A pet shop owner kept a Marmoset monkey in a cage designed for Guinea pigs in his flat and fed it dog food before it was injured falling from a balcony, a court heard.
Joseph Ghessen, 39, who owns Cally Pets in Islington, North London, is alleged to have housed Nicky in a cage at night that was ‘too small .
Westminster Magistrates Court also heard that Nicky did not have proper toilet facilities and, in the daytime, was left to roam the Notting Hill flat where Ghessen also kept several dogs.
Nicky went missing on June 9 last year, prompting Ghessen to alert the RSPCA and post a picture of the monkey on Facebook. She was found at around 3.30pm that day and examined by vet Dr Abou-Zakr, who specialises in exotic animals.