CONVICTED (2018) | puppy dealer James Featon, born 19/01/1968, of Roughaw Road, Skipton BD23 – kept 23 dogs in horrendous conditions at a Selby pig farm.
Gypsy traveller Featon pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to dogs after two adult dogs and 21 puppies were found in “disgusting conditions” in pig pens on a farm in North Duffield, near Selby.
Cruel puppy dealer James Featon.
RSPCA officers and North Yorkshire Police visited the farm on 7 October 2017 where the dogs were found living in pig pens.
When not exploiting dogs for money, James Featon enjoys persecuting wildlife.
The animals were taken into immediate veterinary care. Sadly, only 18 of the dogs survived.
RSPCA Inspector Alice Cooper, who led the investigation, said:
“Some of the puppies were in very poor condition; thin and lethargic with swollen, distended abdomens.
“Three Jack Russell terrier puppies had collapsed.
“Police seized all of the dogs and we rushed them to the vets where a number of the pups were diagnosed with parvovirus – a highly contagious and potentially fatal disease.
“They were all hospitalised and needed intensive veterinary treatment but, unfortunately, we lost four because they were so incredibly poorly.”
Eighteen dogs – including spaniels, lurchers and crossbreeds – pulled through and were taken in by RSPCA centres while the investigation was ongoing.
Inspector Cooper added: “Our investigations established that Mr Featon was buying in dogs from Ireland and elsewhere in England, and then selling them on to the public.
“However, he was keeping the dogs in disgusting conditions and had categorically failed to provide veterinary care to those that had fallen ill.”
PC Sarah Ward of North Yorkshire Police said: “I’m very pleased with the result and thankful that we found the puppies when we did, saving them from more suffering.
“They were kept in cold, damp conditions without their mums and most of them were very ill with a number needing urgent veterinary attention.
“Sadly, some did not make it.
“We urge members of the public to only ever buy puppies from reputable dog breeders or adopt a rescue dog from a known charity.”
The dogs – which have all been in RSPCA care during the investigation – were signed over this week and can now be rehomed.
Inspector Cooper added: “Unfortunately this sort of thing is something we see all too often at the RSPCA.
“Breeding and selling puppies is big business and with certain breeds selling for hundreds if not thousands of pounds there are a lot of people trying to cash in.
“Sadly, some sellers like Mr Featon will put profits ahead of the health and welfare of the dogs.
“This is completely unacceptable.
Sentencing: total of £460 in fines, costs and charges. Disqualified from dealing in dogs, meaning he can own dogs as pets but isn’t to be involved in commercial activity involving dogs. Two adult lurchers returned to him.
CONVICTED (2018) | Laura Kiseliova, aka Laura Kiselova-Tite, born 14/06/1979, and Raimondas Titas, born 13/03/1981, formerly of Ladywell Avenue, Manchester M38, but believed to have fled to their native Lithuania – imported and sold sick ‘designer’ pets.
Raimondas Titas and Laura Kiseliova during an earlier court appearance. They have now fled to their native country of Lithuania.
Lithuanians Laura Kiseliova and Raimondas Titas kept sick dogs and cats in filthy, cramped cages to sell for thousands of pounds.
They set up an online puppy farm called Pets313 and encouraged customers to buy popular breeds like pugs and French bulldogs.
An investigation into the pair began after they were twice stopped from importing dogs at ports in Kent.
A local vet had also raised the alarm about a puppy that had been sold in the city, but had an Eastern European microchip.
Many of the animals had not received the appropriate care and veterinary attention they needed and were suffering from conditions such as conjunctivitis, gastroenteritis or had sore and infected wounds.
The animals included French bulldogs and pugs, as well as pedigree cats, and they were being sold for between £800 and £1,000 each.
The pair made around 680 sales, generating between £230,000 and more than £300,000.
Despite buyers being told they were receiving British-bred pups, they were actually getting Eastern European dogs that had travelled over to the UK on a Pet Passport bought by the Lithuanian couple.
And when they arrived home, the dogs suddenly became ill and lethargic after having been kept in dire conditions in small cages or crates in a garage.
The pair were sentenced to years behind bars at Manchester Crown Court in their absence, as they fled abroad before the hearing on Thursday 13/12/2018.
They had previously pleaded guilty to a total of 29 charges, including several animal welfare offences.
RSPCA inspectors, police and trading standards found 41 dogs, including French and English bulldogs and pugs, and eight cats, which included Persian and spinx types, when they searched their previous home in Prestwich on November 18, 2013.
