Cape Town man claiming to be CPF 'chairperson' convicted of animal cruelty

German Shepherd ‘chained and malnourished’

The “chairperson” of a community policing forum (CPF) has been found guilty of two counts of animal cruelty for mistreating his dog.  

The Cape of Good Hope SPCA said on Thursday Alan Thorne, who “claimed to be the chairperson of Mitchells Plain CPF” was sentenced by a magistrate on October 25.  

“The conviction follows instances of neglect and mistreatment of his pet dog. Despite several warnings from the Cape of Good Hope SPCA’s inspector Jeffrey Mfini, [he] continued to keep his dog in dire conditions, chained amid rubble without water and severely malnourished, as confirmed by a veterinary report,” said the SPCA.  

The organisation received a complaint in July 2023 that the German Shepherd was neglected and underweight.  

Despite several visits, warnings and opportunities to surrender the animal to the SPCA, the situation persisted.

“The dog was found in a perilous state, lacking food, water and basic care and was taken to The Animal Hospital for urgent medical treatment,” said the SPCA.

“During sentencing the magistrate emphasised the disturbing nature of [the] neglect, expressing dismay about his disregard of warnings and opportunities to surrender the animal to the SPCA.”  

The magistrate said he “should have set a better example to the community”.  

He was declared unfit to own any pets for two years and sentenced to a fine of R6,000 or 12 months' imprisonment, with R4,000 of the fine (or eight months of the sentence) suspended for five years.  

“The case serves as a firm reminder of the responsibilities that come with pet ownership and the legal obligations to provide adequate care,” the SPCA said. 

The Mitchells Plain subdistrict CPF board issued a statement later on Friday confirming the person convicted of animal cruelty held no position in the CPF and, to the best of their knowledge, did not live in the local policing precinct.

• This article has been updated to reflect changes requested by the SPCA which initially provided incorrect details about the dog owner and his association with the CPF.

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