Mystery surrounds death of dog found dumped near children’s park

The RSPCA is appealing for evidence to help its investigation into the death of a dog found near a children’s play area.
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Benson was discovered on a footpath off Bell Park Lane, Lewes, in November last year, with heroin in his blood stream.

Concerned members of the public launched a campaign – ‘Justice For Benson’ – to get to the bottom of what had happened to the seven-year-old cross.

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They fundraised for a post mortem and lobbied the RSPCA to investigate the animal’s death.

In a statement the charity said today, “We would like to thank the people who have supported the investigation into the death of poor Benson and especially those who contributed to the cost of the post mortem.

“The pathology report confirmed Benson’s body contained a class-A drug but the actual cause of death could not be determined due to the condition of his body.

“Our inspector has been investigating Benson’s death for a number of weeks, but sadly due to lack of evidence to explain the precise circumstances of this matter, we have been unable to proceed further at this stage.

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“If anyone has further first-hand evidence relating to the matter, we would urge them to contact the RSPCA via its 24-hour phone number 0300 1234 999.”

Responding to this news, dog charity trustee and member of Justice For Benson Melanie Beck said, “It’s incredibly disappointing that we haven’t been able to get ‘justice for Benson’ at this time, but the RSPCA will reopen the case if more evidence comes to light.

“We are incredibly grateful to the RSPCA for all their hard work with this. I don’t believe we have failed either though: we and the 1200 people following his story gave Benson a voice - and that has to count for something.”

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A member of the public discovered Benson, a bull-type breed, on Wednesday (November 21).

He was wearing a harness and lead and was thought to have been dead for a number of days, but recently left there.

A witness said the dog’s face was bloodied and its body was starting to decompose.

Anyone with first-hand evidence of what happened is asked to contact the RSPCA on 0300 1234 999.