Monthly Archives: April 2022

Dogs

Eastville, Bristol: Liam Orchard

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CONVICTED (2022) | Liam Antonio Orchard, born 22 January 1993, of Juniper Court, Eastville, Bristol BS5 6YH – allowed his pet dog to starve to the point of emaciation.

Footballer Liam Orchard, a former Bristol City academy youth player who last played for Tytherington Rocks Football Club, pleaded guilty to cruelty charges in relation to the Staffordshire bull terrier Spot. Members of the public had become concerned for the dog’s welfare and contacted the RSPCA.

RSPCA animal rescue workers made visits to Orchard’s home but all offers of help were refused by him. At one point Spot was taken to a vet who was so concerned by his condition that they arranged for urgent blood tests, but this follow up appointment was cancelled by Orchard.

During a further visit by RSPCA Inspector Kim Walters, Orchard agreed to bring Spot to the front door and was convinced to allow him to be taken to a vet.

Inspector Walters said in her statement: “I observed that he was in very poor bodily condition. All his ribs, spine, pelvis and bony prominences were very evident, and I noted that his skull appeared very sunken.”

She described Spot as being “unsteady” and said he “appeared weak and lethargic climbing the steps”.

Spot was found to have clumps of faeces attached to his nails and had faecal staining on his elbows and hind legs.

He also had a dirty coat with a strong smell of ammonia and faeces. When offered food, he ate readily.

Spot, who weighed just 10.5kg (1st 9lb) when he was rescued

Orchard broke down and his mother, who was present in court for the sentencing, gasped in shock as pictures of the animal’s emaciated frame were shown to the court.

Concerns were also raised that Orchard had recently started caring for a new puppy. Although there were no apparent welfare issues regarding the new pup, he or she will be removed from Orchard’s care following the disqualification order.

Spot has since recovered and is said to be doing well.

In mitigation, the court heard Orchard was suffering from “anxiety”.

Speaking after the hearing, RSPCA inspector Kim Walters, who investigated for the animal welfare charity, said: “Our plea to all animal owners is to make sure they always receive the care they need.

“Pets are completely reliant on their owners to ensure their needs are met and they are kept safe and healthy. Owning an animal is a privilege – and ensuring appropriate care is a key part of the responsibility we have towards our pets. It’s so sad that, in this instance, that responsibility was not met and Spot was left to suffer.”

Sentencing | 18-month community order; 30-day rehabilitation order; £400 costs. Ten year disqualification order, which can be appealed after five years.

BristolLive
Bristol World

Dogs, Worst of the Worst

Pemberton, Greater Manchester: Clare Lockett

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CONVICTED (2022) | Clare Lockett, born c. 1969, of 19 Howard Street, Pemberton, Wigan WN5 8BH – failed to provide veterinary treatment for a dog with multiple wounds from a skin condition.

Clare Locket. Image: Facebook.
Clare Locket. Image: Facebook.

German shepherd Cara was found to be in a poor condition with wounds on all of her paws and legs when her owner, Clare Lockett, took her to a clinic at the RSPCA Wigan, Leigh and district branch on August 24, 2021.

Veterinary surgeon Darinka Toth told the court Cara had been suffering for at least two weeks with anal and skin furunculosis, an immune-mediated skin disease which most often occurs in German shepherds.

Cara had multiple wounds from a skin condition and was also very underweight.

Lockett told the vet she had noticed the skin issues “a few weeks previously”, was bathing the dog and had placed bandages on her legs.

Cara, who was in middle age, was “severely underweight” at 23.3kg with a body condition score of just one out of nine.

Lockett claimed she had only noticed the weight loss in the week before taking the dog to the clinic.

In her report, the vet said Cara’s wounds smelled of infection and were painful on touch, while a larger wound under her tail left her unable to toilet without discomfort and pain.

The infection in her nail beds and wounds on her paws left her in pain on standing and walking.

The vet offered to put Cara to sleep to end her suffering, which her owner agreed to.

