Puppy tortured and burned alive in case of 'extreme abuse and cruelty'

A man who tortured and burned alive his puppy before bringing her to a vet dead on Christmas Eve has been banned from owning animals for ten years.

Levi Balmer pled guilty at Glasgow Sheriff Court to a charge of causing 16-week-old Mabel unnecessary physical and mental suffering which left her in such severe pain that she died.

The Scottish SPCA said the Cane Corso cross American Bully type dog’s death was likely caused by pain-related stress.

An inspector said images of Mabel still haunt them. Balmer inflicted third-degree burns on her by holding her against a hot surface, battered her, and scalded her.

“The image of Mabel still follows me to this day”
Scottish SPCA inspector

He was handed a 162 hours community payback order and placed under 12 months social work supervision.

Balmer held Mabel on a hot surface in his Rutherglen flat leaving her with second and third-degree burns.

He also physically attacked Mabel and fractured a tooth.

The dog suffered scalding to its face, hind limbs, tail and pads, was bleeding from a wound to her shoulder, had blood from her nose and mouth, lameness, swelling and was in acute pain prior to death.

On Christmas Eve 2024, a call was made to the Scottish SPCA Animal Helpline by a vet who was concerned about the condition a deceased dog had been brought into the practice in.

The vet explained Mabel had been brought into the practice multiple times before with serious injuries and that there were suspicions she had suffered significant abuse.

A Scottish SPCA inspector spoke to Balmer on the phone, and an investigation was launched into the cause of Mabel’s death.

The Scottish SPCA requested permission for Mabel’s body to be uplifted in order to carry out a post-mortem, which Balmer agreed to. On the same day, the inspector attended the vet to see Mabel’s body

The Scottish SPCA inspector said: “The image of Mabel still follows me to this day.

“It was quickly evident she has been victim of extreme abuse and cruelty during her short life; her wounds were so severe. It is one of the most distressing cases I have ever dealt with.”

On November 26, 2024, Mabel was brought into the vet after coming into contact with bleach.

Balmer explained to the vet that he had washed Mabel in the bath two days earlier, forgetting that he had put bleach in the bath to clean it previously that day.

On December 11, 2024, Mabel was examined by another vet due to a complaint of her being lethargic, urinating blood and a lump being found.

Balmer explained that he had tripped and fallen on her earlier that day. A number of teeth were chipped or missing and she had blood in her urine which was indicative of a UTI.

Mabel was taken to the vet again on December 21, 2024, as an emergency appointment due to a history of non-weight bearing lameness, losing teeth, facial swelling and struggle to eat.

Balmer reported that Mabel seemed “injury-prone and clumsy” and said that she had “crashed into” her dog crate, resulting in a small wound on her shoulder.

Due to suspicion over her injuries, another appointment was booked in for December 27 to examine Mabel further – but she was presented as dead on arrival to the vet on December 24.

During the post-mortem examination, it was concluded that the pattern of injury was most consistent with a scald injury and that Mabel had been burnt deliberately. Evidence also showed the fractures had been caused by a deliberate attack rather than an accident.

The Scottish SPCA inspector added: “We are pleased with the outcome and the court’s decision. Balmer caused poor Mabel severe pain and unnecessary suffering. This will send a clear message that animal cruelty will not be tolerated in Scotland.

“However, unless a National Animal Offenders Register is introduced, there is a risk Balmer will go on to hurt other animals despite his ban. The register is crucial to ensure repeat offending does not go undetected.”

The Scottish SPCA is calling for a National Animal Offenders register to be built into existing intelligence systems to support monitoring of individuals convicted of animal cruelty – particularly those banned from owning animals – and flag offenders like Balmer.

The charity said it would also help address the well-established link between those who harm animals and those who go on to harm humans.