Monthly Archives: January 2008

dog fighting, Dogs, Organised Animal Crime, Paedophiles / Sex Offenders, Traveller Animal Crimes, Violent and Sadistic Pet Abusers

Redcar, North Yorkshire: Daniel Tate

1 Comment

CONVICTED (2008) | dog-fighting ring member Daniel Tate, born 6 December 1987, previously of Cresswell Road, Grangetown, Middlesbrough but at the time of conviction of George Street, Redcar TS10 2BN – set his illegal pit bull terrier on a smaller dog in a vicious “training session”.

Daniel Tate: dog fighter, pervert, lifelong loser.

Twisted Daniel Tate, also a registered sex offender, was sentenced to five months at a young offenders’ institution and banned from keeping animals for ten years after he pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to a dog and owning a banned animal.

Mobile phone footage of the fight was handed to Cleveland Police, who asked the RSPCA to investigate the case.

The court heard that Tate’s pit bull terrier-type dog, Chico, was filmed fighting a Staffordshire bull terrier-type dog that RSPCA inspectors believe had been stolen for the illegal confrontation.

John Ellwood, prosecuting for the RSPCA, said Tate had helped set up the fight between his pit bull Chico and a Staffordshire Bull Terrier in an alley at the back of King Street, South Bank, on January 7, 2007.

He said: “This case is presented on the basis that this was an arranged training session for the pit bull to teach it that it can fight and win.

“It’s fairly obvious there can only be one winner in this fight and that was the case. The pit bull quite quickly got the better of the Staffordshire.”

Still from the horrific footage showing an illegal pitbull being set on a small Staffy who is believed to have been stolen for baiting.

The short film showed the dogs being baited and encouraged to fight, with Tate’s dog viciously attacking the other animal.

Despite the efforts to trace the Staffordshire bull terrier the inspectors were unable to trace the attacked dog and have not been able to determine whether the animal was seriously injured or even killed.

Mr Ellwood said an onlooker to the baiting session had recorded the fight on a mobile phone and had forwarded the images to other people. One of those people had taken it to the police and officers recognised both Tate and his pit bull as being from the Grangetown area, the court heard yesterday.

Mr Ellwood said officers raided Tate’s former home in Cresswell Road where they found him hiding in a bathroom cupboard.

Daniel Tate was allowed to own animals again from 2018.

When a vet examined the pit bull in April 2007 – months after the fight was caught on camera – fresh wounds consistent with another fighting dog were found, said Mr Ellwood.

Tate pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to an animal by causing it to fight and being in possession of an illegal dog.

He also admitted failure to comply with his notification requirements as a registered sex offender after he received an 18 month community order for a conviction in March, 2007.

Inspector Alan Fisher, of the RSPCA’s special operations Unit, investigated the dog fight.

Speaking after the hearing, he said: “I’m very pleased the court viewed this matter so seriously and passed their sentence accordingly.

“Dog-fighting is an appalling and cruel practice.

“Animals are forced together in artificial circumstances and caused pain and suffering.

“The RSPCA will continue its efforts to stamp out this vile practice, and assistance from the public in reporting these matters is gratefully appreciated and welcome.”

The video footage led to Cleveland Police and the RSPCA carrying out a crackdown on illegal fighting dogs in the east Cleveland area, which saw seven suspected members of a dog-fighting ring arrested in March 2007.

The raids, which were the culmination of a ten-month surveillance operation, saw four heavily- built pit bull terrier-type dogs led into restraint cages by RSPCA officers.

Operation Bale is believed to have smashed a gang suspected of using dangerous dogs for social status and organising spectator battles in alley-gated arenas near homes.

Sentencing: Five months at a young offenders’ institution. Banned from keeping animals for ten years (expired 2018).

Northern Echo
Teesside Live

Additional Information

In May 2008 one of Tate’s accomplices, James Harland aka Jimbo Foster, a traveller from South Bank, Middlesbrough, was jailed for six months for his part in the baiting incident.

James Harland “tragically” died in 2016.

Harland was also disqualified from owning animals for ten years after pleading guilty to procuring a dog fight.

In 2016 morbidly obese Harland died in his sleep at the age of 29. He was described by his fellow travellers as a “loveable rogue” with “a heart of gold”.

Northern Echo

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

Hawick, Scottish Borders: Sean Dodds and Kyle Lawrie

Leave a comment

CONVICTED (2008) | badger baiters Sean Dodds, born 01/08/1990, most recently of Queens Drive, Hawick TD9 8EP and Kyle Lawrie, born c. 1989, most recently of Church Lane, Hawick TD9 8DL

Badger baiters Sean Dodds and Kyle Lawrie from Hawick, Scottish borders
Sean Dodds (left) and Kyle Lawrie

Dodds and Lawrie were told that any civilised human being could only wonder at the “barbaric mindset” of people who saw the “warped activity”of badger baiting as entertainment or sport.

Both pleaded guilty to digging at a badger’s sett, which carries a jail sentence of up to three years.

Dodds admitted on another occasion wilfully killing a badger with a dog – the first conviction of its kind in Scotland – while at the same time Lawrie was digging at the sett.

They watched along with others as Dodds’ pet dog fought with a badger pulled from a sett for up to 20 minutes before the animal died.

The court was told police suspected Dodds was involved in badger-baiting after he posted an image of a dog killing the protected animal on his Bebo  profile and later confessed his crimes to officers.

Several homes in the town were searched and a number of dogs, some which had injuries, were seized and handed over to the Scottish SPCA.

It led to six people from Hawick being charged with badger-baiting offences, but only Dodds and Lawrie were convicted.

Sheriff Kevin Drummond commented: “It is plain that there are persons, including these two accused, who have been engaging in badger digging in the Hawick area.

“Any civilised human being listening to the account of dogs being put down the badger setts wearing locator collars to drag badgers by their teeth to the waiting spectators where the badgers were kicked, abused, set upon by dogs and killed over a period, described on one account as lasting up to 15-20 minutes, can only wonder at the barbaric mindset of such people which sees this warped activity as entertainment or sport.

“That Dodds should then consider the activity appropriate to post a photograph on an internet site of a dog grappling with a badger tells us something of Mr Dodds’ state of mind.

“Had it not been for the assistance which Dodds provided to the police and his remorse which I have accepted in this case, I would have dealt with this by imprisonment.”

Lawyers for both youths claimed they had been influenced by others involved in the activity.

After the verdict, Superintendent Mike Flynn of the SSPCA said: “They were given a sentence which is a direct alternative to jail, so that is encouraging.

“It is also pleasing they have been banned from keeping dogs for five years.”

Ian Hutchison, species protection officer with Scottish Badgers, commented: “The sheriff has sent a clear message that this kind of cruelty will not be tolerated.

“A lot of work has gone into getting these convictions and hopefully those who were engaging in this practice will now be dissuaded.”

Inspector John Scott of Lothian and Borders Police, based in Hawick, said: “One of the attractive things about living in the Borders is the countryside, so it is important it is protected from activities like this.

“Quite often these are hidden crimes, so it is a positive result.

“It was not only the cruelty to the badgers, but the dangers they were putting their own pet dogs in as well.”

Sentencing:
Dodds was ordered to carry out 200 hours community service as a direct alternative to custody, with Lawrie sentenced to 160 hours. Disqualified from having custody of a dog for a period of five years (expired January 2013).

BBC News
The Scotsman