Birds, Dogs, hunting with dogs, Paedophiles / Sex Offenders, poaching, Traveller Animal Crimes, Wildlife Crime / Bloodsports

Sandyford, Stoke-on-Trent: Jason Price

February 10, 2020 misanthropic 1 Comment

CONVICTED (2020) | traveller Jason Price, born c. 1997, of Burnaby Road, Stoke on Trent ST6 – shot and killed eight pheasants with an air rifle on private land

Poacher Jason Price, a traveller from Sandyford. Stoke on Trent

Jason Price, a traveller whose previous convictions include sexual activity with a child, has apologised to the owners of the Whitmore Shooting Estate – after shooting and stealing his pheasants.

The owner was alerted to the crime after hearing gunshots and then spotting Price loading something into the back of his van.

North Staffordshire Justice Centre heard police later found the 22-year-old with eight dead pheasants in his vehicle.

Poacher Jason Price, a traveller from Sandyford. Stoke on Trent, poses with the pheasants he shot and killed

Prosecutor Sue Hayers said: “The injured party was at home at 9pm on January 14 when he heard what he thought sounded like silenced rifle shots. He saw a light shine in the trees and formed the opinion someone was outside.

“He saw a van parked up the road and saw someone throw something into the rear of the van. The person was holding a rifle. The vehicle pulled away.

“Police later located the van and the defendant. They recovered an air rifle, pellets and eight pheasants from the vehicle.”

When he was arrested, Price claimed he did not know the Whitmore land was private and said he intended to eat the birds.

The court heard the landowner, the Cavanagh-Mainwairing family, rears pheasants to be used in licensed shoots held on the estate, and the theft left them £320 out of pocket.

Price pleaded guilty to theft and a charge of trespassing at night with an air rifle to destroy game.

The offences put him in breach of a conditional discharge he received for another theft, when he was collecting scrap metal and took property that the owner had not agreed he could have.

Mohammed Fiaz, mitigating, said: “He has written a letter of apology for his behaviour. The reason Mr Price took the pheasants was for his own consumption. He wasn’t going to sell them on. He purchased the rifle legitimately.

“He was working as a labourer but unfortunately he lost that job a couple of weeks ago.”

Sentencing: 12-month community order with 80 hours of unpaid work; ordered to pay £320 to the victim. He must also pay a £120 fine for breaching the conditional discharge.

Stoke Sentinel

Animal Abandonment, Dogs, greyhound racing, Lifers, Pet Profiteering, Worst of the Worst

Pinehurst, Swindon, Wiltshire: Clive Elliott

February 8, 2020 misanthropic 2 Comments

CONVICTED (2020) | greyhound breeder/trainer Clive Donald Elliott, born 19/11/1979, of 35 Limes Avenue, Swindon SN2 1QQ – convicted of multiple counts of cruelty towards dogs in his care

Clive Elliott binged on drink and drugs while his dogs starved in kennels at the home he now shares with his mother. When police and an RSPCA officer visited the property they found one dog stuffed in a freezer, two others dead on the floor and other animals starved.

The greyhound trainer and breeder, who had inherited a number of dogs from his late father, left the animals unfed for around four days.

The shocking conditions some of Clive Elliott’s greyhounds were found in

But a vet who examined the stricken animals after they were rescued from their kennel suggested the dogs had been subject to weeks or possibly months of neglect.

RSPCA prosecutor Matthew Knight said officers had found eight dogs. Three were dead, including one that had been put into a bin liner and stuffed into a chest freezer.

“There was no dog food whatsoever in the property,” the solicitor said.

The five other dogs were in a poor condition. Their nails were overgrown, some had abscesses and scurvy.

One of the animals had a severe mouth ulcer, which Elliott later admitted knowing about. The dog initially wolfed down food but died a week later after his condition deteriorated.

Autopsies were carried out on the dead dogs. The bone marrow of one was a glutinous liquid – the result of poor nutrition. The vet said it would have taken weeks or possibly months to reach that stage.

As an example of how poorly nourished the greyhounds were, Mr Knight said one dog had increased in weight by a third in just one month after it was taken from the house. He said: “The vet puts this purely down to providing the proper food.”

