CONVICTED (2014) | Dionne Burd, born 11 October 1988, from Harlow in Essex – left a rabbit in his hutch to starve to death
An RSPCA inspector called at Burd’s home on October 4, 2013 and found the corpse of the rabbit, named ‘Tommy’ in his hutch. He was thin and underweight and both the food and water bowl were empty.
A post-mortem examination by a vet revealed the rabbit had died from chronic malnutrition and dehydration in the previous 24-48 hours. There was no food or water in his stomach and he was emaciated, a condition which would have taken “many days of neglect to occur”.
Mother-of-five Burd who changed her pleas to guilty on the day of her trial, admitted causing unnecessary suffering to the grey and white rabbit between September 17 and October 1, 2013 and to failing to ensure he received a suitable diet including fresh drinking water.
Sentencing | 12-month community order and £300 costs; disqualified from keeping rabbits for five years (expired 2019).
CONVICTED (2014) | serial wildlife persecutors Reece Welsh aka Reece Murphy (20/07/1991) of Romer Road, Liverpool L6 6DH; Ryan Kennedy (born 17/09/1989 but deceased) from Liverpool; John ‘Jay’ Daly aka Jay Jones (17/08/1983) of Breeze Hill, Liverpool L9 1DY and Daniel Ratchford (09/12/1984) of Stratford St, Standish, Wigan WN6 7AH – goaded a dog into brutally mauling a fox to death and interfered with a badgers’ sett
Thugs of the countryside from L-R Reece Welsh, Daniel Ratchford and John Daly (aka Jay Jones).
The gang of four men watched gleefully as the dog carry out a sickening attack on a helpless fox while they claimed they were “rabbiting” in the Cheshire countryside.
The men were jailed for their roles in the incident after each pleaded guilty to animal cruelty offences.
Still image from the harrowing video footage showing the men’s dogs attacking a helpless fox
Prosecuting on behalf of the RSPCA, Kevin Worthington told the court the footage of the attack – which was obtained by an expert on behalf of the animal charity – “spoke for itself” and was one of the worst videos he had ever seen.
The horrific video captured a fox screaming in pain as a lurcher shakes it around in its mouth, while other terrier-type dogs and the group of men look on.
A fourth member of the gang named Ryan Kennedy (pictured right) met a sticky end in late 2014 when he was deliberately mowed down by a fellow badger baiter named Michael Haigh (left). In April 2015 Haigh was sentenced to 17 years in jail for murder.
He said that none of the defendants had stepped in to stop the fox being attacked, and that mobile phones had also been placed down badger setts.
Locator collars, dog cages and spades had also been found in the van the group had arrived in.
The men were charged with offences under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and the Protection of Badgers Act 1992 and admitted their guilt earlier in 2014.
John Daly
Daly pleaded guilty to two charges of interfering with badger setts, and one charge of causing unnecessary suffering to his female lurcher, Sadie, who was the dog seen attacking the fox in the film.
He was sentenced to 14 weeks in prison for the suffering caused to his dog, plus a further four weeks for each of the charges of interfering with a badger sett.
Welsh pleaded guilty to one charge of interfering with badger setts and one charge of being a “responsible person failing to prevent the causing of unnecessary suffering to an animal”. He was sentenced to a total of 16 weeks in prison.
Kennedy and Ratchford also pleaded guilty to being a “responsible person” in relation to the lurcher and its suffering and were both sentenced to 12 weeks.
Each of the men was ordered to pay £200 towards the RSPCA’s costs.
They were disqualified from keeping, or being involved in the care and transportation, of dogs for life.
DJ Knight said there was “overwhelming evidence” that badger setts had been interfered with, adding that the six-month maximum prison term for that offence was “perhaps something Parliament should consider looking at again”.
Anthony Joynes, the RSPCA officer who helped bring the four men to justice, added: “There’s no other way to describe these men other than thugs of the countryside – wildlife criminals”.
Reece Welsh, who’s now known as Reece Murphy, is a backyard breeder and also offers a canine fertilisation service to other breeders under the name ‘The Dog Business’, based at Unit 5, Wilson Road, Huyton, Liverpool L36 6AF.
He has uploaded several photos publicly to his Facebook profile in which he’s shown digging up fox dens / badger sets while in the company of one of his very young sons.
One recent photo shows a dog with horrific facial scarring consistent with animal fighting. And all of this despite a lifetime ban on having anything to do with dogs.
In May 2021Daniel Ratchfordwas jailed for 12 weeks and made the subject of a court order preventing him from entering large parts of West Lancashire and Sefton districts. His latest sentence came after he was convicted of offences including animal poaching and hunting wild animals with dogs. Five dogs were found at Ratchford’s home, in breach of his lifetime disqualification
CONVICTED (2014) | David Lee Stroud, born 7 November 1984, and wife Beverley Bourner-Stroud, born 24 July 1984, of Ruby Street, Darlington DL3 0EN – starved four dogs and kept them in cold and filthy conditions
David and Beverley Stroud were banned from keeping animals for life after keeping four dogs in ‘cold and filthy’ conditions and failing to feed them.
David and Beverley Stroud, who were previously of Stockton-on-Tees but have links to East Sussex, were banned for life from keeping animals and given a suspended prison sentence after mistreating their dogs.
An RSPCA officer said two of the Strouds’ pets ‘were probably the thinnest dogs I’ve ever seen’
The pair pleaded guilty to five charges of mistreating Jess, a female rottweiler, Treacle, a female German Shepherd, Bella, a female Staffordshire bull terrier and Betsy, a female crossbreed.
They had failed to provide a nutritionally balanced diet suitable for the dogs’ needs between November 2013 and January 2014.
They were also guilty of failing to seek appropriate veterinary care to address the causes of the dogs’ poor physical condition.
The RSPCA said that all four dogs were emaciated and kept in a cold, filthy, hazardous and cramped environment and had no food or water.
Claire Wilson, RSPCA inspector for Stockton and Middlesbrough, said after the case: “It was a very unusual case, as you do not often see four dogs in the same house.
“The Rottweiller and the German Shepherd were probably the thinnest dogs I’ve ever seen. The house was, in my opinion, uninhabitable.
“The thing we always ask for in these cases, is that a hefty ban from keeping animals is given to those who mistreat them.
“So in this case, it is the best possible result we could ask for.”
All of the dogs have since made a full recovery in RSPCA care, and are ready for rehoming.
Inspector Wilson continued: “They are back to normal now and in good health, which is always the most positive outcome.”
Sentencing | 12-week custodial sentence, suspended for 12 months with a supervision order. Ordered to pay £500 each in costs. Banned from keeping all animals for life with the right of appeal in 10 years (June 2024)
CONVICTED (2014) | Wayne Worboys, born 9 October 1997, most recently of Bury Park Road, Luton LU1 1EN but with links to Northampton – a serial animal abuser who was filmed kicking a cat and beating up a dog
In one piece of footage career criminal Worboys is recorded kicking a small tortoiseshell cat as if she were a football.
Worboys’ horrific cruelty towards a defenceless cat and dog were caught on camera
In another, Worboys repeatedly punches a terrified Staffordshire dog in the face, head and stomach. The dog, named Tyler, is believed to belong to Worboys’ mother.
In court Worboys admitted causing unnecessary suffering to the animals and was banned him from keeping any kind of animal for rest of his life. He was also given an 18-month Rehabilitation order.
Original source: Daily Mail (article and other newslinks removed)
We collate data on animal cruelty convictions in the UK
