A GWENT woman faces giving birth in prison after being jailed for two months for animal cruelty.

Sharon Jenkins, (pictured) 25 , of Marine Street, Cwm, near Ebbw Vale, is seven months pregnant and, if she serves her sentence, could give birth in prison.

Her partner, Mark Jenkins, 27, of the same address, was also jailed for two months yesterday for causing their two dogs unnecessary suffering.

Sharon Jenkins, a heroin addict who is now on methadone, immediately launched an appeal with the crown court against the sentence, imposed by Caer-philly magistrates yesterday, on the grounds it was too severe.

But an application for her to be released on bail before the appeal is heard was rejected by the magistrates.

The pair, who pleaded not guilty, were convicted last month. The court was told their two dogs, a Stafford-shire terrier called Molly and a lurcher called Toot, were only just above half their recommended body weight when they were found by a RSPCA inspector.

Molly weighed 10.8kg when 18kg was normal for a dog of her type. Toot was 7.6kg but should have weighted between 12-14kg.

James Lynch, prosecuting for the RSPCA, said the pets were kept in kennels covered in excrement and were suffering from an advanced, extremely irritating skin condition, sarcoptic mange.

But after they had been cared for by the RSPCA for a month the dogs regained a normal body weight, he added.

Both have now found new homes. Gareth Driscoll, mitigating, said the couple had both been addicted to heroin but Mark Jenkins was no longer taking the drug and Sharon Jenkins was taking meth-adone. He said: "People don't choose to take heroin...they fall into its lap and it wraps its arms around them."

He urged magistrates not to sentence them to custody saying they would then be in an environment where drugs were "freely available".

But bench chairman Viv Perry said the offences were so serious only a custodial sentence was adequate. "You have shown no remorse," he told them. He also sentenced Mark Jenkins to 28 days in prison and Sharon Jenkins to 14 days, both to run concurrently, for non-payment of fines.