Ms Toth stated: “In my opinion Cara was suffering at least for a period of two weeks, but likely for considerably longer. A responsible owner would have sought veterinary care when first noticing the wounds and weight loss.”

Lockett pleaded guilty to two offences of causing unnecessary suffering to a dog under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.

In mitigation, the court heard she was affected by learning difficulties and suffered from anxiety and depression.

She had owned Cara for seven years without previous issues, but the court was told she accepted she should have gone to the vets sooner.

Anthony Wilcock, born c. 1978, of the same address, had been accused of the same offences in relation to Cara but the charges were withdrawn

Sentencing | ordered to pay a total of £734. Banned from owning dogs for 10 years.

Wigan Today

Dogs, Worst of the Worst

Llanelli, Carmarthenshire: Linda Jones

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CONVICTED (2022) | Linda Jones, born c. 1972, of Gwelfor, Llanelli SA14 9NT – allowed her dog’s fur to become so matted it stopped the blood supply on one of her legs.

Linda Jones told an RSPCA inspector there was ‘nothing wrong’ with her dog, Trixie, but a vet said she was in visible pain and had to be sedated just to be examined

Terrier Trixie’s condition was so bad that part of her skin had been “cheese wired” by bands of hair and matting which had cut into the flesh. This then cut off the blood supply to Trixie’s lower leg and caused the skin on her foot to turn black..

Her coat was also so severely matted in places that she could not even see properly.

The neglect was only discovered when her owner, Linda Jones, took her to the PDSA in Swansea in January 2022, where vets made the difficult decision to put her to sleep on welfare grounds.

The PDSA reported the matter to the RSPCA and Inspector Keith Hogben visited Jones’s home on January 11, 2022, to question her about Trixie’s poor condition.

Jones denied the allegation that Trixie was neglected and said there was nothing wrong with the dog. She claimed that her paw had been bad for just two weeks and that she intended to have the dog’s coat dealt with once her foot had been treated and healed.

The PDSA vet who examined Trixie said the damage had taken place over a longer period, however. They noted she was non-weight bearing on her left front leg, which was foul smelling, and that she was anxious and in visible pain.

Evidence read out in court from the vet said: “I was able to see the skin had been ‘cheese wired’ by the bands of hair and matting and had cut into the flesh revealing her flexor tendons and underlying fascia.

“It was also possible to see bone when the limb was flexed.

“The hair I was able to remove around her pads and toes revealed black, cold skin that was becoming necrotic. I believe this is what was causing the smell… Unfortunately this had cut off the vasculature to the distal limb which had died off.

“Mrs Jones advised that the duration of lameness was about a week, suggesting Trixie had been painful enough to not use the limb for that time as a minimum.

“In my opinion the changes to the limb had likely happened over a longer period of probably at least three weeks.

“This is not taking into account the discomfort Trixie would have been in with a heavily matted coat, which was likely of at least three months duration.”

In the face of damning evidence against herm Jones changed her plea to guilty in relation to causing “unnecessary suffering” to Trixie between 5 October 2021 and 5 January 5 2022.

Following the conclusion of the case, RSPCA Inspector Hogben said: “Sadly the basic needs of this little dog had not been met. She hadn’t been groomed regularly which resulted in a severely matted coat and a leg injury that couldn’t be treated in time to save Trixie’s life.”

Sentencing | eight-week prison sentence suspended for 12 months; 10 days of rehabilitation; £428 in costs and victim surcharge. Banned from keeping any animals for 10 years.

ITV News
Wales Online

animal fighting / baiting, Dogs, foxes, hunting with dogs, Lifers, Organised Animal Crime, Wildlife Crime / Bloodsports

Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham: Cain Lambert

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CONVICTED (2022) | serial wildlife criminal Cain Anthony Lambert, born 23 August 1987 of 5 Dunoon Close, Stockton-on-Tees TS19 0LH – breached a lifetime ban on keeping animals.

In November 2013 Lambert was jailed for 24 weeks and given a lifetime ban after filming two dogs tearing into a fox, which could be heard yelping in pain.