They discovered the pair were trafficking dogs under the pet passport scheme, and selling them to members of the public under the company name Pets 313 Ltd.
Pedigree cats were also found at the property.
Officers also found more than 40 pet passports which didn’t match the dogs at the property, suggesting they were passing off trafficked dogs as those bred in the UK.
The dogs who were found included French bulldogs and pugs, as well as pedigree cats, which were being sold for between £800 and £1,000 each.
The pair were charged with a number of offences, including failing to provide them with a suitable environment, and failing to provide veterinary care.
One of the RSPCA investigators leading the operation, who didn’t want to be named, said: “The front room of the property was being used to sell the animals to members of the public but it was when you entered the rest of the house the scale of this operation became apparent.
“There were cages and pens containing different breeds of dogs in almost every room including a litter of puppies in a filthy ensuite bathroom upstairs. In a large garage at the back we found cages of animals stacked on top of each other.
Many of the cats were in very poor condition.
“It was clear there were some cats and puppies that needed immediate veterinary treatment and sadly two of the puppies that were rushed to the vets for treatment later died from parvovirus.
“There was little sign of proper isolation pens for sick animals or biosecurity measures meaning any animal that passed through this place would be at risk of catching and spreading diseases and parasites.
“This was a large money-making operation at the expense of the welfare of the animals and the unsuspecting members of public who thought they were buying healthy, happy puppies.”
RSPCA SOU Chief Insp Ian Briggs said: “It was obvious that this duo were dealing and trading in a large number of animals and that many of them were not receiving the appropriate care and veterinary attention they needed.
“Some of the animals were suffering from problems such as conjunctivitis, gastroenteritis or had sore and infected wounds.”
Most of the animals have been signed over into RSPCA care and have been rehomed.
Chief Insp Briggs added: “We have seen a concerning increase in the number of calls we are receiving about large-scale traders dealing, predominantly, in puppies.
“We are regularly appalled by the conditions we find puppies living in and the stories we hear from owners who have, just days after bringing their puppy home, held their new dog as he died in their arms from preventable diseases and infections.
“Unfortunately, a major factor in this trade is traffickers – such as this pair – bringing in poorly pups from abroad, without the right vaccinations and documents, and selling them to unsuspecting buyers here in England.”
Sentencing | Kiseliova was sentenced to a total of four years in prison while Titas was jailed for three years and six months. Both were banned from keeping pets for life.
Laura Kiseliova was finally behind bars in the UK after surrendering herself to Spanish police in Barcelona in August 2019. A European Arrest Warrant was executed to bring her back to Britain.
Co-defendant Raimondas Titas is still on the run.
Kiseliova’s barrister said her client had spent a month in a Spanish jail, which was a ‘salutary and intimidating experience’,
The circumstances surrounding her arrest are unclear, but police found she had no cash or bank cards, and an ID document in a different name.
In a letter to the judge, Kiseliova claimed that she handed herself in because her child was now two years old, and old enough for one of her adult children to look after them in her absence.
But Judge Richard Mansell QC said that without a birth certificate or photo of the child, he would not accept her claims.
He described it as ‘just yet another lie this lady will spin to try and get out of a tight situation’.
Judge Richard Mansell QC told Kiseliova: “You left the country in quite a deliberate attempt to evade justice.”
“A tight situation created by lie after lie after lie to innocent customers to who she sold dogs,” the judge added.
The judge said the only mitigation available to Kiseliova was her guilty plea to breaching bail.
She had previously made an unsuccessful attempt to vacate guilty pleas she had entered to the original puppy farm offences.
Judge Mansell described Kiseliova as “a fraudster and a liar” demonstrated by her “attempt to wriggle out of her pleas of guilty”.
Sentencing, the judge told Kiseliova: “You left the country in quite a deliberate attempt to evade justice.”
Judge Mansell said that the delays in the case caused by Kiseliova had caused added expense and inconvenience.
CONVICTED (2018) | Rose Galbraith Innes, born 1970, of Millcroft Road, Cumbernauld G67 2QW – left her two dogs severely malnourished and with protruding ribs.
Rose Galbraith Innes – we believe this is quite an old photo of her and that she looks quite different.
Innes was found guilty of causing unnecessary suffering to tri-colour spaniel Toby, 7, and 11-year-old crossbreed Scamp.
