CONVICTED (2024) | Eugene Meenaghan, born 10 February 2001, of 43 Crabgate Lane, Skellow, Doncaster DN6 8LE, Joseph Murtagh, born December 2001, from Woodlands, Doncaster, Jay Poole born 2 April 2004, of 3 The Circuit, Woodlands, Doncaster DN6 7TE, and Jake Reidy, born 23 May 2005, of 58 Princess Avenue, Stainforth, Doncaster DN7 5QY – for the possession of hare coursing equipment and destroying a farmer’s field.
The four men, who are all prolific wildlife persecutors, travelled from Doncaster to the hamlet of Apley, near Wragby, East Lindsey, Lincolnshire, in the early hours of 1 October 2023. They then drove through a farmer’s field, damaging the land and destroying crops, before attempting to leave the area.
Eugene Meenaghan
The crime was reported to Lincolnshire Police and patrolling officers from Spec Ops quickly identified the vehicle and stopped the group near Burton Waters.
Officers found longdogs and equipment such as lamps – used in lamping to stun wild animals before dogs are set loose.
They were arrested and subsequently videos of animal fights were found on their phones.
Jake Reidy
All four men were charged with being equipped to hare course, breach of section nine of the animal welfare act and criminal damage. They pleaded guilty to these charges.
Jay Poole with father Craig Poole
On Thursday 25 April 2024 officials at Lincoln Magistrates’ Court told the group to pay out a combined total of £19,791.72 in costs and compensation.
Eugene Meenaghan will pay £5,262,93. Joseph Murtagh will pay £4,842.93. Jay Poole will pay £4,842.93. Jake Reidy will pay £4,842.93.
Magistrates described the crimes as ‘cruel and despicable’ and said the events of that night had ‘caused great distress’.
Joe Murtagh
This result comes after a lengthy police investigation and PC Karen Irving, who works for the rural crime action team, insists this behaviour won’t be tolerated.
She said: “We are determined to make Lincolnshire the safest place to live, work and visit. This result shows we will use all avenues available to us to bring people to justice and protect our communities and wildlife.
Sentencing | costs and compensation; 10-year criminal behaviour order not to enter Lincolnshire with longdogs; 100 hours of community service. Forfeiture of mobile phones and lamping equipment. Disqualified from keeping dogs for 10 years..
CONVICTED (2024) | Andrew Durkin, born c. 1992, of 4 Farndale Road, Scawsby, Doncaster DN5 8SH – left two starving dogs in a “cruel and nasty state”.
Andrew Durkin received an indefinite ban on keeping all animals
Father-of-one Andrew Durkin pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to his two dogs: a black crossbreed called Bruno and an Akita cross named Cody.
Bruno was in an emaciated condition after being left to starve for months by twisted dad Andrew Durkin
The RSPCA began investigating Durkin in October 2020 after receiving a tip-off that two skinny dogs were being kept at his then address in New Street, Doncaster.
After Durkin failed to make contact with them, the animal charity enlisted the help of the police to enter and search the property.
Cody, who’d been locked in a barren cage with no food or water, was also very thin
Inspectors found both dogs in the kitchen, where the floor was littered with old pizza boxes, and the counters covered in mouldy food and rubbish.
Inspector Kim Greaves said: “A police officer opened the door to the kitchen and it was then that I first saw Bruno, a black crossbreed, male dog around six years old.
“Bruno was loose in the kitchen, and there was no bedding or water for him,” she said.
“Bruno was very friendly, eager and wagging his tail to greet us, but he was wobbly on his legs, and I could clearly see every rib. His spine and hip bones were all sticking up clearly from his fur which was oily with dry skin flakes all over his coat.”
Durkin with Bruno in 2017 photo
Tan and white Akita cross Cody was being kept in a dog crate at the rear of the kitchen. This had no base and only bare wires to stand on. There was no food or water inside the crate. Durkin later explained that Cody was kept in a crate because he was destructive. He too was found to be very underweight.