In the sickening footage filmed in March 2011, Lambert was seen pulling one of the dogs off the fox, then allowing both to chase it before they caught and attacked the animal again.

John Ellwood, prosecuting for the RSPCA, said the evidence appeared to show that Lambert was “encouraging the dogs” when the attack happened. At the time Lambert was already subject to a suspended sentence for dealing in Class A drugs.

But Lambert claimed he could not control the dogs – which he had arranged to look at to buy for ferreting.

He said a man from Newcastle had brought the dogs down and they travelled to a farm in Northallerton. It was while they were there that the fox appeared and the attack happened.

Keith Thomas, defending, said Lambert was now a different person – having since become a dad.

“He is a very different young man. He is full of remorse and shame for what happened.”

n October 2I021, however, Lambert was found with three lurcher-type dogs at his home in a blatant breach of his disqualification order. The breaches came to light following a report of noise.

RSPCA Inspector Garry Palmer attended Lambert’s address, along with police officers. In the garden he discovered a pen with three male lurcher-type dogs – a dark brindle bull lurcher named Crash, a light brindle bull lurcher called Bully and a grey and white male lurcher called Ted.

Lambert has persecuted wildlife for many years. He is active on several Facebook ‘hunting’ groups where like-minded sickos exchange images of wild animals being hunted down and brutally killed.

The three dogs were taken into RSPCA care due to Lambert being in breach of his disqualification order. Investigations later revealed how he was caring for Bully at the time and the pet was returned to his cousin.

Inspector Palmer said: “I advised at the time that as he was banned from keeping animals the two other dogs would remain with the RSPCA while the animal welfare charity looked at a possible prosecution.”

The court heard how Lambert had owned two of the dogs for 17 months, between May 27, 2020 and October 29, 2021. He was looking after his cousin’s dog on October 28, 2021.

Lambert pleaded guilty to two counts of breaching a disqualification imposed after conviction.

In his defence, the court heard how Lambert found it difficult, after the ban, to not to have dogs.

Crash and Ted were rehabilitated in RSPCA care and have since been rehomed by the charity.

RSPCA Inspector Garry Palmer said: “We rely on the public to notify us of any breach of bans and I would always urge them to report matters like this to us so we can intervene.”

Sentencing | 18-month community order with 30 rehabilitation activity requirement days; 150 hours of unpaid work. £495 costs and charges. Lifetime ban from 2013 still applies.

Gazette Live

Equine Abuse, horses and ponies, Lifers, Worst of the Worst

Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire: Julie Lee

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CONVICTED (2022) | Julie Lee, born c. 1970, of Spitten Farm, Haslingden Old Road, Oswaldtwistle, Accrington BB5 3SN – neglected her horses so badly four of them had to be put down.

Lee failed to give her six horses, who were kept on a field outside Bury, proper care, leaving them needing treatment from vets, farriers, and dental care. Some of the horses, which included a 12-year-old Shetland pony, were so lame they could hardly walk, after their hooves became overgrown and barely functional.

The horses, who were being kept in a field at Hen Heads Farm on Kings Highway, near Haslingden, were first seen by the RSPCA on October 12, 2021, after the charity had been alerted to the neglect by a concerned member of the public.

Inspectors Susie Micallef and Alison Fletcher attended, alongside officers from World Horse Welfare.

There, they found four of the horses had overgrown hooves, with a vet later confirming they were all lame – meaning they were unable to move or stand properly. Three were overweight, and examinations showed some of the horses had not been given proper dental care.

The RSPCA were forced to call out vet Suzanne Green, who tragically had to put three of the horses to sleep at the farm to end their suffering.

Although the other three were taken into the charity’s care and transferred to boarding accommodation, a fourth horse, a Bay Welsh mare, had to be put to sleep just three days later because she was suffering so badly.

The 12-year-old Shetland pony, one of the three to be put to sleep at the farm, was in so much pain she could barely move. A statement from Inspector Fletcher said: “She had extremely overgrown hooves, with the front hooves curling upwards and over.

