of their two Jack Russells.

They were also ordered to pay costs of more than £1,071.