Grim ‘home of horrors’ the place girl left her pets to starve to dying ‘in distress’

Christine Overton claimed she had rehomed her cats and hamster – but an RSPCA investigation found their decomposing bodies at her former Seghill property

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A woman has been banned from owning animals for life after she left her pets to starve in a grim house of horrors filled with the bodies of her deceased animals.

The decaying bodies of two cats, confined in bedrooms, and a hamster were discovered by the RSPCA at Christine Overton’s residence in Seghill, Northumberland. The cats had been unable to access two large boxes of cat food, and a vet estimated that they had been dead for at least three months.

Overton, 54, received a suspended prison sentence and was prohibited from owning animals for life during a sentencing hearing at North Tyneside Magistrates’ Court earlier this month. The court in North Shields heard how RSPCA Inspector Rowena Proctor had visited Overton’s new property in Allerdean Close, Seaton Delaval, on April 26 last year.

The RSPCA Inspector spoke with Overton about allegations she had abandoned animals at her former address after members of the public reported seeing a cat in one of the bedroom windows. Overton informed the Inspector she had previously owned two cats and a hamster, which she had rehomed “months ago”.

She claimed she had been living permanently at her new address for some time, reports Chronicle Live. Inspector Proctor was not convinced by what she had been told and proceeded to Overton’s previous address, situated on The Close in Seghill.

Tape placed on the front door by the charity to check if anyone was entering or exiting had remained untouched. This enabled the animal charity to seek assistance from the police to legally enter the premises.

In her written evidence to the court, Inspector Proctor said: “The back garden in particular was littered with rubbish bags with beer cans overflowing. I had to climb over them to get to the rear window.

“The sill was littered with hundreds of dead baby flies and I could see that the door leading to the stairs from the sitting room was closed. I was immediately concerned that something might be dead in there.”

Police were contacted to gain entry. The court heard how the property smelt strongly and there were massive spider webs and heaps of post behind the door. A dead grey hamster was discovered first, lying on its side in a cage in the lounge.

The rodent had no water and there were only inedible seed husks remaining in a food bowl. Additional bin bags were stacked up in the kitchen and there was a powerful stench emanating from a fridge freezer in the dining room, which was where the flies seemed to be originating from.

Magistrates were told one of the bedrooms was bolted from the outside. It was foul-smelling and covered in excrement, with empty food and water bowls by the door. A dead black and white cat called Tom, who was three, was discovered behind a curtain by the radiator.

His fur and flesh were missing and he had no visible eyeballs. In her testimony, the Inspector then recounted finding the second cat named Oreo: “I went into the second bedroom and the room, although not as quite messy as the previous one, was again littered in faeces with empty food and water bowls by the door, which was previously closed.

“I found a single cat food pouch which was empty and had teeth marks where a cat had clearly been chewing. I then located a grey and white cat, deceased by the wall, behind a desk.

“Again, this cat was decomposing with no visible eyeballs.” Around 80 pouches of cat food in two large boxes were discovered in the hallway, which Tom and Oreo had been unable to access. Additionally, the animals were too severely decomposed to perform a post-mortem.

A vet, who reviewed evidence in the case, informed the court that, in her opinion, the cats had been dead for at least 23 days. She stated the mummified appearance of one of them suggested a much longer period, possibly exceeding three months.

The vet said: “It is my opinion formulated from the photographs provided and with no other evidence to suggest a disease process that these three pets have not had their needs met and have been allowed to suffer.

“The effect of the suffering was the unnecessary and avoidable death of the three pets, and no opportunity to alleviate the suffering and save their lives. Death was most likely as a result of dehydration and starvation.

“If the owner was attending the property to supervise her pets, she could reasonably have been expected to remove and hygienically dispose of the bodies. This did not happen.” During her RSPCA interview, Overton claimed she hadn’t returned to the house since April 2024 and that others possessed keys for access.

The court was told Overton had been “self-medicating” with alcohol and had seized the chance for a “fresh start.” She claimed she had made provisions for her pets’ care but acknowledged these arrangements were insufficient. Overton was convicted on one charge under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 on October 31 last year. On March 6, she was given an 18-week-long prison sentence suspended for 18 months.

Magistrates told her they were “horrified” to witness how her pets had perished “in misery” due to her negligence. They imposed a lifetime ban on Overton keeping animals. Alongside this Overton was also handed ten Rehabilitation Activity Requirement days of 250 hours of unpaid work and £750 in costs.

After the sentencing hearing, Inspector Proctor said: “My heart dropped when I found the body of the hamster, followed by Tom and then Oreo. Both cats were locked in separate rooms with the doors shut and one had been bolted from the outside, making escape even less likely.

“What really saddened me was there were around 80 pouches of cat food downstairs. The cats could have had a chance of surviving until they were found but they didn’t get that because they couldn’t get out of the bedrooms.

“There is simply no excuse for leaving animals behind to suffer and die like this. The distressing scene I encountered with the police officers who assisted us on the day will stay with us all for a long time.”