She is said to have failed to provide adequate diet or veterinary treatment for the two dogs and has been admonished and given the ban following an investigation by the Scottish SPCA.
Concerns were raised by a member of the public about the condition of the dogs in December 2017, leading to the Scottish SPCA visiting Innes’ property to check on their welfare.
Commenting on the investigation, Scottish SPCA inspector Emma Sergeant said: “After we opened our investigation, we tried our best to work with the accused but were denied entry to her house.
“Innes eventually took Toby and Scamp to a veterinary practice and upon inspection both were given a body score of 2/9 with their hips, bones and spine clearly prominently protruding.
“Innes was given clear feeding advice by the vet and the practice raised concerns with us about the conditions of both animals.
“She failed to show for a follow-up appointment later that month, leaving the Scottish SPCA with no choice but to secure a warrant to remove the dogs from her care. At the time they were removed Toby and Scamp were malnourished and severely underweight.”
Toby and Scamp were then taken to the SSPCA animal rescue and rehoming centre in Lanarkshire.
Sadly, Scamp developed lameness in his right hind limb in October and scans revealed a tumour in his leg, as well as malignant bone cancer which had spread, and he had to be put down.
SSPCA staff say it’s highly unlikely Scamp’s death was related to his physical condition.
Toby has made a full recovery and following Innes’ sentencing he can now be re-homed.
Sentencing: five-year ban on keeping animals (expired December 2023).
CONVICTED (2018) | Brendan Gaughan, born c. 1986, most recently of Mendip Road, Duston, Northampton NN5 – dismembered seven pet cats and left remains in plastic bags on their owners’ driveways
Northampton cat killer and one of his victims, Rusty. A serial arsonist, Gaughan also harboured thoughts of raping and murdering women but the Judge did not label him as ‘dangerous’ ..
Serial arsonist and cat mutilator Brendan Gaughan was sentenced at Northampton Crown Court for a campaign of attacks across the town in the past two years.
Gaughan was caught after an overnight arson spree in June 2018 in which he caused at least £375,000 of damage that destroyed family cafe The Arc, three rough sleepers’ tents and a disused office.
But when he came to court, he asked that 15 other offences were taken into account when he was jailed – namely, a debauched series of cat mutilations and a string of arson attacks in Duston.
The court heard how between August and November 2017 Gaughan targeted and killed seven family pets across Northampton.
He claims the first two were out of ‘spite’ for the owners – but he found the attacks left him ‘satisfied’ and he went on to kill four more in the space of just 10 days.
Nearly every time, Gaughan would set out between 1am and 2am searching for cats, before encouraging them to come near.
He then strangled them, dismembered the bodies and left them on their owner’s driveways or front gardens in plastic bags for them to find.
Cat Deaths
The body of Rusty was left in a bag on the owner’s doorstep in Northampton
Cat Topsy was left outside the owner’s home in the Kingsley area
Dead cat in a plastic bag was found in a garden in Chewton Close Duston
Mutilated body of a cat was found in Duston
Dismembered cat was discovered in Duston
Dismembered cat was found in a plastic bag on a doorstep in Mendip Road
Cat mutilated and left on car roof in Northampton
Prosecutor Matthew Rowcliffe QC said: “After doing it, he would feel satisfied for hurting [the families].
“But in November 2017, he ‘got bored of harming animals’ and turned his interests to starting fires.”
During an arson spree, Gaughan destroyed three tents, damaged the Outpost Café and its recycling bins and The Ark floating restaurant, both on Bedford Road, set fire to wheelie bins at the Edward Green Shoe Factory, a Vauxhall van and the Bray Learning and Development Centre at St Andrews Hospital.
In court today, the prosecutor shared something Gaughan said during a psychiatric assessment while he was in custody.
Mr Rowcliffe QC said: “[Gaughan] told his psychiatrist he had had thoughts of other kinds of offending, like entering women’s houses, raping them and killing them. He has never done this, but had had thoughts of doing it.”
Gaughan’s defence barrister, Mr Guy Williamson QC, told the judge: “He has expressed extreme regret and is ashamed of his actions, and understands the psychological, financial and physical harm and distress he has caused.
“This is a case of a man with mental health issues that feels isolated and vulnerable in the community in which he lives.
“He felt nothing towards the cats he was killing and he denies feeling any pleasure derived from these crimes.”
But His Honour Judge Roger Tregilgas-Davey said: “The starting of fires by you was deliberate. And in every case, you did nothing but watch. You failed to help extinguish them or alert emergency services.