Interviewed by the authorities, Elliott said matters had deteriorated after the breakdown of a relationship. He had turned to drink and drugs and did not ask for help as he was “too proud”.

*Shameless dog killer: Clive Elliott pictured outside court*

He told the RSPCA his mother, who has dementia, would have fed them had there been any dog food. He added: “There wasn’t any food for my mum that’s how low I was.”

The dogs Elliott was accused of having neglected were racing as recently as January 2019. Racing cards suggest Gemstone Bobbie, who added a third to his body weight after being rescued, was at the Swindon track twice that month. “C D Elliott” was the trainer

Elliott’s lawyer Terry McCarthy of Jeary & Lewis Solicitors said his client had inherited dogs after the death of his father in 2014.

He had owned his own printing business and was looking after the dogs on the side. He changed jobs, working night shifts and caring for the animals during the day.

He found he was not coping well and, when his relationship broke down, matters spiralled.

“Things went wrong there and Mr Elliott was affected by the breakdown,” Mr McCarthy said.

“It seems some dogs were removed from him by someone his ex-partner met and the problems with the breakdown and the lack of income got in top of him.

“There is reference to the back problem you have heard about for which he has been prescribed medication.”

Elliott had been abusing prescription medication on top of that. “It’s my feeling that Mr Elliott was suffering at the time from severe depression. It’s unfortunate that he didn’t go and see a doctor and there is no medical evidence to confirm it.

“It’s quite obvious that as a result of that depression he wasn’t coping with anything.

“You’ve read in the report he couldn’t bring himself to look after his mother properly – as well as his dogs.

“Some of the dogs I think you’ve heard about were owned by another person. That person did not provide food for them either.

“Mr Elliott had no money.”

Chairman of the bench Jane Durrant said Elliott had shown no evidence of remorse.

“The pictures we have been shown are extremely distressing and the number of dogs and the level of suffering they endured is really quite appalling,” she said.

“The distress caused to these dogs was just quite unbelievable.”

Elliott did not appear to react as the sentence was read out.

Sentencing: 20 weeks’ imprisonment. Ordered to pay a total of £872 costs and charges. Banned from owning dogs for life.

Swindon Advertiser

Animal Abandonment, Dogs

Middlesbrough: Steven Harrison

February 6, 2020 misanthropic 2 Comments

CONVICTED (2020) | Steven Anthony Harrison, born 12 August 1985, of Brereton Road, Middlesbrough TS4 3HS – starved and neglected his pet dog and let him stray

Habitual house burglar Steven Harrison can now add animal cruelty to his long list of convictions

Steven Harrison’s dog, known as Benson, was found “skinny, lethargic and retching’ with a potato stuck in his throat. He had also swallowed a dishcloth which was lodged in his stomach.

Crossbreed Benson had a whole potato stuck in his throat and dish cloth in stomach — Benson had a whole potato stuck in his throat and dish cloth in stomach

Career criminal Harrison, who has racked up dozens of convictions for house burglary, was convicted of two offences under the Animal Welfare Act: one of causing unnecessary suffering and one of failing to meet Benson’s needs.

A member of the public had alerted the RSPCA after the dog was found straying on February 4, 2019.

Inspector Clare Wilson said: “When I first saw Benson he was skinny, lethargic and kept retching and coughing constantly. I could feel and see all of his ribs and his spine.

“It was late at night so I took him to a nearby vet surgery where staff were concerned that he had an obstruction.

“He was put onto a drip and given pain relief and medication to help with the sickness. Vets did lots of tests and x-rays showed a large obstruction in his chest cavity, behind the heart. He needed a special operation to remove it – and that’s when vets found a whole potato and dishcloth inside him.

“It was touch and go whether he’d survive the complex operation but, luckily, he pulled through.”

Inspector Wilson traced Harrison and was told that Benson had been vomiting for a number of days but no veterinary treatment was sought and he was allowed to stray around the area.

She continued: “He was extremely poorly by the time we were able to get him the vet. He was lucky to survive.”

Benson was signed over to the RSPCA after court.

The inspector continued: “Poor Benson has a stricture in his oesophagus which means he will probably always need to be fed small amounts of food regularly so this incident has had a life-changing effect on him.

“He’s doing well otherwise though and is such a lovely dog that the animal centre staff who are caring for him are hopeful they will be able to find him the special home he needs and deserves when he’s ready.”

