Tributes paid after death of Cockermouth RSPCA inspector

Martyn Fletcher, a former police officer and accountant, was well known for his commitment to animal welfare.

The 60-year-old from Cockermouth, died unexpectedly last month.

The RSCPA has paid tribute to Martyn Fletcher, who served as an inspector for 24 years (Image: RSPCA)

He served the RSPCA for more than two decades helping hundreds of animals and assisting communities with pet care.

Mr Fletcher, described as a "true gentleman," assisted in punishing serious animal cruelty offenders.

He was trained in specialist rescue operations with the charity’s rope and water rescue teams.

Chief inspector Rob Melloy admired his commitment saying: "Martyn was really respected in the community for his work and passion for animal welfare.

Martyn was known for his dedication to animals and one of the RSPCA cases he dealt with was rescuing this emaciated German Shepherd (Image: RSPCA)

"Lots of people would call on his expertise and I know local vets and the police would be in touch with him at all times and he would always have his phone turned on and offer to help when needed."

Mr Melloy added that Mr Fletcher had participated in numerous large-scale rescues, even contributing to cleaning efforts after catastrophes.

He said: "Once the water rescue team revisited a street in Morpeth in Northumberland in 2008 where they had rescued people and animals the day before. The devastation was obvious to all. When arriving at one house they had visited, they found Martyn with a broom in hand, helping the elderly homeowner clean up the mess."

Ally Chester, RSPCA Cumbria West Branch trustee, added: "We all really loved Martyn he was such a kind, calm and compassionate man.

"We are all still in shock and the news has hit us hard."

In between major rescues, Mr Fletcher continued to assist his community with smaller cases.

One such case occurred in January 2023 when Kenai, a curious eight-month-old kitten, found himself stuck on a derelict house roof in Barrow.

Mr Fletcher attended the case, worked with Cumbria Fire Brigade, and succeeded in returning the kitten to its owner.

After being rescued by Martyn, the German Shepherd recovered and is now in a loving home (Image: RSPCA)

He also intervened in severe abuse cases.

In January 2022, he rescued an underweight German Shepherd from a Lake District yard.

The dog weighed only 15kg (33lb), considerably below her expected weight of 27kg (59lb). Mr Fletcher moved the dog under the care of the RSPCA West Branch where she recovered and was eventually adopted.

His career also had its lighter moments.

In June 2021, he was called to an unusual incident involving a plastic King Cobra snake mistaken for the real thing.

At the time, he said: "However, it didn’t take me too long to realise that this King Cobra was the plastic kind - thankfully too as they are deadly venomous snakes.

"It appears that the toy had come from children in a neighbouring garden - so the snake has now been returned to its home!"

Not all of Martyn's cases were distressing, as he was called to reports of a King Cobra snake on the loose - to find it was a plastic toy! (Image: RSPCA)

Mr Fletcher's funeral took place on July 4, with fellow officers serving as pallbearers.

His family requested donations to be made to the RSPCA’s Cumbria West Branch in lieu of flowers.