“The pony looked extremely uncomfortable in its standing position. Every little move appeared to leave the pony in agony and she was reluctant to move at all. It was obvious that she was in need of urgent veterinary attention.”

The Shetland pony had to be carried off the moor by the two RSPCA inspectors, the vet, and both charity workers, as she had to be put to sleep in the field where she stood. X-rays later confirmed her hooves were severely overgrown and had curled up, as well as showing that she was chronically lame.

An appaloosa mare and a gelding, who were both lame and suffering from overgrown hooves, were also put to sleep at the farm by the vet. Officials said the mare was so lame she was shifting weight from one foot to the other to help ease the pain and discomfort, whilst the gelding did not appear to have been treated by the farrier for at least a year.

The Bay Welsh mare who had to be put down had not been given any dental treatment for a “number of years” according to examinations. A fifth horse was suffering from overgrown hooves and dental problems, while a sixth horse had also not received proper dental treatment.

In her statement, the vet said: “The severely overgrown hooves and painful lame hooves were easy to be seen even by a lay person and the owner should have sought both veterinary and farrier attention for this. A responsible horse owner should be expected to provide farrier treatment every four to eight weeks and dental care every 12 months.”

Lee pleaded guilty to three offences under the Animal Welfare Act.

After the hearing, Inspector Micallef said: “This was a really harrowing case and all the staff who dealt with it were upset with what happened. The defendant told us she’d just get the knackerman down and have all the horses shot. They’d all just been left in a field unable to walk. This sad case reminds us that treatment of equines such as this simply will not be tolerated.”

Sentencing | 18-week suspended prison sentence; 200 hours of unpaid work; 10 rehabilitation activity days; ordered to pay a total of £828. Banned from owning horses for life but may appeal after 10 years.

LancsLive

Animal Abandonment, Dogs, Worst of the Worst

Northampton, West Northamptonshire: Jade Roberts

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#MostEvil | Jade Abigail Roberts, born 30 November 1995, previously of Kensington, Liverpool and now of Ash Street, Northampton NN1 – shut her pet dog in a cage and went on holiday for 14 days.

Daisy (pictured) was locked in a cage and left to die by her cruel owner, Jade Roberts

On July 31, 2021, mother-of-two Roberts left her property in the Kensington area of Liverpool – and her 18-month-old Staffy named Daisy – to stay at a caravan park in Prestatyn, North Wales.

An RSPCA inspector went to the defendant’s address on August 10, 2021, after they received information a dog had been abandoned at her home.

Peter Mitchell, prosecuting, said: “They looked through the letterbox and were hit with the smell of decomposing flesh. She could see the property was filthy with clothes and rubbish strewn on the floor

“She could see a dog cage and did try to gain entry through the yard but that was flooded with rubbish bags. The following day, a housing officer contacted Miss Roberts as she was away at the time.

“Her sister let an RSPCA inspector in the property and found a dead and decomposing white Staffordshire Bull Terrier.”

Dog killer Jade Roberts now lives in Northampton

The court heard the dog was locked in a cage that was “filthy and littered with faeces” and there were three bowls in the crate – one of which was upside down while the second was empty and the third contained dog food.

Roberts went away on holiday with her children and was away for some 14 days, claiming she had arranged for a friend to look after the dog and provided for money and food.

Mr Mitchell added: “She refused to disclose the details that person and indicated she was heartbroken and angry the friend had let her down. A veterinary surgeon couldn’t be sure how the dog had died.

“Clearly, it was locked in a cage and there had been insufficient water. It’s difficult to say when the dog died as it depends on conditions on the property, the heat and things of that nature. The defendant does not have any previous convictions.”

The court heard how legal proceedings had “weighed heavily on her mind” and Roberts had “really struggled with the whole process and not knowing what’s going on”.

Stephen Langton, mitigating, said: “She had Daisy since she was eight weeks old. There’s no evidence of any previous welfare issues with the dog. It was a family pet and is very upset about what happened.

“She ended a 10-year abusive relationship with the father of her two children in June 2020 after a serious assault. The matter was reported to the police and went before the courts and he was convicted.

