A kitten was left in agony after fat from an upturned chip pan fell all over his body causing severe burns that were left untreated for five days.

This York case was just one of the examples of animal cruelty featured in the RSPCA's cruelty statistics for Yorkshire and the North East published today (wed).

The research draws the worrying conclusion that animal abuse is deep-rooted in society and the reasons why people harm them are complex.

In Yorkshire and the North East the research, carried out by Manchester Metropolitan University, showed an 11 per cent rise in the number of people being prosecuted for harming animals last year.

The main reasons for deliberate animal cruelty were retaliation for harm they may have done to a person and jealousy, fun or experimentation.

Peer pressure and the influence of adult behaviour on young people were other factors.

The black and white kitten, Alfie, suffered horrific burns to his head, ears, paws, back and chest after his owner tripped and pulled the pan of boiling fat off the stove.

When RSPCA chief inspector Paul Stilgoe discovered him five days later, he was extremely depressed and unwilling to walk because of the agony it caused him.

Despite the fact that his ears were red and split, and the skin on his chest and back was angry, blistered and sore, Alfie had been left to suffer without receiving veterinary treatment.

Owners Virginia George, 32, and partner Paul Best, 40, of Acomb Wood Drive, York, pleaded guilty to neglect and failing to provide veterinary attention for Alfie.

They said they would never intentionally hurt an animal but accepted they should have sought treatment for the kitten.

The pair each received two years' conditional discharge and were ordered to pay £1,100 costs by York Magistrates in September.

Chief Insp Stilgoe said: "There is no excuse for leaving an animal with such appalling and agonising injuries without treatment. This was a baby animal which was suffering horrifically.

"A year on, Alfie has still not made a full recovery. His fur has not grown back and a large part of his back is still completely bald. Happily, though, he has been found a loving home."

Meanwhile a dog, left needing a blood transfusion after enduring months of starvation, was in such a timid state she had forgotten how to play.

Madge, a white German shepherd, was found cowering in a small, urine and faeces-covered porch at the home of Kenneth Webb, 48, of Newlands Cottage, Cliffe, near Selby.

There was no sign of food, water or bedding.

RSPCA inspector Gill Corder, who discovered Madge and later adopted her, said she feared the dog was near death.

She said: "She was in such an appalling state I wasn't sure she would survive without personal care and attention.

"She was absolutely petrified and didn't even know how to play."

Selby magistrates banned Mr Webb from keeping any animals for five years after he pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering.

He was also sentenced to 100 hours community service and ordered to pay £850 costs.

Madge made a full recovery and doubled in weight following a course of anabolic steroids.

But Inspector Corder said her traumatic experiences have left her frightened of men

Updated: 08:23 Wednesday, June 27, 2001