A vet report read to the court stated that the dogs were believed to have been starved for an extended period – possibly several months.
The report continued: “Any reasonable owner looking at these dogs must have noticed the advanced weight loss and either sought veterinary attention or increased their nutrition.
“The owner’s failure to act has undoubtedly caused a great deal of suffering in this case,
“Dogs experiencing food deprivation are likely to experience this in a similar way to people who suffer with extreme hunger, shakes, anxiety, distress and weakness and lethargy.”
Cody and Bruno were nursed back to health and adopted
Sentencing Durkin a magistrate said it was horrifying that he had put animals “into such a cruel and nasty state”.
Durkin was unrepresented and did not offer any mitigation, although the court heard that he had no previous convictions and was “of good character”. He had agreed to sign over both dogs to the RSPCA.
Cody and Bruno were rehabilitated by the RSPCA and are in loving homes.
Sentencing | 200 hours of unpaid work; £500 court costs. Indefinite ban on keeping all animals which he can’t appeal for at least 10 years.
CONVICTED (2024) | Paul Desbro, born September 1965, of 58 Hall Broome Gardens, Bolton Upon Dearne, Rotherham S63 8AJ – for cruelty to several sheep found starved and horrifically neglected on his smallholding.
Desbro was prosecuted by the RSPCA following an investigation into the welfare of the livestock in his care. Inspectors visited his smallholding in Mexborough Road in May 2023 following reports of a collapsed sheep.
Animal rescue officer Liz Braidley said that, when she arrived at the paddock, she found two sheep looking skinny and underweight and a third ewe collapsed against the fence.
The ewe was emaciated, with her bones clearly visible. Large sections of her fleece were missing and the skin underneath was red and sore and covered in scabs.
Her wounds were also swarmed with flies, fly eggs and maggots.
“She was trying to turn her head to groom herself and was clearly irritated by the flies around her which were relentlessly landing on her,” Ms Braidley said.
“At this point, I knew I needed further assistance so I contacted my colleagues, the police and a vet.”
Ms Braidley said she was then approached by a man claiming to be the friend of the sheep’s owner and explained that they were aware of her flystrike and had clipped some of her fleece.
However, Ms Braidley said: “…when I asked if they had contacted a vet, the man said no and stated: ‘We will have to call the knacker man tomorrow’.”
The RSPCA found the owner and the police seized three sheep. Sadly, the ewe was put to sleep by a vet to end her suffering.
RSPCA inspector, Jennie Ronksley, said: “This was a sad case involving the neglect of multiple sheep including an emaciated ewe who was so severely burdened with flystrike that her skin was absolutely crawling with maggots and clearly needed veterinary attention.”
Sentencing remarks referred to this as a “deeply concerning case” and called the photographs and video footage “disturbing”.
In mitigation, the court heard that Desbro entered an early guilty plea, that he shared the responsibility of the livestock kept on the smallholding with two other friends and was not experienced in keeping sheep so was ignorant of their welfare needs rather than malicious.
He was described as giving “well-meaning but incompetent care”. He had no previous convictions.
Sentencing | 12-month community order with 250 hours of unpaid work; £114 victim surcharge and £2,000 in costs. He was disqualified from keeping livestock for ten years and cannot appeal this for a minimum of five years. A deprivation order was also made for the two living sheep and their lambs.
CONVICTED (2024) | Yassar Hussain, born May 1986, of 46 Aldred Street, Rotherham S65 2AL – left a Belgian Shepard in pain with multiple untreated injuries.
The two-year-old dog, named Deli, had extensive scratches and bites on all four limbs and infected wounds on her front legs. These had been present for several days. She had also reportedly birthed a litter of puppies just days before, who all sadly died.
Deli’s owner, Yassar ‘Yass’ Hussain, sole director of vehicle recovery firm S60 Recovery and Transportation Ltd, admitted one offence contrary to the Animal Welfare Act 2006 at a hearing in December, 2023.