“After that Miss Roberts has been attempting to move away from the Liverpool area to get away from him. Even though a restraining order was in place, she was fearful that he could resurface and that was part of the reason why she ended up going away in July.

“She accepts she showed very poor judgement in leaving the responsibility to someone else to look after the dog while she was away. The children were very, very upset about the whole thing.”

Daisy

Her ex-partner has not been in any sort of contact since she’s moved to Northampton, the court heard, and she has “no intention” of seeing him again.

Mr Langton added: “The children are totally reliant on her and a custodial sentence would result in the two children going into care. She’s clearly a responsible mother who dotes on her children and they are her life.”

Suspending the 12-week custodial sentence imposed on Roberts, magistrates told her: “We are suspending the sentence because of your significant mental health issues which we believe are best dealt with and helped in the community and for the benefit of your children who have health requirements of their own.

“Don’t be tempted in any way, shape or form to bring any animals into your property or be controlled.”

Sentencing | 12 weeks in prison, suspended for a year; 20 rehabilitation activity requirement days; six months of mental health treatment; £500 costs to the RSPCA. 10-year ban.

Northants Live
Liverpool Echo

Dogs, Violent and Sadistic Pet Abusers

Peterhead, Aberdeenshire: Brodie Burns

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CONVICTED (2022) | Brodie Alexander Burns, aka Brodie Geddes, born c. 1996, of Willowbank Road, Peterhead AB42- caught on camera punching his dog.

Brodie Burns and the Staffy he attacked.


Footage of Brodie Burns attacking the unnamed Staffordshire bull terrier in Berryden Road, Peterhead while Stewart looked on went viral and the pair tracked down by police.

Burns later admitted repeatedly kicking and punching the pet on April 24, 2021.

Still from the horrific video footage shows Burns laying into the dog while Stewart watched.

He and his partner Lesleyann Stewart were initially both charged after the video was widely shared on social media platforms. They both denied the offence during an earlier court appearance.

Unbelievably Lesleyann Stewart had her not guilty plea accepted by the court.

Burns changed his plea in March 2022 while Stewart, despite being present during the attack and doing nothing to intervene, had her not guilty pleas accepted.

Burns was given a supervision order and curfew. As he was not banned from keeping animals, he will be allowed to keep the dog he attacked.

He also admitted a charge of assault to injury and behaving in a threatening or abusive manner.

After pleading guilty, he told Sheriff Christine McCrossan: “I love my dog. I love it … it was just a stupid mistake.”

After calling for background reports and a restriction of liberty order assessment, she handed Burns a period of 12 months under social work supervision and a three-month curfew. He was not banned from owning animals.

Press and Journal

Dogs, Lifers, Violent and Sadistic Pet Abusers

West Denton, Newcastle upon Tyne: Jak Hurley

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CONVICTED (2022) | Jak Hurley, born 1 January 1995, of 28 Western Avenue, West Denton, Newcastle upon Tyne NE5 5BU – swung a dog in the air and hung him over a fence by his collar and lead.

Jak Hurley launched a sickening attack on Labradoodle Bobby (pictured)

The court was shown CCTV described as “sickening” by Deputy District Judge Katy Rafter of Jak Hurley attacking his dad’s six-month old Labradoodle puppy Bobby. She described previous claims made by Hurley that his actions had been the result of a defective lead as “total rubbish”. And she added she was also “sceptical about how bad you feel about what you did because of what you said to probation in your interview; excuse after excuse, no apology.

“I have had to look at the sentencing guidelines in this case and I agree there is a deliberate and gratuitous attempt to cause suffering to that dog, what we call in the courts high culpability. It is fortunate for you, as well as the dog, that there wasn’t any serious harm caused to him, although as a matter of common sense he would have been in some considerable stress and discomfort.”

Bobby with another of the family’s dogs.

Hurley admitted causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal and failing to ensure an animal’s welfare on October 26, 2021, in West Denton.

In the CCTV shown to the court by RSPCA prosecutor Alex Bousfield, Hurley can be seen swinging Bobby around by his lead and then hanging him from a fence before he is carried away whilst still being suspended in the air.

