It is one of the most horrific cases of animal cruelty to rock the U.K. When animal officials were tipped off about Fly, a 15-year old Lurcher dog that belonged to a man in Bolton, a town in Greater Manchester, the dog was “a walking skeleton,” according to vets that examined the starved animal.

Veterinarians said that Fly was one of the most emaciated dogs they had ever seen, and that “euthanasia was the only option,” according to a report form The Bolton News. When brought in for examination, the dog also suffered from a heart murmur, diabetes and a dental disease. Tragically, Fly was put down.

In a court case this week, the man responsible for the dog’s deadly condition, David Lowe, was spared serving jail time for at least 18 months.

The lawyers defending Lowe said that he was suffering from severe depression and spent five weeks on a psychiatric ward in a hospital before the dog was taken from him. Lowe allegedly received Fly from his ex-partner two weeks before the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty for Animals (RSPCA) took the dog away from him. Dr Angus McKenzie, a veterinarian who examined Fly, said the dog could have suffered from starvation over a number of months.

Lowe was convicted on five counts of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal during a February court appearance. This week he was ordered to a 12-week prison sentence, but jail time was suspended for 18 months. Lowe is banned from owning animals for life and was ordered to pay £1,000 in fines.

Many animal activists and protestors who appeared outside of the courtroom did not feel like justice was served. Lorraine Edwards, owner of Loz's Lurcher Rescue, told the Daily Star that her group is “bitterly disappointed that he did not get a custodial sentence.”

What we have a hard time understanding is why prosecutors aren’t looking into Lowe’s ex-partner in this case. If the dog was under the partner’s care for an extended period of time and that partner could have had something to do with Fly’s condition, it seems like that person should also be investigated and prosecuted.

This is an unbelievably sad story and it’s unfortunate that courts don’t dole out sentences and punishments that fit the level of cruelty endured by animals in these situations.

First Published: June 9, 2014, 8:18 p.m.