The court heard how Hussain had taken the injured dog to a PDSA clinic in Sheffield on June 30, 2022. The examining vet subsequently contacted the RSPCA over concerns for her welfare.
In a written statement, RSPCA Deputy Chief Inspector Sara Jordan said Deli was “in lean body condition” when she saw her five days later. She noted “extensive wounds on both front legs – notably a large open wound on her right foreleg and an open, draining abscess to the armpit region of her left foreleg”.
DCI Jordan added: “She was on pain relief and antibiotics and had a lot of criss-cross scratches and bite wounds to all limbs.”
Speaking to DCI Jordan on the same day, Hussain said four days before he took Deli to the vet, she was jumping up at him and playing. He said she then gave birth at a property on Sheridan Drive, Rotherham on 28 June 2023 and it was at that point he noticed a wound on her right foreleg.
The PDSA vet said in a written court statement: “On examination she was underweight with milk expressible from all nipples. From the size of the nipples I would suspect this was not the first litter of puppies.
“The fur coat was matted with purulent material and other dark matter over the entire body. She was clearly uncomfortable on both forelimbs despite having pain relief overnight.
“The left forelimb was very swollen and purulent material was dripping down it. Several wounds were visible over all four limbs, not all fresh. The largest wound was present on the centre of the right forelimb near the elbow, which couldn’t be fully assessed conscious.
“I believe Deli was caused unnecessary pain and suffering by not having these wounds treated earlier, for this degree of swelling and purulent material these particular wounds had been present for several days most likely. All limbs, once clipped, showed wounds which appeared to be even older than the deep wounds present on the forelimbs.”
In mitigation the court heard that Hussain had since rehomed another dog he owned and it was to his credit that he did eventually recognise, albeit very late, that Deli needed veterinary intervention.
Deli, who was signed over to the RSPCA by Hussain during the course of the investigation, was cared for at the charity’s Hull & East Riding Branch animal centre. She made a full recovery and has since been happily rehomed.
Sentencing | 18-month community order, with 120 hours of unpaid work and up to 15 rehabilitation activity days; costs of £750. Banned from keeping a dog for 10 years.
CONVICTED (2023) | Nicolas ‘Nicky’ Henson, born 30 July 1982 , of Coronation Road, Stainforth, Doncaster DN7 – relaxed in a hot tub, while his two bulldogs lived in squalor in faeces filled crates.
Heartless Nicky Henson frolicked in a hot tub with a woman while ignoring the suffering of his two dogs.
In a statement read to court, RSPCA inspector Kim Greaves said the two dogs – named Norris and Milly – were living in crates which measured 2ft x 2ft.
She said: “Norris looked underweight, I could easily see his spine and ribs. He had no water or food, nor did he have a comfortable resting area. In fact the odour of ammonia was overpowering as I bent down to look at him.”
Inspector Greaves added: “Milly’s enclosure was difficult to see into as it was quite dark despite being 10.30am. The reason for this, I believe, was the large amount of stuff piled high in front of it, so much so you could only open the door just wide enough as her body.
“The enclosure was horrific inside, there were three receptacles. Two of them were dishes that were empty and the third was a saucepan with dry food in it, with a pile of faeces on top. There was also a large amount of trodden in faeces throughout the small area.”
Both dogs had sore skin around the folds on their faces and Milly had a tumour on one of her rear legs.
There was also a cat at the property, named Twinkles, whose microchip showed that she was owned by Henson.
Inspector Greaves noticed that Twinkles was underweight and could feel her ribs when stroking her. She also had a flea infestation.
The court heard that Norris and Milly were examined by a vet, who found that they were underweight with skin conditions and that Milly required surgery to remove the tumour on her leg.
