Tag Archives: South Holland

Dogs, hare coursing, hunting with dogs, Organised Animal Crime, Traveller Animal Crimes, Wildlife Crime / Bloodsports

Morecambe, Lancashire / Bolton, Greater Manchester: George Miller and Lewis Sheridan

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CONVICTED (2024) | hare coursers George William Miller, born July 1991, of Loupsfell Drive, Morecambe LA4 4SB and Lewis Sheridan, born 21 October 1986, of 128 Thicketford Road, Bolton BL2 2LU

Prosecution of hare coursers Lewis Sheridan from Bolton, Greater Manchester, and George Miller from Morecambe, Lancs

The pair were seen hare coursing near the Lincolnshire villages of Twenty and West Pinchbeck on Friday 13 October 2023. They were spotted walking across arable land with their two long dogs. The dogs -one beige in colour and the other black – were seen chasing and catching hares.

Prosecution of hare coursers Lewis Sheridan from Bolton, Greater Manchester, and George Miller from Morecambe, Lancs
Caught red handed: convicted hare courser Lewis Sheridan

The men had arrived in the area in a silver Skoda car which they had left near to a farm in the area. They had tried to hide the car behind some foliage.

On arriving back at the car, the men were challenged by the local farmer who had tried to block the car in with farm machinery. In a bid to escape, the Skoda was driven at speed across grassed areas and onto the A151.

Prosecution of hare coursers Lewis Sheridan from Bolton, Greater Manchester, and George Miller from Morecambe, Lancs

Sheridan and Miller were arrested when their car was seen and stopped by officers from Lincolnshire Police’s Rural Crime Action Team (RCAT), around an hour later.

The men’s car was seized along with the two dogs and equipment including three thermal cameras, a video camera and four mobile phones.

Prosecution of hare coursers Lewis Sheridan from Bolton, Greater Manchester, and George Miller from Morecambe, Lancs

Information obtained from the recording devices and mobile phones pinpointed the men’s unlawful activities and provided evidence of their offending.

During interview the men lied that they had the landowner’s permission to undertake pest control in the area.

On 1 May 2024 Sheridan and Miller pleaded guilty to hunting a wild mammal with a dog, contrary to Schedule 1 of the Hunting Act 2004.

Both men relinquished ownership of their dogs who have subsequently been rehomed.

Sentencing | 10-year Criminal Behaviour Orders banning them from entering onto any private land in Lincolnshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire or Nottinghamshire during hare coursing season (31 July to 30 April) with a sighthound, ground, long dog, lurcher type dog or crossbreed or be in the company of any other people with that type of dog. Ordered to pay a total of £4,575.50 in full by 30 May 2024.

Lincs Police
LincolnshireLive

Additional Information

George Miller, who’s originally from Lancaster (Slyne Road) with links to Heysham, has a roofing company called Lancashire and Cumbria Roofing Ltd.

In March 2021 Miller received a three-year ban on breeding and selling dogs after being convicted of illegally trading puppies. He was prosecuted by Animal Protection Services following their investigation into his activities.

Lewis Sheridan is also a roofer. His wife runs a dog grooming company called Your Faithful Friend Limited, which operates from premises on Bury Road, Bolton BL2 6BB.

Dogs, hare coursing, hunting with dogs, Organised Animal Crime, Traveller Animal Crimes, Wildlife Crime / Bloodsports

Wisbech / Peterborough / Spalding: Nelson Loveridge, Stacey Smith, Danny Rainford, Terry Smith

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CONVICTED (2023) | hare coursing gang members Nelson Loveridge, born c. 1985, of 3 Maltmas Road, Friday Bridge, Wisbech PE14 9HR, Danny Rainford, born c. 1990, of Seadyke Caravan Park, Seadyke Road, Wisbech St Mary, Wisbech PE13 4XF, Stacey Smith, born c. 1984, of Baulkins Drove, Sutton St James, Spalding PE12 0JU and Terry Smith, born c. 1983, of Oxney Road, Peterborough PE1

Hare coursers Stacey Smith, Terry Smith, Danny Rainford, Nelson Loveridge
Hare coursers Stacey Smith, Terry Smith, Danny Rainford, Nelson Loveridge

Travellers Nelson Loveridge, Stacey Smith, Danny Rainford and Terry Smith, who are all well known to police, pleaded guilty to being equipped for hare coursing.