Sentencing: six weeks’ custody suspended for 12 months; ordered to do 80 hours of unpaid work and to pay a victim surcharge of £115. Disqualified from keeping all animals for seven years (expires February 2027).

Gazette Live

Additional Information

Previous convictions
https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/8875338.south-bank-burglar-jailed-raid-pensioners-home/

https://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/teesside-news/career-burglar-jailed-six-years-10038121

Animal Abandonment, Reptiles / Exotics

Bettws, Newport: Jayde Ross

February 4, 2020 misanthropic 1 Comment

CONVICTED (2020) | Jayde Melanie Ross (aka Jayde Davies), born c. 1993, of Monnow Way, Bettws, Newport NP20 – left two bearded dragons in an abandoned property

Jayde Ross from Bettws, Newport, Wales, was banned from keeping all animals for three years after leaving two bearded dragons in an abandoned property. — Jayde Ross was banned from keeping all animals for three years after leaving two bearded dragons in an abandoned property.

Jayde Ross pleaded guilty to two animal welfare offences after leaving two bearded dragons in an empty property without appropriate heat, light, food or water. Very sadly, one of the animals perished.

The RSPCA was contacted after the bearded dragons – one male, and one female – were found abandoned at the property, “in a shocking state”.

One was severely emaciated while the other had suspected renal disease, parasitic infections and conjunctivitis.

The reptiles have complex needs, including a high requirement for heat and UVB lighting.

The RSPCA said the lizards’ condition suggested they had been without necessary food and water for some time.

One of the bearded dragons had to be put to sleep due to the extent of his injuries, while the other was transferred to a specialist wildlife centre for rehoming.

Animal abuser Jayde Ross from Bettws, Newport, Wales

Sophie Daniels, RSPCA Inspector, said: “We found these poor bearded dragons in a shocking state – with one barely moving as a consequence of her condition; and both appearing very lethargic, depressed and with their bones prominent.

“Bearded dragons have very complex needs – and Wales’ cool climate means heating facilities are essential. Leaving these animals without heat placed them in grave danger, and it beggars belief that more effort had not been made to retrieve these animals or make sure they were safe after the tenant left the property.

“Owning pets is a privilege – but what we saw here was a derelict of duty that sadly resulted in one bearded dragon losing his life; and another suffering unnecessarily for a prolonged period of time.

“Thankfully, it wasn’t too late for the other lizard – but this sad case is a stark reminder as to the complex needs these animals have; and the responsibilities of owners to meet those needs.”

Sentencing: ordered to pay a total of £821 in fines, costs and charges. Banned from keeping animals for just three years (expires February 2023).

ITV News

Dogs, greyhound racing

Glasgow: Chris Sillars

February 4, 2020 misanthropic Leave a comment

Greyhound trainer Chris Sillars, based in the West of Scotland.

The Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB) has banned trainer Chris Sillars from racing after neglecting a dog so badly she had to be euthanised. A legal prosecution case may now follow.

A kennel inspector who discovered the emaciated black greyhound bitch, Dudleys Forever, said it was “the worst condition of a greyhound I have seen”.

The dog, who originally raced in Ireland before being exported to Scotland, weighed just over 16kg, with a body score of 1/5, and was put down by a vet a few hours later.

An inquiry by the disciplinary committee of the GBGB was held in December 2019 and found that Sillars had breached animal welfare rules.

A GBGB report said a steward at Glasgow’s Shawfield Stadium, Alex McTaggart, made a routine visit to Sillars’ kennels on 2 September 2019. Mr McTaggart reported that one kennel block had nine greyhounds and there were four greyhounds in another non-registered block previously deemed unusable.

The GBGB’s report said: “One of these dogs, Dudleys Forever, a black bitch that had last raced at Shawfield on 24 November 2018, was in such poor condition that Mr McTaggart described it as ‘the worst condition of a greyhound I have seen’.

Video evidence was presented to the committee. Mr McTaggart said that in his opinion this was a matter of animal cruelty.

“Mr McTaggart said that on the same afternoon as his visit, he had spoken by telephone to Mr Sillars who had informed him that Dudleys Forever was eating well, and had been to the vet two months previously. Mr McTaggart told Mr Sillars that the bitch needed to see a vet as a matter of urgency.