A flea-infested and malnourished cat named Twinkles was also found at Henson’s home
In sentencing, the district judge said to Henson: “At 8.30pm on the 18 September 2023, you were sitting in a hot tub with a female, no doubt enjoying the relaxing feeling of the warm water whilst two dogs around you were kept in the most squalid possible environment.
“Any decent owner would have been cleaning the two cages. However, you are selfish and it is not clear whether this is a case of long-term suffering or short term neglect.
“However, you put yourself first. Any decent owner would have cleaned the animals, not got into a hot tub.”
Norris, Milly and Twinkles are in RSPCA care and have all made good recoveries.
Sentencing | four-month custodial sentence for each offence suspended for 12 months; 12-month community order; costs of £660. Banned from owning animals for ten years (expires December 2033).
CONVICTED (2023) | Martin John Butlin, born c. 1963, of Fleury Road, Gleadless, Sheffield S14 1QW – starved and severely neglected two emaciated greyhounds kept on an allotment.
Surviving dog Fury was emaciated. The other dog Mick had already succumbed to starvation and was brought into the vet in a builder’s bag by Butlin.
Butlin admitted two animal welfare offences in relation to former racing greyhounds Mick and Fury., whom he kept on an allotment in Wadsley Bridge, Sheffield. He was prosecuted by the RSPCA after a veterinary practice in South Yorkshire contacted the charity over concerns for the dogs’ welfare. The dogs had been brought into them in an emaciated condition.
One of the greyhounds, called Mick, had already died and had been taken to the practice in a builder’s bag in the boot of Butlin’s car.
The court heard how two-year-old Fury had been taken to the veterinary practice on May 13, 2023, for elective euthanasia after Butlin had reported weight loss and diarrhoea over a period of a few weeks. The dog weighed 23.6 kg (52 pounds) and was given a body score condition of just 1/9.
Based on the clinical examination and Fury’s age, trial treatment and/or further diagnostics was advised by the vet before euthanasia, the court was told, but Butlin was adamant that neither would be considered.
However, he did agree to sign the dog over into the care of the vets.
Butlin took two-year-old Fury to a vet for elective euthanasia but ultimately agreed to sign him over. Fury was nursed back to health and is now in a loving new home.
Ravenous when offered food, Fury began to gain weight over the following weeks and weighed 29.6kg (65.25 pounds) just over three weeks later. He has since been adopted by a veterinary nurse from the practice and renamed Alfie.
The deceased dog Mick was extremely emaciated and had sunken eyes, visible pressure sores and callouses, some of which had appeared to expose the underlying bone.
Butlin had spoken to the vets two days earlier and said Mick had stopped eating over the last few weeks, lost weight, and gone ‘off his feet’. When advised to bring the dog in straight away he had refused and instead booked an appointment for June 1, 2023.
In her evidence to the court, the vet said: “When Fury was initially admitted it was uncertain whether there was a medical cause for his weight loss. Blood tests and faecal samples tested over the next few days were unremarkable. After admission he did not have diarrhoea, and he was ravenous when offered food. Over the next few weeks, he started to gain weight.
“In my professional opinion there was no justification for the animal to be euthanised, and there was no medical problem with Fury other than issues relating to starvation and neglect. We expect the sores on his legs were caused from extended periods laying on a hard surface, and that he had been suffering for a period of several months.
“Subsequently a further greyhound called Mick was presented by Mr Butlin for examination by a colleague on June 1. This dog was dead on arrival and showed signs of neglect and starvation. His body condition score was 1/9 and he had open sores on his legs similar to Fury.
“In my professional opinion Mr Butlin presented one animal for euthanasia for no other reason than mistreatment, followed by a second animal for disposal which also showed clear signs of neglect.”
In mitigation, magistrates were told that Butlin had caring responsibilities. He was said to be ashamed and deeply upset about the suffering he had caused. He was described as a caring man who had had dogs all his life, but he accepted the level of attention and care he had provided to Fury and Mick had broken down.