Career crook Terry Smith, a convicted domestic abuser, appeared via video link. .

All four men, who are “landscape gardeners” by trade, had previous convictions for poaching.

They were arrested by Lincolnshire Police Rural Crime officers following a short pursuit for hare coursing in the Eastern Road area of Spalding on 9 November, 2022.

Police had been called to a suspected hare coursing incident nearby. A grey Volkswagen vehicle – which was not insured, had no MOT and was not registered to anyone – made off when officers arrived.

It was later found abandoned in Flag Lane, Whaplode Drove, alongside a number of recently-killed hares, said prosecutor Kate Minihane.

A dog handler traced the men nearby.

“A download from Terry Smith’s phone showed a hare coursing incident on the day of arrest but it couldn’t be pinpointed where that happened,” said the prosecutor.

“Three dogs were kept by police in kennels at large expense to the public purse.”

They belonged to Loveridge, Rainford and Stacey Smith. All of the dogs had been forfeited and rehomed since. A fourth dog was seized but no one accepted ownership.

Sentencing | four months’ imprisonment suspended for 24 months; a five-year criminal behaviour order not to enter Lincolnshire during the hare coursing season and be on land with a sight hound or be in company with any person with such a dog without permission. Six-month driving disqualification. all items used in connection with the offence have been forfeited, including their vehicle and their dogs. Stacy Smith, Nelson Loveridge and Danny Rainford have been required to pay £3,586 to recover the kennelling costs. They have also each received fines of £239. Disqualified from keeping dogs for five years (expires July 2028).

Spalding Today
Lincolnshire Police

Dogs, Pet Profiteering, puppy farmers / traffickers, kennels, backyard breeders, Serial Animal Abusers, Worst of the Worst

Spalding, Lincolnshire: James Adamson

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CONVICTED (2021) | breeder and Kennel Club judge James Donald Adamson, born c. 1965, of 2 Birch Grove, Spalding PE11 2HL – kept ailing dogs in atrocious conditions.

Adamson, who trades under the name Peterwell German Shepherds, has been banned from keeping dogs for 10 years following a prosecution by the RSPCA.

He pleaded guilty to four offences:

  • causing unnecessary suffering to three German Shepherd type dogs by failing to provide adequate or effective professional veterinary care and attention for their chronic skin disorders;
  • causing unnecessary suffering to seven dogs by failing to provide adequate or effective professional veterinary care and attention for their conjunctivitis eye infections;
  • failing to provide seven dogs with a suitable living environment; and
  • failing to protect them from pain, suffering, injury or disease by failing to adequately maintain their coats in an appropriate condition.

RSPCA Inspector Andy Bostock attended Adamson’s home with police officers on July 15, 2021.

Inside a garage, he found four German Shepherd dogs held within two enclosures. Three of the dogs had matted coats and there was a strong smell of ammonia. None of the dogs had food or water.

A vet was contacted and shown footage of the conditions and confirmed the dogs were suffering. The dogs were then seized and taken into possession by the police.

Inside the property there were three further German Shepherd dogs in metal cages.

Inspector Bostock said: “The dogs were subdued and appeared to have skin conditions to varying degrees. There was an extremely strong smell of excrement and urine and the floor to the kitchen area was covered in excrement.

“The dogs appeared dirty and there was no food or water available for them inside the cages.”

The vet was again contacted and provided a vet certificate to say the dogs were suffering and they were also taken into possession by the police.

All the dogs continued to thrive in RSPCA care – and report by a vet who visited to keep tracks on their progress stated: “ If the owner of the dogs had followed the basic welfare guidelines and codes of practice and sought veterinary care, then the suffering to all the dogs could have been alleviated and avoided.”

Inspector Bostock added: “It was the vet’s professional opinion that the owner failed in their duty of care by not providing a reasonable and clean environment with adequate ventilation. The areas where the dogs were forced to live went from being unacceptable in the garage, to an environment which was not fit for human or animal habitation within the house itself in the kitchen area. Dogs are clean animals where they normally would defecate and urinate away from where they sleep.

“The vet also stated that whilst examining all dogs was fully aware of the stench of the coats on these animals which comes from living in a fetid environment which was totally unacceptable and inhumane. This was even more apparent from the poor, feted unkempt coats on three of the dogs where they were contaminated with pure filth.

