Two women have been sentenced to a year in jail after it was discovered that they allowed their dog to eat an elderly army veteran alive.

According to reports, Hayley Sulley and Della Woods starved their dog for two days before he attacked the 79-year-old Clifford Clarke. Sulley and Woods ignored their dog Charlie for two days and allowed him to run around their yard freely, so when neighbor Clifford Clarke opened his door, the dog ran and mauled him to death.

Prior to eating Clarke alive, the dog was so hungry that it attempted to eat a plastic bowl and some cigarette butts. When a neighbor noticed the dog foaming at the mouth, the police were called, but by the time they arrived, Clarke had already been eaten by the ravenous dog. Police say that the dog even tried to eat the end of the gun used to kill it. The brutal killing was described in court proceedings, as it appears the dog literally amputated one of Clarke’s arms.

“I am satisfied this dreadful and forceful attack on Mr. Clarke was entirely avoidable,” said Judge Mark Brown to the women in court. “Mr. Clarke was literally eaten alive by Charlie when large amounts of tissue were ingested by the dog and that is a very shocking, appalling and tragic event. Mr. Clarke suffered a horrific death and you have taken away from his family the love and companionship he would have provided.”

Prosecutor Gary Simpson said that the women deserve their sentence for allowing their dog to get to the point it did, ultimately ending in an innocent man’s death.

“This was a vicious attack on a defenseless man who was powerless to fight back against this large and powerful dog,” said Simpson. “The guilty pleas of these two women have thankfully brought this case to a relatively speedy conclusion and have saved Mr. Clarke’s relatives the ordeal of a trial. Hayley Sulley and Della Woods were both responsible for the dog’s welfare and behavior on that fateful day. Their failure to make sure the dog was cared for and under control has led to a man’s death and they must now come to terms with that. Our thoughts are with the family of Mr. Clarke at this sad time.”

Once they are done serving their prison sentence, both Sulley and Woods are banned from ever owning another dog again.

Sources: Liverpool Echo, The Independent, Mirror