Other dogs being kept by Butlin were rehomed or signed over into RSPCA care during the course of the investigation. Because of the disqualification order, any that still remain in his care will also have to be rehomed.
RSPCA inspector Ben Cottle-Shaw, who investigated said: “There is never an excuse to allow pets to suffer such wilful neglect and suffering.
This was such a sad case but I do take some comfort in the fact that Fur is now a thriving and healthy much-loved dog enjoying the life he deserves with his new owner.”
Sentencing | 12-month community order with 150 hours of unpaid work; costs of £400 and a victim surcharge of £114. Banned indefinitely from keeping dogs.
CONVICTED (2023) | Bradlea Ann Clay, born c. 1996, previously of Landrew Road, St Austell PL25 3UQ, but now thought to be in Tickhill, Doncaster, South Yorkshire – punched and kicked a poor pony that was struggling under the weight of her daughter and left two poorly rabbits starving in their own filth.
Mother-of-three Clay pleaded guilty to three animal welfare charges.
The court heard how Clay’s next door neighbour could see from her bathroom window into a field outside. One day she heard a lot of shouting and looked out to see Clay’s daughter on a pony.
Clay was shouting at her daughter and the pony before she punched the pony several times and aggressively grabbed the reins. The pony didn’t want the child on his back and was ducking his head. Clay then walked over and kicked at the pony before punching him on his jaw.
The RSPCA was contacted and attended and when inspectors arrived they found two severely underweight rabbits. They were on wet hay and one of the rabbits had a parasitic condition which would have been easily treated.
The rabbits had to be euthanised and the cause of death was poor diet and environmental conditions.
Sentencing Clay, Judge Simon Carr said: “Those who choose to take on the responsibility for animals take on an enormous task. They are responsible for making sure they are safe, well fed and properly treated. You failed in all of these tasks.
“To hit an animal is unforgivable and shows poor character.”
Judge Carr said the rabbits had “just been ignored”, adding: “If you can’t look after animals you take them to a sanctuary, not leave them to die which is what you did.”
It was reported that the pony is “under different care”.
Sentencing | four-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months. Five-year order banning her from taking on new animals. She is allowed to keep her pet bulldog due to his age as well as mice and fish.
We understood that Bradlea Clay’s conviction in relation to rabbits and a pony are, according to one local, “the tip of the iceberg.” In a Facebook comment, they wrote that Clay “owned sheep, cattle, ponies, rabbits, ferrets, chickens, ducks, geese, quail, guinea pigs dogs and cats. With little income and definitely no knowledge of animal husbandry whatsoever, these creatures died/escaped, starved one by one.”
Another wrote: “She kept her horses nearby from where I lived. She left them for days without checking on them. They had no food and water. She still has cattle which are not looked after and are left for days with no food. She claims she’s knows about farming but she hasn’t got a clue. She should never have animals again.”
CONVICTED (2023) | Sara Louise Whitton, born 7 January 1971, of Lupton Walk, Lowedges, Sheffield S8 7NS – kept two flea-ridden cats in a “disgusting environment”.
Sara Whitton kept two flea-ridden cats in disgusting conditions
Whitton admitted two charges contrary to the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and was sentenced on September 22, 2023, following a prosecution by the RSPCA.
The court was told that RSPCA inspector Jack Taylor had visited Whitton’s home in Lupton Walk, Lowedges, on June 25, 2022, following welfare concerns about two cats in her care, Sooty and Kiki, and could immediately smell a strong, unpleasant odour coming from behind the door.
The inspector said he looked through the letterbox and could see a mountain of household rubbish all over the floor, which made it difficult for Whitton to open the door to him.
Whitton was warned by the inspector that the environment was wholly unsuitable for cats to be living in and she was issued with an improvement notice. But further visits to the property showed conditions had not improved and on August 5 a warrant was carried out with the police and the cats were removed.
