Two men jailed for impaling dog’s head on door handle of Chorley family home

Ashley Grundy, 30, and Steven Robinson, 38, have both been jailed for 19 months for beheading a Yorkshire Terrier and impaling its head on the front door handle of a family home in Chorley in May 2018.

On 19 May 2018 Ashley Grundy fell out with his then partner at the Baron’s Rest pub, resulting in her ending the relationship. Her Yorkshire Terrier, Bailey, went missing from her address in Whittle-Le-Woods that same night.

Earlier that evening, Ashley Grundy also had a heated argument with a man at the same pub, when he made threats towards the man and his mother. The following day Bailey’s head was discovered on the door handle of their front door in Chorley by a 13-year-old boy.

The remains of Bailey’s body were discovered by a police officer in the grounds of the Baron’s Rest pub.

After being presented with forensic evidence of the dog’s blood on and in Grundy’s car, together with extensive CCTV footage showing them in the area where the dog went missing, and where the remains were found, both men eventually pleaded guilty to destroying property and committing an act outraging public decency.

At the sentence hearing the prosecution barrister Andrew Scott described the offences as callous and barbaric acts of revenge and intimidation whereby, in a joint enterprise, they brutally beheaded Grundy’s ex-partner’s dog, Bailey, and thereafter, impaled Bailey’s decapitated head on the front door handle of the home address of someone else they had a grudge against.

The court also imposed a three-year Restraining Order, prohibiting both men from contacting Ashley Grundy’s ex-partner, her mother or entering their street.

Joanne Close for the CPS said: “This is an extremely disturbing case in which a family pet’s head was gruesomely displayed on the front door of another family’s home, to be discovered by a child who was understandably traumatised by the discovery.

"Following a lengthy and complicated investigation, the CPS worked with Lancashire police to bring all the threads of evidence together. This included unusual enquiries relating to the remains of the dog and extensive CCTV enquiries which were the key to proving the case. When faced with the overwhelming evidence against them Ashley Grundy and Steven Robinson eventually pleaded guilty.

"I hope that all those affected by their cruel and disgusting actions will be reassured that they have been brought to justice and will now face the consequences of their crimes.”