CONVICTED (2016) | Paul Anthony Archer, born c. 1975, of Glensdale Road, East End Park, Leeds LS9 9JF – filmed shouting and swearing at a terrified dog and threatening him with a hammer.
The footage shows ill-tempered thug Archer shouting and swearing at an English bull terrier called Denver in the back of a parked car.
In the video, Archer threatens the animal with a hammer and screams “DIE!” at him before slamming the boot when Denver fails to meet his demands to get out of the vehicle.
Archer was investigated after the mobile phone footage was sent to the RSPCA anonymously.
RSPCA inspector Gemma Fowler said: “Watching the footage, it’s clear that Denver is frightened of the way his owner is behaving towards him.
“Mr Archer wants him to get out of the car, and is becoming increasingly angry and violent because he is refusing to do so, finally slamming the boot closed on him and shouting at him to ‘die’.
“We all get angry sometimes, but Mr Archer’s behaviour towards Denver is totally unacceptable.”
Archer admitted failing to meet the needs of a dog by failing to allow him to exhibit normal behaviour when he appeared at Leeds Magistrates’ Court.
In mitigation, the court heard the defendant was cleaning the car when Denver jumped in and broke the screen on an iPad.
Ms Fowler said: “Denver is a smashing dog with a great personality and happily he will now be able to go to the kind of home he deserves.
“I’d like to say thank you to the person who filmed and sent this footage to us, without which we wouldn’t have had a case. They have changed this dog’s life.”
Sentencing | 12-month community order; £750 costs. Banned from keeping animals for five years (expired 2021).
CONVICTED (2016) | Christopher Hurst, born c. 1977, of Wharton Court, Hoole Lane, Chester CH2 – drowned his pet cat in the bath in an outburst of anger.
Hurst, who works as an aircraft fitter with Airbus, pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to an animal.
The court heard how Hurst held the 8yo black longhair cat, named Charlie, under the water for 15 seconds until he died.
Scratch marks found on Hurst’s hands were consistent with the cat struggling against him.
Hurst, who drank every day to self medicate for his supposed mental health problems, had owned Charlie since he was a kitten.
He said he had tried to rehome the pet because the cat had been ripping up his neighbours’ property and keeping everyone in the apartment block up all night.
Cheshire Police were called after reports of a disturbance at Hurst’s flat.
Hurst said he had run the bath for himself, but told officers he just ‘lost it’ and ‘it had all happened very quickly’.
He held Charlie down underneath the water until he had drowned.
Christopher Murphy, prosecuting, said: “The vet said these were cruel and inhumane actions on a perfectly healthy cat for no reason whatsoever.
“The drowning would’ve resulted in severe mental trauma and psychological suffering for Charlie.”
Hurst had one previous conviction, for assaulting a police officer when he was arrested later on September 12, 2015.
He was also too drunk to be interviewed on the same day.
Speaking about the case RSPCA inspector Anthony Joynes said it was “one of the most appalling and upsetting cases” he had dealt with.
He said: “The cat was a generally healthy pet who was in the wrong place at the wrong time and for that he paid the ultimate price.
“It was an inhumane ending for this cat and utterly barbaric. The cat would have suffered to an unimaginable extent, both physically and mentally through panic and terror.”
Sentencing: Jailed for 18 weeks. Banned from keeping animals for life.
CONVICTED (2016) | Chetan Bali, born September 1992, of 61 Lansdowne Avenue, Slough SL1 3SG – for the mistreatment of a dog and her puppies.
Bali forced his Japanese Akita dog and her puppies to live permanently in an outside pen without shelter, bedding or fresh water and surrounded by faeces.
He was served with a legal notice in August 2014 to improve conditions for the dog Kiki, and her three six-month-old puppies, Ziggy, Zoe and Black Nose.
However, enforcement officers and police had to rescue the dogs on October 7, 2014 after further checks revealed conditions had deteriorated.
Officers found nails and rusty metal in the garden which put the dogs at risk of harm.
Linda Corcoran, housing and enforcement officer for Slough Borough Council, said the conditions were dangerous ‘for people, let alone dogs’.
“Every dog has a right to a safe environment and Mr Bali’s back yard was far from safe,” she said.
Bali pleaded not guilty to the two animal welfare offences but was convicted.
All four dogs were rehomed.
Sentencing | 12-month community order for each offence to run concurrently; £600 costs and £60 victim surcharge.10-year ban on keeping animals (expires January 2026).
