In one of a series of prosecution cases brought this week by charity Animal Protection Services, Walter Lee, who is a Romany gypsy, pleaded guilty to canine selling offences and was fined £120.
Lee was also ordered to pay a £200 contribution to prosecution costs and received a disqualification order from dealing in dogs for 12 months.
Cleminson pleaded guilty to his involvement in the unlicensed sale of animals as pets as well as the unlawful sale of pets after it was found that he was illegally selling Golden Retrievers, Cockapoos and Cavalier King Charles Spaniels.
The proceedings were brought by Animal Protection Services, a registered charity that investigates and prosecutes organised animal cruelty, and follows an investigation into the unlicensed sale of puppies in the North West.
A spokesperson from Animal Protection Service described Cleminson as an “opportunist” who exploited the system to make a quick buck.
“Court fines of this nature are based on the offenders weekly income,” the charity representative told LancsLive.
“As you can see from the fine, Cleminson is reasonably well paid. He is an example of an opportunist who has been utilising puppy trading to make money.
“It is quick and easy to do, Cleminson made more than £22,000 in two months, that is why we are seeing people who are working reasonably paid jobs that are exploiting the system.”
Sentencing: ordered to pay more than £1,200 to the court and was banned from dealing in canines for just one year (expired March 2022).
In a prosecution brought by charity Animal Protection Services (APS), Alexandra Burke, who is a gypsy, was charged with the unlicensed sale of animals as pets, as well as the unlawful sale of pets, under unfair trading regulations.
Burke’s exploits were exposed by APS who investigated online listings she had placed on the Pets4Homes website.
Over a six month period, Burke sold several litters of Labrador Retrievers and Cockapoos illegally.
According to APS, Burke made £21,550 from her illegal sales.
She pleaded guilty to the offences and was fined £320 and ordered to pay a contribution to prosecution costs of £450. She was disqualified from dealing in dogs (both selling and breeding) for three years (expires March 2024).
Ide admitted two charges of causing unnecessary suffering to a terrier named Roxy and two of failing to take steps to protect her from pain, suffering, injury and disease.
He did so by using ‘physical violence, inappropriate handling and intimidator behaviour’.
Ide was investigated by the RSPCA after clips were handed to the animal welfare charity.
Investigators said Ide had Roxy in his care when he was filmed ‘applying pressure through his foot’ standing on her nose, and then standing on her neck with his right foot.
An RSPCA spokeswoman said: ‘Further footage showed Ide carrying the small black dog by the scruff of her neck in his left hand while holding the muzzle area of the dog’s face with his right hand.
‘She then squeals as she is thrown onto the patio floor, and is whimpering as she lays on her front on the ground.
‘Another clip shows him use his right leg to kick Roxy’s face before walking away again.’
Roxy has since been found a new home having been signed over to the care of the RSPCA.
RSPCA Inspector Hannah Nixon said: ‘Causing unnecessary suffering to an animal is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act and the use of physical punishments has been shown to jeopardize the physical and mental health of dogs and cause suffering.’
Sentencing: 12-month community order with 250 hours of unpaid work and 16 rehabilitation activity days; total of £295 in costs and charges. Banned from owning animals for TWO years (expires March 2023).
Following a prosecution by Animal Protection Services Driver, who has a previous conviction for attacking a police officer, pleaded guilty to dog breeding and selling offences.
Sentencing: fined £320 and ordered to pay a £200 contribution to prosecution costs. 12-month disqualification order from dealing in dogs.
The pair, Roma gypsies from Romania, fled the UK in the sickening attack in Toxteth.
They were part of a gang of drunken louts who targeted Mihaela Filip, her son Christian Dutu, and their beloved American bulldog Hindo.
Adrian threw a broken bottle, which hit Ms Filip’s right hand, causing three deep cuts, before four thugs scaled the victims’ balcony.
Hindo tried to protect her owners, but was knifed with a broken bottle by Vasile, then flung onto a parked van in the road below.
Horrifying mobile phone footage filmed by witnesses captured the shocking moment the animal was thrown, then limped away and died.
Mr Dutu was also stabbed in the chest by one thug, then dragged inside his home, where his shirt was ripped and his trousers pulled down.
Meanwhile, Adrian also set upon Ms Filip – pulling her hair and repeatedly punching her – on the evening of April 21, 2018.
The brothers were jailed in their absence, having skipped a trial in September 2019.
Vasile admitted affray and was found guilty after the trial of “destroying property” – criminal damage – namely Hindo. He was jailed for 22 months.
Adrian was found guilty of affray and wounding Ms Filip. He was jailed for three years.
Source: Liverpool Echo (article removed)
Claire Lines, whose sister Christina Lines, is also a convicted dog abuser, contested the cruelty charges against her in relation to Staffordshire bull terriers Jack and Jock. but was found guilty as charged.
The court heard that Lines carried Jock into a vet in Larne claiming he had been attacked by a Labrador. She had covered the wounds in Sudocrem that she happened to have in her handbag.
Horrified staff at the vet contacted the council animal welfare officer (AWO) when they shaved Jock to treat his wounds and uncovered multiple scrapes, puncture wounds and bite marks to his face, chest and legs. The wounds were both fresh and old.