“We had tried to work with the owner in the past and our advice and offers of help had not been taken on board.”

The court heard in mitigation that Adamson had been suffering from a number of personal problems.

The dogs have all recovered and are doing well in RSPCA care and the court made a deprivation order for ownership to be transferred to the RSPCA – who will now look to find homes for them all.

Sentencing: fined £1,000 and £300 costs and ordered to pay a £100 victim surcharge. Disqualified from keeping dogs for 10 years.

Spalding Voice
Spalding Today

Additional information

In January 2020, two six-year-old Afghan hounds – a brother and sister named Ice and Peaches – were seized from Adamson by the RSPCA. A witness described the conditions in which the dogs were being kept:

Two beautiful hounds … shut away from the outside world, neglected, abused, starved to emaciation, matted with filth, covered in urine burn sores, terrified and all alone. The RSPCA finally stepped in and saved them from imminent certain death.

Ice and Peaches

Ice and Peaches recovered from their ordeal and were rehomed.
Adamson faced no charges in relation to these dogs but a petition was launched following the publicity, urging the Kennel Club to strip him of his judging duties..

animal fighting / baiting, Dogs, hunting with dogs, Organised Animal Crime, Traveller Animal Crimes, Wildlife Crime / Bloodsports

Spalding, Lincolnshire: Charmaine Grogan

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CONVICTED (2015) | Charmaine Samantha Grogan (aka Charmaine Cooper or Charmaine Church), born 1 October 1989, of Brownlow Crescent, Pinchbeck, Spalding PE11 3XD – failed to get veterinary treatment for Patterdale cross terrier with facial injuries possibly caused by badger baiting; dog lost an eye and her jaw was torn away

Charmaine Grogan, now Charmaine Cooper, was not banned from keeping animals despite lying through her teeth in court about how this 'working' dog came to suffer horrific facial injuries
Charmaine Grogan, now Charmaine Cooper, was not banned from keeping animals despite lying through her teeth in court about how this ‘working’ dog came to suffer horrific facial injuries

Grogan was found guilty of causing unnecessary suffering to Pepper, a female Patterdale-type terrier, between June 24 and July 2, 2014.

Skegness magistrates heard that Grogan had failed to seek proper veterinary care for Pepper after she suffered severe facial injuries, possibly when used for badger baiting.

Grogan, who at the time lived with serial violent criminal and convicted woman beater Matthew Dye, had first told vet staff and then the RSPCA and police that she had left Pepper in a shed but she had escaped and when found the next day, she was injured. Grogan said she immediately took Pepper to the vet.

But the vet and the RSPCA said the dog’s injury was probably caused up to ten days previously.

Charmaine Grogan

RSPCA Inspector William Rippon said Pepper had a serious injury to her face – skin ripped away from her lower jaw revealing bone and tendons and damage to an eye which would necessitate its removal. He said it appeared the dog had been attacked by another animal, perhaps a badger, in a confined space.

He said Pepper had been left to suffer an incredible degree of pain. He said she was underweight and ate ravenously after treatment.

In court Grogan changed her story, denying that Pepper was ever hers, and instead said that she had been approached by a traveller, whom she wouldn’t or couldn’t name but who apparently pressurised her to take the dog to a vet.

Matthew Dye
Matthew Dye

Grogan’s then live-in boyfriend, career criminal and lying toerag Matthew Dye, also refused to name the man, whom he said had been a friend but could not say where he lived or what he did for a living. He said he did not want to take the consequences which would follow if he named him. He had taken the original phone call, he said, from the traveller friend asking if he knew anyone who would take an injured dog to the vets for him.

Charmaine Grogan

Grogan, who also had a pet rat, cat, tortoise, terrapin and fish, said she loved all animals and would never cause one to suffer.

The magistrates told Grogan they were not going to ban her from keeping animals as she ‘did not inflict the injuries to this dog and you did take it to the vet’.

Pepper has recovered following major surgery during which her jaw was reconstructed and an artificial eye fitted. She has been rehomed.

Sentence: fined £275 and ordered to pay £500 towards the £4,600 costs of the trial, veterinary bills and boarding costs. No ban on keeping animals.

Spalding Voice