CONVICTED (2016) | backyard kitten breeder Angela Tennant, aka Angela Scurrah, born c. 1967, of Waveney Road, Wortley, Leeds LS12 4EY – did nothing as fleas ‘sucked the life out of her kittens’
Three kittens died after their owner, Angela Tennant, failed to have them treated for a severe and chronic flea infestation.
One kitten had already collapsed when the RSPCA arrived, and despite attempts to revive her, she had to be put to sleep. Two more female kittens died later.
Tennant pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to five kittens and an adult female cat between 1-14 July 2015.
RSPCA inspector Rachel Evans said: “It was clear to anyone that these kittens were very poorly indeed, as was the adult cat, their mother.
“One of the kittens was collapsed, listless and gasping for breath when I got there, and although she was placed on oxygen at the vets there was nothing that could be done other than to put her to sleep to end her suffering.
“The kittens were literally crawling with fleas. When the vet put flea treatment on their bodies, the fleas were trying to escape it by running up their noses, in their eyes and ears.
“Fleas suck blood which causes the animals they infest to become anaemic. This is particularly dangerous for young animals, they literally suck the life out of them.
“Only two of the kittens, the bigger and stronger male kittens, and Tilly, were able to be saved.”
The court heard that Tennant had a litter of kittens from Tilly the previous year, all of which had died or had to be put to sleep in the same circumstances.
RSPCA inspector Evans said: “This situation was entirely preventable, in fact it was the second time it had happened which is inexcusable.
“Flea treatment is part of every responsible pet owner’s routine and if what you’re using isn’t working you take them to the vets.
“Severe flea infestations can kill, as happened here more than once.”
Tilly and the surviving kittens were rehomed following Tennant’s conviction.
Sentencing | 100 hours of unpaid work; £750 in costs. Disqualified from keeping animals for a year(expired 2017).
CONVICTED (2016) | Wayne Newton, born c. 1968, of Arrowe Park Road, Upton, Wirral CH49 0UB – failed to take his poorly flea-infested dogs for veterinary treatment.
Convicted pet abuser Wayne Newton and surviving dog Socks. Newton is banned for life from keeping animals.
Newton neglected his flea-ridden dogs and left one suffering from a tumour.
One of the dogs had to be put down after vets found the pair living in “absolute squalor” at the home of Wayne Newton.
Socks was in very poor condition when rescued by the RSPCA
RSPCA officers called at Newton’s home after members of the public raised concerns about the dogs, named Patch and Socks.
Both dogs had overgrown claws and were infested with fleas – and Newton had clipped most of the fur from 15-year-old Patch in an attempt to rid him of the infestation.
He pleaded guilty to four charges of causing unnecessary suffering to the animals and failing to seek proper veterinary care.
Dog abuser Wayne Newton outside court
Giving Newton a suspended prison sentence, district judge Michael Abelson said the then 47-year-old was “barely able to look after himself”.
Peter Mitchell, prosecuting, said: “On opening the letterbox, a strong, putrid smell emanated from the property.
“The defendant opened the door shortly afterwards and immediately stated that one of the dogs had a problem, saying: “I was going to ring you, can you take him? My other dog is really old but he’s fine.”
The house was described as dirty and sparsely furnished and RSPCA Inspector Anthony Joynes said it had a strong smell of infection.
Mr Mitchell told the court: “The defendant said it was due to a neighbour having thrown urine into his property a few days before the RSPCA called.”
Newton agreed to sign the dogs over and vets found Socks, an 18-month-old black and white crossbreed, had extensive fur thinning and a chronic ear infection which had almost closed off his ear canal. He was underweight and his spine and ribs were clearly visible.
Elderly brindle crossbreed Patch was heavily infested with fleas. He was shaking and almost blind. His claws were overgrown and twisted around each other and he had two lumps on the side of his body and an infected ulcerated mass on his rear. He was put to sleep to end his suffering.
Socks recovered in the RSPCA”s care and was rehomed
Socks was nursed back to health by vets and rehomed.
Newton, who lives just a street away from a veterinary surgery, sobbed and had his head bowed in the dock.
Sentence: 4-month prison sentence, suspended for 2 years; £500 in costs. Banned from keeping animals for life.