Jock’s condition was so horrific the AWO ordered him to be seized and Lines signed him over.
She refused to sign over Jack, however, and he remains in council kennels with kennelling and legal costs now reaching £7,610.
In the aftermath of the seizure Lines began an online petition and gave a press interview lambasting the council for “stealing” her pets.
While Lines told defence barrister Michael Smyth the two dogs “only had a barking match”, a claim which she also made to her local council, the prosecuting barrister revealed that Lines had written an email to an animal rehoming charity saying: “Long story short, my two Staffies have been fighting flat out for two weeks – I don’t know what to do any more.”
“I didn’t say that, I never said that, the council is lying,” claimed Lines, further claiming that she lied to the animal charity in order to get help.
Lodging a plea of mitigation, Lines’ defence barrister Michael Smyth surmised she made up the story about the dog attack because Jack already had conditions attached to his licence following an incident in 2017 and so feared that he would be taken off her.
Convicting Lines, the district judge said she had concocted so many stories “she couldn’t remember her own lies”.
Sentencing: four-month prison sentence suspended for 18 months; £400 towards the council’s costs. Five-year ban on owning dogs (expires March 2026). Lines, who has two other dogs, Shep and Storm, has launched an appeal against the banning order.
The Sunday Life newspaper reported that Lines has had her five-year ban on keeping animals lifted on appeal.
The judgement came after council animal welfare officers revisited Lines’ home and provided an updated report on the conditions in which her current pets, Shep and Storm, were now living.
It said the dogs appeared to be in good health and were well fed, if a little overweight.
The presiding judge told Lines her pets would continue to be protected by the suspended prison sentence hanging over her, which would be activated should she commit any more animal cruelty offences.
The judge told Lines: “I hope you have learnt your lesson, there is no excuse for allowing dogs to suffer.
“I appreciate the circumstances as to how the matter came to pass but I hope you have learnt your lesson.”
Witnesses saw Jewell, who has previous convictions for being drunk and disorderly and criminal damage, roughly handling the eight-year-old Staffy, Tyson, in Exeter city centre between April 15 and April 24, 2020.
Tyson was also seen on CCTV being manhandled by his owner, with RSPCA officers identifying Jewell from the images.
After the charity spoke to Jewell, Tyson was checked by a vet – and an untreated wound on his neck had swollen by 8cm.
The wound had ulcerated, and the dog had developed necrosis on the wound.
Jewell was told that he caused unnecessary suffering to an animal he was supposed to be protecting.
He had also failed to act on the fact Tyson had been injured, breaching the Animal Welfare Act 2006.
Sentencing: six- month community order, with ten rehab activity days; £300 costs. Three-year ban on keeping dogs (expires March 2024).
The offence related to failing to take steps to investigate and address the cause of poor bodily condition and weight loss of a horse named Olivia.
A vet discovered that Olivia was dehydrated, and that she was in a poor body condition.
It comes after she was found on land with insufficient grazing due to poor grass cover and no supplementary feed.
Olivia also had inadequate water, with the only water present in the field green and contaminated with debris.
We understand that Olivia could not be saved, such was the extent of Gearing’s neglect.
RSPCA Inspector Maia Corbett, who investigated for the animal welfare charity, said: “Caring for horses is a huge responsibility.
“Those caring for animals also have a legal responsibility to seek veterinary treatment for animals when they require it. It is never acceptable to leave an animal to suffer.”
Sentencing: 200 hours of unpaid work; 80 rehabilitation activity days; a total of £490 fines, costs and charges. Disqualified from keeping horses for five years (expires March 2026).
Father-of-one Beckett, who has links to the Southend on Sea area, admitted causing suffering to his German shepherd-type dog, Stella, between July 9 and 14, 2020.
The 14-year-old pet was found lying on a sheet outside on a wet patio at Beckett’s home in King Charles Avenue, Walsall.
She had a number of skin lesions, fly strike, ear disease and poor body condition.
Stella was taken into the RSPCA’s care, where a vet advised it would be in her best interest to put her to sleep.
RSPCA Inspector Fiona Howell, who led the investigation, said: “I found Stella lying on a sheet outside on a wet patio. Her wet, dirty, matted coat was covered in fly eggs and maggots and a wound to her back was bleeding. She was aware that I was there as her eyes would follow me but she was unable to lift her head.”
She continued: “I took her straight to RSPCA Newbrook Farm Animal Hospital that night where vet nurses carried her from my then maggot-infested van on a stretcher into the practice. An initial examination revealed Stella had multiple skin wounds on her back, some of which contained fly larvae. She also had inflamed ear canals with copious quantities of dark ear wax and reacted with pain when her back and legs were moved.
“Sadly the extent of Stella’s suffering and pain was so much that the vet advised it would be in her best interest to put her to sleep immediately. Sadly, necessary action was not taken in time – and Stella’s condition ultimately deteriorated significantly.
“Owning an animal is a privilege – but this man’s failure to ensure appropriate veterinary care meant that was clearly not appreciated in this case.”
Sentencing: 18-month community order with a requirement to do 170 hours of unpaid work; a total of £495 costs and charges. Banned from keeping dogs only for just five years (expires March 2026).