A DOG owner who left his pet without food or water while he went to work has been found guilty of causing unnecessary suffering to the animal.

Mark Binstead, 42, of Chaucer Road, Gillingham, failed to appear before Medway magistrates but the case was heard in his absence.

The court heard how Binstead had repeatedly left his dog, a Staffordshire Bull Terrier, in his flat without access to a water bowl and as a result the dog became severely dehydrated. When police and an RSPCA inspector went to collect the animal it drank nearly three pints of water.

It also had a flea-bitten coat and weighed 6kg less than the usual weight of a dog of its type.

At the time of the offence Binstead was in temporary accommodation in a flat in Chelmar Road, Chatham. The RSPCA became aware of the dog's plight after the animal was seen trying to escape through a first floor window.

When Binstead was questioned about the condition of his dog he told the inspector he had taken the dog from a couple who could no longer offer it a home.

He also said he had given the dog flea treatment and worming tablets in the hope the skin irritation would clear up. He said he fed the dog a large tin of dog food and biscuits every day, but had never taken it to a vet.

Binstead was found guilty of neglect and causing unnecessary suffering to the animal. A warrant was issued for his arrest. He will be bailed to be sentenced at a later date.

The court will then decide if he should be banned from keeping another animal.