CONVICTED (2016) | former vet Gary James Cassius Samuel, born 09/06/1966, of Weston Road, Enfield EN2 0QD and vets’ assistant Rochelle McEwan, born 18/03/1987 of Stonecliffe Close, Leeds LS12 5BJ – trapped 22 huskies and eight cats in a squalid cellar.
Disgraced former vet Gary Samuel and his assistant Rochelle McEwan during a court appearance on despicable animal cruelty charges.
Vet Gary James Cassius Samuel, who practised for 16 years and had 10,000 customers, and assistant/partner Rochelle McEwan were convicted of animal cruelty after officers discovered 22 dogs and eight cats in the back room, living quarters and basement of Armley Vets, on Town Street, in Armley, Leeds.
Cruel Samuel, a father, and McEwan let the helpless animals starve in dirty cages in a secret basement underneath his practice which has hidden by a trap door.
Of the 24 dogs kept in the Leeds practice where Samuel also lived, 22 were huskies and six were puppies. One puppy found in a cage had to be put down, as did one of the eight cats found.
In February 2015 police were called to the property after a 999 call reported that Samuel was threatening McEwan with a hammer.
Video footage showing the foul conditions in which Gary Samuel and Rochelle McEwan kept starving dogs and cats
When they arrived they found husky type dogs living in dirty, overcrowded cages, which were kept below a trap door that was covered by a carpet and a table.
Some of the puppies found in the filthy cellar at Armley Vet’s in Leeds
The animals also had very little water and police officers who searched the building said there was a strong smell of urine and faeces.
Officers also found three cats in the back room. They were described as ‘skin and bone’ and one of them had to be euthanised.
The police called the RSPCA and some animals were removed from the house that night.
Three further dogs had to be put down on veterinary advice.
Samuel claimed that McEwan collected the dogs and he wasn’t happy about them being kept in the cellar, but they weren’t his responsibility. This wasn’t accepted by the court, however, and he was convicted of all charges.
RSPCA inspector Nikki Cheetham said: “I’ve seen a lot of shocking things working for the RSPCA but I would certainly never have expected to deal with something like this.
“People who work in the veterinary profession are the first port of call if an animal needs help. It is unthinkable to consider what was going on in this surgery as clients were coming and going, paying their vet fees.
“Dogs and cats were in a back room, the vet’s living quarters and a basement, accessed by a trapdoor in the floor that had been hidden by a piece of carpet – that’s where most of the dogs were found. They were in cages covered in faeces, with no access to food or water, in the pitch black. It was like a dungeon.”
Ms Cheetham said most of the dogs were Husky-types, with the exception of two Chinese crested dogs. Adult dogs were in the basement while puppies were found shut in one of the rooms, with most of the cats in another.
She said 21 animals – 15 dogs and six cats – have already been re-homed from RSPCA centres and branches in County Durham, York, Liverpool, Chester, Leeds and Harrogate.
In July 2018 Samuel was struck off after the disciplinary committee of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) ruled that he was unfit to practise as a veterinary surgeon.
A tribunal report revealed details of the raid on Samuel’s Armley veterinary practice in Leeds in February 2015.
It said: “Police entered the premises and described an immediate and strong smell of stale urine mixed with a strong smell of faeces.
“Having entered through the rear of the premises, they found themselves in an examination room, where there appeared to be a dirty towel with instruments on a table.
“As they moved onwards, they found cages, two of them occupied by husky-type puppies. They did not appear to have any water or bedding.
“An officer opened a chest freezer and discovered meat that appeared to be off.
“Dr Samuel was found in the main bedroom… He put his headphones on as a police officer approached him.
“The police noted that there were five animals in the bedroom, including two small dogs and two cats.
“Dr Samuel told the police about a cellar and showed them a trap door, covered by a carpet and a table.
“Dr Samuel turned on the light and officers saw that there were a large number of dogs in cages in the cellar. Dr Samuel said ‘these are her animals, she collects them, she never feeds them’.
“The police noted the dirty state of the premises and that the cages in the cellar were dirty. There was only water in one cage and the lack of water was a common theme throughout the premises.
“The huskies in the cellar had been there without a break for 48 hours in cramped conditions with no natural light and that they had been spending long periods in the cellar for at least several weeks. It found the cages in the cellar were in fact built to house the huskies.”
Samuel tried to blame McEwan, in her 20s at the time, by claiming they were her sole responsibility. The pair were experiencing relationship issues.
However, Samuel was found to have breached his duties as a vet as he was ‘completely indifferent to their plight’ and ‘tried to wash his hands’ of the situation by ignoring it.