“These were deliberate and persistent. When a fire did not take, you would make more effort to relight it.”
However, at sentencing, the judge did not rule Gaughan as ‘dangerous’ – and could only add three months to his jail term for the cat killings.
Judge Tregilgas-Davey said: “Any violence has been towards animals and not towards humans.
“In regard to the cat mutilations… I want to make it clear they are they are distasteful. They are distressing. I do not lose sight of that. But any sentence I can impose is limited no matter how many [you killed].”
Sentencing: Jailed for 44 months including just three months for killing the seven cats.
CONVICTED (2018) | Eamonn Keegan, born c. 1981, of Charles Street, Portadown, Craigavon BT62 – tied up and neglected his dog while he went on an alcohol binge.
Eamonn Keegan pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to animals at Craigavon Magistrates’ Court.
It was heard that on April 22, 2018, a Staffordshire Bull Terrier was found at the back of the defendant’s home in Portadown.
The dog appeared malnourished and had an injury to his left eye.
He was tied by 1.5-metre of chain to a squalid kennel and had no access to food or water.
The Staffy was taken by the local dog warden as he was in need of urgent medical attention.
A veterinarian concluded that the dog had been enduring the ulceration to his left eye for some time and was severely underweight.
When interviewed, Keegan stated that he had been treating the eye ailment himself.
Defence solicitor John McAtamney said: “Mr Keegan has no relevant previous offences, he does have a considerable record but other than a speeding offence in 2015 he has not been before the court since 2005”.
He stated: “This was a case of passive neglect through there not being adequate water and food for the dog, rather than active mistreatment”.
Mr McAtamney explained that Keegan had been drinking for four or five days and had left the dog in a “poor state”.
Adding: “Mr Keegan had been on a binge and had neglected his responsibilities”.
Addressing the eye ulceration, Mr McAtamney stated that the infection dated back to October of 2017.
He commented that the defendant had not been able to afford to take the dog to the vet and so treated it himself with saline drops.
District Judge Bernie Kelly stated: “Whilst I accept that this was a case of passive neglect, I also accept that Mr Keegan deliberately chose to buy alcohol over taking his dog to a vet.
“Anyone who wants to have animals as pets has to be responsible for them.
“Until society recognises this importance, it will not encourage proper responsible pet owners”.
Judge Kelly added: “Animals can’t ring up 999 and ask for help, all they can do is suffer”.
She said that there was only one penalty she could impose as the defendant was sentenced to two months in prison.
Keegan was also told that a lifelong ban was being placed on him keeping animals as pets.
CONVICTED (2018) | Declan Hogan, born 26/08/1980, of 22 Powers Court, Mallow, Co Cork, Ireland – kept two dogs in deplorable conditions at his home.
Declan Hogan pleaded guilty to two counts of animal cruelty at Mallow District Court.
Animal welfare inspector Lisa O’Donovan said she found a two-year-old Labrador-type dog and a one-year-old terrier in “a critical condition” in February 2018.
Ms O’Donovan took the dogs to a local vet who said that they “endured unnecessary suffering and that without immediate intervention, it would not have been a good outcome for these dogs, and one would most definitely have died.”
Ms O’Donovan said: “I was shocked to discover a Labrador type cross dog huddled inside a shed, he was very nervous and would not move,” she said.
“Upon closer inspection, I noticed multiple open infected sores behind his ear, left shoulder, on his head and eye. Weeping wounds were visible on his legs and his paws were also swollen and badly inflamed.
“A strong pungent odour was coming from his coat later confirmed to be a mix of ectoparasites and severe bacterial and yeast infection all over the dog’s body. He was anaemic and a mild heart murmur was also present.”
She said the young terrier was also underweight adding that his “coat was greasy to the touch and was suffering from a skin infection.”
Both dogs have since made full recoveries and have been responsibly rehomed by the ISPCA.
Sentencing: Fined €800 and given a two year ban from owning an animal (expired 2020).
CONVICTED (2018) | Stephen Gill, born 18/08/1982 (since deceased), of Bevan Avenue, Normanton, Wakefield WF6 1PL – killed his girlfriend’s cat with a crossbow
Stephen Gill was found guilty of engaging in a controlling or coercive relationship.
Magistrates heard how Gill subjected his former partner to a catalogue of violence and abuse over four years. In an act of despicable cruelty Gill killed the woman’s pet cat with a crossbow by shooting him to the stomach and then to the throat. Gill gloated as he told the woman that cat was dead and she later found her pet’s body dumped in a neighbour’s bin.
