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🚨⚠️ HUDDERSFIELD ANIMAL ABUSER - A FACE TO THE NAME RECEIVED A SUSPENDED SENTENCE. A woman from Huddersfield starved her bulldog to death in a case of "prolonged, repeated cruelty". Elle Steel, 24, of Spaines Road, Birkby, Huddersfield, has narrowly avoided being sent to prison after her bulldog, Bruce, starved to death. Magistrates said they was "one of the worst animal cases" they had ever seen. The flea-infested tan and white dog had extreme muscle wastage and had eaten plastic teats from a baby’s bottle which were found in his faeces. Steel was was given a 24-week custodial sentence, suspended for 12 months, and disqualified from keeping animals indefinitely by Kirklees magistrates after she had pleaded guilty to one offence contrary to the Animal Welfare Act 2006 following an investigation and prosecution by the RSPCA. Magistrates heard that Steel arrived at a local veterinary practice on August 24 last year carrying the deceased dog who was partially wrapped in a blanket and towel. When asked by staff about what had happened, Steel said Bruce had died at home that morning and had been losing weight lately. The vet said Bruce had a body condition score of one out of nine (where one is emaciated and nine obese). He noted there was extreme muscle wastage over the dog’s entire frame and his eyes appeared sunken into his skull due to emaciation. There were also a large number of living fleas present in his coat. At that stage, the vet said he was unable to determine the cause of death but, given Bruce’s condition, he suspected he had been deteriorating for weeks, if not months. The court was told the RSPCA was contacted about the circumstances surrounding Bruce’s death and one of the charity's Inspectors, Rebecca Goulding, visited Steel at her home the following day. She confirmed to the officer that Bruce was her dog and claimed he had "always looked like that." When asked about his death she said it was very sudden and she didn’t know what had caused it. A further examination was carried out by a vet which showed that Bruce’s carcass weighed 15.6kg (34.4 pounds). His ribs, lumbar and all other bony prominences were visible from a distance and he had no body fat. Two pressure sores were also noted on his front elbow and back leg. A post mortem found that malnutrition over a prolonged period was the cause of death. This was supported by gastric ulceration, commonly seen in starved animals, and there was no other reason found that would have caused Bruce’s poor body condition. It also said that two pieces of plastic, identified as teats from a baby’s bottle, were found in impacted faeces in the dog’s rectum. In her evidence to the court, the RSPCA’s vet, said: “On clinical examination, no obvious pathological cause was found for the severe poor body condition and starvation cannot be excluded. It is likely that Bruce suffered from this for a minimum period of two weeks, gradually deteriorating throughout to the point of death.” Sentencing Steel, magistrates told her it was "one of the worst animal cases we have ever dealt with," and it was "horrific" to allow an animal to suffer in that state over such a long period of time. They described it as a case of "prolonged, repeated cruelty” and the only thing that had prevented Steel from being sent to prison was her caring responsibilities and previous good character. They told her: "We will say again that you have narrowly avoided prison today and make no mistake that this is the worst case this bench has ever seen." Steel was also ordered to pay costs of £500 and a £154 victim surcharge