Sentencing: Samuel – 12-week suspended prison sentence; 150 hours of unpaid work; total of £700 fine and costs. Banned from keeping animals for life. Barred from practising as a veterinary surgeon.
McEwan – 12 weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months; 150 hours of unpaid work; £250 costs. Disqualified from keeping animals for life.
In trying to convince the RCVS tribunal to reinstate his licence, Samuel claimed he was ‘in a completely different place than he was before’ and had ‘read extensively about animal welfare issues’.
He said: “Now that I have gone through this reformation process I would never have animals belonging to someone else kept in a vet practice, [I] understand that it is important that animals under my care must meet animal welfare standards of adequate lighting, space, ventilation a clean supply of food and water, exercise and social interaction.”
But a stunned Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons [RCVS] committee rejected his case.
They said: “Dr Samuel had, by this time, been practising as a veterinary surgeon for some 16 years.
“The Committee considered it extraordinary that he would require some sort of reformation in order to realise that animals under his care would need such basic essentials as adequate lighting, space, ventilation a clean supply of food and water, exercise and social interaction.
“All pet owners, let alone veterinary surgeons, would or should be aware of such basic matters.
“Furthermore, although he claimed to have undergone a reformation, the Committee noted that Dr Samuel referred to his conduct variously as an error, a mistake and a misjudgment. “Having heard from him, the Committee witnessed no depth of feeling, no sense of true remorse and no degree of upset for the animals that had suffered.
“The Committee could not be confident that Dr Samuel would not allow animals in his care to suffer in the future.”
CONVICTED (2016) | Shaun Peckham, born 30 May 1968, of Anscombe Close, Worthing BN11 5EW – prosecuted for animal cruelty after his two starving dogs were found roaming the streets
Before and after photos of neglected dog Kaiser
Shaun Peckham was traced after his Rottweiler called Kaiser and Labrador called Biscuit were found by passersby roaming the streets near his home.
The dogs were not chipped and were taken to be examined by a vet who said both pups were starving and that this was a case of cruelty.
The welfare team at Worthing District Council posted pictures of the dogs to their Facebook page, appealing for the owner to come forward.
Concerned residents gave up Peckham to the team and the police visited his property on December 22, 2014.
Two other dogs were found, but they were in healthy condition, and Peckham told the team Biscuit and Kaiser had in fact been stolen from him eight days before they were found.
He was interviewed under caution and said Kaiser was owned by his son, Lloyd Peckham, but that he was responsible for the dog and that his son lived elsewhere. He accepted that Biscuit belonged to him.
He once again said the dogs had been stolen but had not reported it to the police, also telling them “Biscuit had always been thin”.
The council’s dog wardens then received an expert report which said the state of the dogs was the result of a “prolonged period of inadequate or inappropriate nutrition”.
It would have taken the dogs eight weeks to reach the state they were in and so Peckham was taken to court where he pleaded guilty to charges under the Animal Welfare Act.
Sentencing: 12-month community order, 150 hours of unpaid work; ordered to have his two other dogs rehomed. Disqualified from keeping pets for five years (expired January 2021).
CONVICTED (2016) | Steven Cook, born 03/07/1977, of Greenhill Crescent, Daventry NN11 9BL – repeatedly stabbed a young Shih-Tzu with a kitchen knife in the face, neck and body, causing fatal injuries.
Stock photo
Cook inflicted a number of stab wounds on the dog, known as Ronnie, after taking him to local Spider Park. The court heard Cook “lost the plot” after Ronnie supposedly “went for” his newborn baby daughter and then bit him.
Janita Patel, prosecuting for the RSPCA, said the dog was found by a member of the public in the park shortly before 8pm on August 23, 2015.
Ms Patel said Cook had been seen walking out of the park with “blood on his hands” and all over his shins and socks.
The court heard Ronnie, who was still breathing despite suffering severe blood loss, was taken to a vets in Northampton for treatment.
They heard Ronnie had a collar around his neck with a phone number and contact was eventually made with Cook’s father-in-law who attended the vets. The father-in-law was told the cost of treating Ronnie’s wounds was likely to be £2,500 to £3,000 and he made the decision, on his son-in-law’s behalf, to have the dog put down.
Ronnie suffered 10 wounds to his body, including a fractured skull, fractured leg and multiple stab wounds.
