A woman banned from owning animals has been told she faces time in jail after neglected cats, dogs, and a canary named Elvis were found at her home.

Janet Oxlade, 73, admitted keeping dozens of flea-ridden and injured animals at her home, with two needing to be put to sleep because of the condition they were in.

The animals involved included six Yorkshire terriers, four daschunds, and four poodle-type dogs.

One offence took place on March 22 at Oxlade’s home in Darlington Drive, Minster, on Sheppey, and she was charged with another offence relating to a poodle on January 11 at Saxon Plance in Dartford.

In 2018, Oxlade was banned from keeping animals after the RSPCA raided her Bexley home and found 38 dogs and 18 cats in filthy makeshift pens in her back garden.

Five years on and she was back in court in Maidstone on Wednesday (October 25), charged with three counts of breaching a disqualification, two of failing in the duties of a person responsible for animal welfare, as well as causing unnecessary suffering to a canary.

Sophie Reed, representing the RSPCA, told the court a member of the public made contact with Oxlade after she advertised a poodle puppy for sale.

After visiting the Sheppey woman the following day, the buyer searched her name online and saw she had been banned from owning animals and then reported her to the animal charity.

As a result, police and the RSPCA carried out a visit to Oxlade’s address and many of the animals were discovered flea-ridden and in small crates.

A canary was also discovered underweight, with a scaly leg infection, cysts, abscesses, and feather loss.

In an interview with officers after the raid, Oxlade said she had the animals to support her as she had become “isolated and depressed” without them. She claims she had to move out of Bexley following her ban in 2018.

Oxlade admitted she owned some poodle dogs to breed but she only produced one litter a year. She also owned a rottweiler, which her daughter had given back to her, which had to be euthanised because of the condition it was in.

The defendant claimed she didn’t understand she was still banned from owning animals and thought that had ended when she paid off a £2,000 fine from the 2018 incident.

Ms Reed explained: “Two animals had to be euthanised, many were covered in fleas and lived in poor housing such as small cages with no natural light.

“They displayed fear and anxiety when approached.”

The court heard Oxlade has a number of physical issues and conditions, as well as some mental health issues.

The defendant was told she faces time in custody and will be sentenced at Sevenoaks Magistrates’ Court on Friday, March 8, following a pre-sentence report.