Gill also took control of the victim’s finances so he could spend money on spice and other drugs. He stopped the woman from seeing friends and denied her access to Facebook and social media.
Gill tried to force the victim into changing the tenancy details on her home in Bramley, Leeds, so he could also live there.
He also threatened to burn her house down.
Alisha Kaye, prosecuting, said the woman took Gill’s threats seriously because he has convictions for arson.
Miss Kaye said: “If affected her self-esteem and some mornings she could not get up.
“She was diagnosed with depression and stayed with him because she felt no one else would have her.”
The court also heard Gill would not allow the woman to get a job and and threatened to “dismantle” her face if she did not do as she was told.
The woman contacted police in July 2018 after Gill assaulted her.
Gill has previous convictions for robbery and arson.
Sentencing Gill Judge Robin Mairs said: “In a particularly cruel act you killed her cat with a crossbow and expressed some joy at having done so.
CONVICTED (2018) | Kelly-Marie Whitaker, aka Kelly Gray, born c. 1987, of Kent Road, Blackpool FY1 – failed to address cause of dog’s weight loss
Whitaker was found guilty of causing unnecessary suffering to the dog, named Bounty, by failing to address the cause of his weight loss.
No further details are publicly available.
Sentencing: 12-month community order; 25 days of drug rehabilitation; total fines and costs of £195. Banned from keeping dogs for five years (expired December 2023).
CONVICTED (2018) | William Douglas Dolley, born March 1969, of Holwell Farm, Collipriest, Tiverton, Devon EX16 4PT – let a calf starve and left dead sheep in a field
Dolley was caught with piles of bones, dead animals and sick cattle on his farm in Devon twice in 11 months by trading standards inspectors.
He had been due to stand trial over a previous inspection in 2017.
But when a vet and trading standards officer returned to Holwell Farm a on 7 February 2018 they found two dead sheep lying unburied in fields where other animals were grazing.
They also discovered piles of rubbish, old bones and an emaciated black bullock calf lying on its side in a cattle shed with no food or water.
Its condition was so bad that it was killed immediately on the orders of the vet.
Dolley admitted causing unnecessary suffering to the bullock, three charges of failing to dispose of carcasses and one of failing to prevent animals having access to by-products.
Sentencing: Jailed for 18 weeks. Banned from keeping animals for five years (expires December 2023).
CONVICTED (2018) | John Terence Powdrill, born 15/09/1976, of Mayville Avenue, Kingston upon Hull HU8 8EZ – left his elderly dog to suffer with a hole on his muzzle
John Powdrill left his 16-year-old Jack Russell Jake to suffer in agony.
The RSPCA found Jake wrapped up in a duvet in Powdrill’s kitchen, with a hole half-a-centimetre in size on top of his muzzle.
When they removed the duvet Jake was “very skinny” and had sores all over his body. He was taken to the vets immediately, but was sadly put to sleep due to the extent of his suffering.
RSPCA inspector Lucinda Green said: “When I first saw Jake he was wrapped in a duvet in the kitchen of Powdrill’s home and only his head was visible.
“He had a hole half-a-centimetre in size on the top on his muzzle which went deep into his nasal cavity, and the skin around it was red raw.
“When I lifted the duvet he was very skinny and had sores on his body where his bones were the most prominent.
“I took him straight to the vets and they advised he needed to be put to sleep immediately, such was the extent of this poor old dog’s suffering.”
Powdrill was due to appear before Hull Magistrates Court on November 23, 2018,but did not show and was convicted in his absence.
As well as the hole in his nose, all of Jake’s teeth were damaged and infected, and he was severely dehydrated to the extent that his veins had collapsed.
The court heard Powdrill called the RSPCA on August 27 to tell them Jake had collapsed, wasn’t eating or drinking, and lying in his own mess – adding that Jake had deteriorated over the last year and hadn’t been seen by any vets.
In mitigation, the court was told that Jake was owned by Powdrill’s partner’s family, and his defence claimed he had done given the best care he could for a dog that wasn’t his, buying ointments and creams.
The District Judge rejected this by saying what Powdrill did was “wholly inadequate”. He accepted that Powdrill had called the RSPCA but that he had only done so so that the charity would pay for euthanasia.
Sentencing: Ten weeks in prison and a 12-month post-sentence supervision order. Banned from keeping dogs, cats and caged animals for life.