The report continued: “Mr Sillars complied and took the greyhound to Abbey Vet Group later that day. The veterinary report was given in evidence and stated that the bitch weighed 16.3 kg with a body condition score of 1/5. Further tests were not undertaken, and the bitch was euthanased.”

The committee was told that the following day McTaggart met Sillars who accepted it was not true that Dudleys Forever had been seen by a vet recently. The dog had last been seen by a vet on 2 December 2018 – 10 months earlier.

The GBGB’s disciplinary committee viewed this as “a clear case of animal abuse” and moved to ban Sillars from racing.

The GBGB report concluded: “The distressing video clip endorsed the opinion of a highly experienced stipendiary steward that this was the worst condition of a greyhound he had ever seen, and the committee concurred. The committee deplored the neglect of this greyhound and concluded that Mr Sillars had treated the greyhound with cruelty and in such a manner as to cause the greyhound unnecessary suffering.

“The deliberate decision of Mr Sillars not to seek veterinary attention was wholly unacceptable. The committee considered the offence to be a prima facie breach of the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006 and urged the GBGB to send the details of the case to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service in Edinburgh.”

Campaign group Say No To Greyhound Racing In Scotland said: “The treatment of racing greyhounds in Scotland is absolutely appalling and this trainer must be prosecuted and feel the full force of the law. We would also like to see criminal prosecutions where greyhounds are doped with Class A and human prescription drugs.

“To date there have been no prosecutions in Scotland with 14 GBGB confirmed doping cases in the last two years at Shawfield track in Glasgow which includes five for cocaine. We will continue to campaign for as long as it takes to shut this disgraceful industry down in Scotland.”

A spokesperson for GBGB, said: “We have the highest expectations of welfare and care in our sport so there is no place in it for trainers like Mr Sillars. This was a clear case of animal neglect and cruelty and the independent disciplinary committee has rightly decided to remove Mr Sillars’ licence, ensuring that he is never allowed to participate in our sport again.”

Reporters from The Ferret asked to see the video evidence presented to GBGB but it declined to release it.

The Ferret reported in October 2019 that dozens of greyhounds at Shawfield had been doped. Steroids, beta-blockers and prohormones – used by bodybuilders – were among other prohibited substances found in the bloodstreams of greyhounds at the Glasgow stadium since 2009.

Five of the 28 positive tests at Shawfield – Scotland’s only licensed track – involved cocaine, which is potentially fatal for dogs and can lead to seizures, strokes and heart attacks.

As well as those incidents, a trainer based in Edinburgh who races in England had three dogs tested positive for banned substances.

The Ferret
Our Dogs

Update November 2020

The Ferret reported that Chris Sillars is not to be prosecuted for animal cruelty.

The Scottish SPCA said it was notified of the case in February 2020. But because the legal timeframe for reporting animal welfare offences to the procurator fiscal is six months, the SSPCA said it only had three weeks to gather “independent evidence” and prepare a report, and was unable to do so.

Say No To Greyhound Racing in Scotland, which reported the case to Police Scotland in February 2019, told The Ferret: “This is a shocking case and Dudleys Forever has received no justice for the suffering she endured.

“We ourselves reported this case to the appropriate authorities in mid-January but the true culprits here, apart from Police Scotland for not acting quickly enough, are the Greyhound Board of Great Britain. That it took a full five months for the SSPCA to be officially informed by the GBGB is utterly appalling.

“This time delay is commonplace and smacks of delaying tactics to protect their own. Racing greyhounds are the forgotten dogs in this country and that is wholly wrong.”

Dogs, Pet Profiteering, puppy farmers / traffickers, kennels, backyard breeders

Upham, Hampshire: Lucinda and Victoria Rolph

February 3, 2020 misanthropic Leave a comment

CONVICTED (2020) | puppy farmers Lucinda Rolph, born 14 June 1966 and daughter Victoria Rolph, born 22 March 1989, both of Woodward Farm, Alma Lane, Upham, near Southampton SO32 1HE

Puppy farmers Lucinda and Victoria Rolph from Upham, Hampshire — Puppy farmers Victoria and Lucinda Rolph pictured outside court

Lucinda Rolph has been ordered to pay £600,000 through a court confiscation order after pleading guilty to running an unlicensed dog breeding farm. Her daughter Victoria Rolph also pleaded guilty to same offence, with a lesser role, and has been ordered to pay almost £15,000.