In December 2015 Cook pleaded guilty to animal cruelty and in January 2016 was sent to jail to serve a pathetic 12-week sentence.
Sentence: sentenced to 12 weeks in jail. Disqualified from keeping animals for life.
CONVICTED (2016) | Peter Cawley, age unknown, of Colban Crescent, Lurgan BT66 8HY and ex-wife Nina Reaney, born 04/06/1983, most recently of Holly Hill, Dollingstown BT66 7UB – allowed three dogs to become emaciated.
Convicted dog abusers Peter Cawley and his ex-wife Nina Reaney of Craigavon received a pitiful five-year ban, which expires in January 2021.
The pair pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering and failing to meet the needs of three dogs in their joint care.
This little shih-tzu, who was blind and missing all but three of his teeth, had to be put to sleep to end his suffering.
Charges were brought against them by Armagh Banbridge and Craigavon District Council under Sections 4 and 9 of the Welfare of Animals Act (NI) 2011.
Animal Welfare Officers, who visited the couple’s former property on the Calverstown Road, Bleary, in October 2014, came across three emaciated dogs with no access to food, water or bedding. The dogs were kept in a pen with significant accumulations of dog faeces.
The veterinary surgeon who attended the scene noted a Shih Tzu type dog, who was blind and all but three of his teeth were missing. He had to be euthanised because of his extremely poor condition.
The second crossbred type dog had a growth on her back leg. She was extremely thin with dirty skin. Both she and a third boxer type dog were removed from the property and have since been successfully rehomed.
Sentencing: Cawley: three-month custodial sentence suspended for two years Reaney: two-month custodial sentence suspended for one year. Costs of £3,727 each. Both were banned from owning any animal for a period of five years (expired January 2021).
CONVICTED (2016) | Samuel Lyas, born 27/03/1990, and Valentine Baldock, born 26/05/1984, both of Brent Pelham, Buntingford – for leaving their injured dogs to suffer after forcing them to fight foxes and badgers
Lyas (pictured) and Baldock admitted causing unnecessary suffering to terriers, some of whom were left with the skin ripped from their lower jaws.
The RSPCA’s special operations unit began investigating Lyas, who is originally from Witham in Essex, after being made aware of allegations that he used his dogs to attack wild animals. A warrant was executed by Herts Constabulary’s rural operations team at his home in April 2015.
RSPCA officers found six terriers, including a red male called Max and a black longhair called Bronson who both needed treatment for their injuries. Max was suffering ‘de-gloving’ injuries – the dog had no skin on his lower jaw, leaving the flesh exposed after it had been ripped off.
A tethering post was found by RSPCA and police officers, which pictures on Lyas’ phone showed was used to tie up foxes for the dogs to practise on.
A homemade noose was also found.
Sam Lyas
A separate warrant the same day at Baldock’s address, also in Brent Pelham, found more dogs, including black terriers called Gravel and Todd, with head, facial and jaw injuries which had not received proper treatment.
A vet also found staples in the corner of Gravel’s mouth, some of which had become partially detached from the skin. These had been inserted by Baldock.
A series of text messages between Lyas and a friend revealed Bronson had been involved in a fight with a fox. One text said: “Had hold of him from start to finish not a noise from him just grunted with his mouth full.”
Prosecutor Lauren Bond told the court: “These people are not fit and proper to look after animals.
“They have shown a complete contempt for the safety of animals, not just the dogs but the foxes.
“These are not injuries that have occurred by accident, they have occurred through deliberate placing of a dog in that situation.”
Lyas and Baldock lived in neighbouring houses in Brent Pelham, which were provided by their employers, who have since sacked and evicted them. While the employer is not named in the linked article, it is known that both men worked for the Puckeridge Hunt, Lyas as a terrierman and Baldock as a kennel huntsman. It is alleged that the hunt paid their legal costs but then cut ties just before conviction following negative publicity.
A screenshot of the Puckeridge Hunt website lists Valentine Baldock as a kennel huntsman.
The decision to seize a dog found in Lyas’ home drew an angry reaction from the public gallery, with his friends and family claiming she belonged to his partner.
One of his entourage shouted: “How much more do you want to take away?”
Lyas has a history of violence being part of a gang of thugs convicted for assault in 2010.
Sentencing: Lyas – 26-week custodial sentence, suspended for two years; £3,600 in costs; 280 hours’ unpaid work. Baldock – 225 hours’ community service; £3,025 in fines. Both banned from keeping animals for life.