Inspector Taylor told the court: “There was household rubbish all over the flat, covering every inch of floor. The kitchen was full of mouldy food piled high. There was a fridge in the living room which was in working order, but it was full of black mouldy food and overflowing so the door couldn’t close. There were multiple bottles of milk that were so old, the contents had solidified inside the cartons.
“It was the most disgusting environment I had ever experienced, and I could not believe a person could live in this environment, let alone cats.
“Behind the tv stand in the living room was a huge mound of cat faeces, which the cats had obviously chosen to use as their toilet as the litter tray in the bathroom was still full and overflowing.”
Both cats were terrified and completely unhandled but they were eventually caught and taken by the inspector for veterinary treatment.
On examination, female tabby cat Kiki was found to have several bald patches of alopecia which were self-inflicted due to a severe, untreated flea infestation. Sooty, a tabby and white male cat, was the more anxious of the two, which made examination difficult.
During the rescue, one of Sooty’s canine teeth came out completely from the root and was kept as evidence.
The court heard that six days later, Sooty was booked in for a dental procedure under general anaesthetic which revealed severe dental disease was affecting his remaining teeth. Sixteen were missing and had no remaining root left behind, and four were surgically removed.
In his evidence, the vet said: “It is my opinion that these cats have suffered because of the owner’s failure to seek veterinary attention, especially for Sooty’s severe dental disease.
“An accurate period of suffering is difficult to estimate, but due to the chronicity it might have been over six months. The owner should have sought veterinary advice when fresh blood or a strong smell was noticed.
“In Kiki’s case, the severe flea infestation had caused unnecessary suffering. Section 9 of the Animal Welfare Act (2006) states that animals must be protected from pain, suffering, injury or disease.
“Failure of the owner in this case to take reasonable steps to prevent pain, suffering and distress to meet the needs of the animal, breaches this legislation.”
Inspector Taylor made repeated attempts to try and meet Whitton to interview her about the situation but phone calls went unanswered and appointments were missed.
Environmental health officers were also unsuccessful at getting her to engage with them to clean the property.
The court heard that Whitton was remorseful and ashamed of the situation. She recognised that she needed help and no longer wished to keep animals.
Both cats have been looked after by the RSPCA’s Doncaster, Rotherham & District Branch. A confiscation order was also imposed by the court after Whitton had refused to sign them over.
Speaking after the conclusion of the case inspector Taylor said: “The owner of these cats was given ample opportunity to rectify the situation but conditions did not improve and it was simply unacceptable for any animal to be living like that.
“It wasn’t just the conditions inside the flat. Both cats had not received anything like the right level of care or seen a vet, resulting in them being neglected and suffering from severe dental issues and skin allergies.”
Sentencing | 12-month community order with 20 RAR days, costs of £200 and £114 victim surcharge. Five year ban on keeping all animals (expires October 2028).
CONVICTED (2023) | Gema Louise Lang, born 2 October 1982, of Windmill Avenue, Conisbrough, Doncaster DN12 2DR – for cruelty to a dog in a state of severe neglect.
Lang failed to provide the unnamed dog with timely and appropriate veterinary care for a severe skin condition, hair, loss, ear infection and/or ingrown claw.
Sentencing | fined £180 and ordered to pay £400 costs Three year ban applicable to all animals (expires August 2026).
CONVICTED (2023) | Lovelle Paharsingh,born 13 February 2003, of Heneage Road, Grimsby DN32 9NP – failed to take a kitten with an unexplained lip injury to the vet.
Paharsingh, who’s originally from the Shiregreen area of Sheffield and retains family links to the city, changed his plea from not guilty to guilty.
The charges were in relation to an unnamed black and white kitten.
Paharsingh admitted failing to care for or obtain proper veterinary care for an injury to the animal’s lip.
The condition of the kitten was not reported.
Sentencing | fined £270 and ordered to pay a victim services surcharge of £34. Banned from keeping cats for eight years,