Licensing officers from the local authority caught wind of the pair’s operation in May 2015 and carried out a warrant at their £600,000 farm in the village of Upham, near Southampton. There they found litters of puppies as well as adult dogs.

Despite being warned that they needed a licence for commercial breeding, the Rolphs continued to advertise dogs and puppies for sale, sometimes under different names, without one.

The pair came to the attention of licensing officers again after a miniature Dachshund they sold died weeks later of canine parvovirus.

Prosecutor Ethu Crorie told the court how the pair would advertise puppies and adult dogs for sale online via Pets4Homes and Preloved. They advertised 38 different breeds, with prices ranging from £500 to £1,500 per animal.

Mr Crorie added there was no record of sales or receipts and the pair did not have any tax records.

The pair had several accounts in their own names and 18 with other people’s names – some of whom they knew and were unaware that their name was being used.

Mr Crorie said that if every dog had sold as advertised and none of the adverts were duplicated, the pair could have been paid as much as £1.5 million pounds.

In sentencing the pair, Judge Henry, inset, said: “Lucinda Rolph was warned of the need for having a licence in 2015.

“She said at that stage she was thinking about giving everything up.

“She was well aware a licence was required.

“She kept no records of this lucrative business and they used fake names to hide the fact they were still selling adult and puppies during this period.”

Sentencing: Lucinda Rolph was ordered to pay £601,700 within a three-month period or face a five-year prison sentence in default. She was also told to pay costs of £20,000 and to complete 60 hours of unpaid work.

Victoria Rolph was ordered to pay £14,950 within a three-month period or face six months in prison in default. She was also told to complete 60 hours of unpaid work.

Both Rolphs were also given a dog breeding banning order for six years.

Daily Echo
Daily Mail

Animal Abandonment, Cats, Dogs, Multiple Species, Serial Animal Abusers, Worst of the Worst

Paisley, Renfrewshire: Ross Elliot

February 2, 2020 misanthropic 10 Comments

CONVICTED (2020) | Ross Elliot, born 18 March 1983, previously of Mountainblue Street, Barrowfield, Glasgow G31 but has moved to Paisley – starved two cats and a dog to death

Serial animal abuser Ross Elliot previously of Barrowfield in Glasgow, now Paisley, Renfrewshire

Serial pet abuser Ross Elliot admitted causing unnecessary suffering to two cats he left to starve to death in his abandoned flat.

Elliot was previously convicted of cruelty after turning up to a vet with the corpse of an emaciated dog. For that offence he was fined £200 and given 12-month pet ban.

Body of cat starved to death by Ross Elliot

Horrified Scottish SPCA inspectors found the bodies of the cats, known as Cheeky and Chilli, curled up in a soiled litter tray and lying beside an empty food bowl.

Inspector Stacey Erwin said: “The cats’ bodies were emaciated and infested with fleas and maggots. Both weighed around 1.4kg — less than half the minimum you’d expect a healthy cat to weigh.

“Our vet concluded the cats likely died a slow and unpleasant death due to a mixture of dehydration and starvation.

“When we informed Elliot of what had happened, he appeared completely disinterested and unaffected by the news.”

She added: “Three animals have died in Ross Elliot’s care through circumstances which would have been completely avoidable if he’d met their most basic needs of food and water.

“We believe he should have been given a lifetime ban as a minimum. It’s clear he is not fit to own or care for animals and the previous short-term ban did not act as a deterrent.”

Scottish SPCA teams monitored Elliot’s flat for days and noted no-one was attending to the female cats — despite the owner saying a pal was caring for them.

Officers posted food through the letterbox but when they gained entry they found Cheeky and Chilli couldn’t reach it as they had been locked away.

Empty food boxes, full bin bags and piles of unopened mail were also discovered inside.

They said the only water on offer was from an “extremely dirty, stagnant” mop bucket.

The Sun

Update

We are advised that Ross Elliot is living in Russell Street, Paisley PA3 2LP.

UK Animal Cruelty Files

Monthly Archives: February 2020