Mr Bousfield said: “There appears to be no obvious build-up to it or obvious reason for what happened. The prosecution case is that this caused entirely unnecessary suffering. It appears to be a deliberate course of conduct.”

Mr Bousfield added there “seems to be some element of punishing Bobby for some unknown offence caused to Mr Hurley”.

He told the court that on October 26 Hurley had been seen shouting at Bobby in an alleyway. The witness saw Hurley grab Bobby by the flesh and drag him along the ground before forcing the dog’s collar above his head. The witness suggested to Hurley that the collar must have come off because it was too loose, but was abused for intervening and told “the dog is a fucking cunt”.

Mr Bousfield said it was then that Hurley lifted Bobby into the air by his collar so he was hanging, and told the witness that the dog bit. “She then saw Mr Hurley put the dog down again as he walked off and some minutes later the witness again saw the dog swung into the air.

“She described how that made her feel sick and video evidence was then obtained from a house nearby.”

In a police interview Hurley claimed Bobby’s retractable lead had become jammed and he wouldn’t have hurt the dog. When shown the CCTV footage, Mr Bousfield said Hurley “didn’t think he had done anything wrong. He then said it’s not acceptable to do this to a dog, but the lead was jammed. He agreed he put the dog over the fence and held the dog suspended, to try an unjam the lead, and that is apparently how he believed that you could do such a thing”.

Hurley denied in interview that he had abused Bobby. When he was told that a vet had certified that Bobby was caused suffering, Mr Bousfield said: “He (Hurley) claimed that it was necessary because the lead had jammed. When asked if he would do anything differently, in the interview he said he would use a different lead.”

He added that the vet who saw Bobby concluded that the dog’s welfare needs had not been met, that he hadn’t been protected from harm, and that he had been prevented from expressing his natural behaviour. He added: “It was caused to suffer unnecessary pain and fear, although the period is unclear.”

Adrian Ions, defending, said his client didn’t take the incident lightly and that the CCTV footage naturally and rightly provoked an emotive response. “That emotive response is shared by Mr Hurley. Mr Hurley is filled with self-loathing, he is filled with disgust.”

Mr Ions added that it was a one-off incident and that Hurley’s only explanation was “that he was carrying out what he believed to be chastisement of the animal. He accepts that that chastisement was not correct chastisement. He absolutely accepts that it goes well beyond that. He absolutely accepts that it was irresponsible and dangerous. He absolutely accepts that his actions were wrong.”

Sentencing | four months’ imprisonment suspended for 12 months; 20 rehabilitation days. Indefinite ban on keeping or owning any animals
Hurley can appeal for the ban to be lifted after 10 years.

Chronicle Live

Dogs, Pet Sitters, Dog Walkers, Boarding Kennels

Paisley, Renfrewshire: John Stokesley

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CONVICTED (2022) | professional dog walker John Stokesley trading as Paws N Go, born 13 January 1969, of 91 Spencer Drive, Paisley PA2 0TW – left his dog in pain and distress.

Stokesley pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to his dog Ziva, a two-year-old Rottweiler-German shepherd cross.

Ziva had suffered injuries to her legs and ears but Stokesley didn’t take her to a vet for four days. As a result her wounds were infected and Ziva developed sepsis. She eventually had to be put down as her injuries were so severe.

Scottish SPCA inspector Gillian Dick said: “We were contacted by a veterinary practice after Stokesley presented the dog there for treatment on November 15, 2019.

“He stated that another dog in the property had attacked Ziva on Monday November 11, 2019. The owner informed the practice that Ziva had a few wounds, which he had been bathing and treating at home but that she had stopped eating.

“Ziva was carried into the practice, as she was unable to walk. The vet had to examine Ziva while she lay on the floor as the dog was so weak she could not even lift her head.

“Ziva was extremely dehydrated and also appeared to be in shock. She had many wounds but the most significant was on her right hind leg. The wound was necrotic and so deep that the bone was exposed. She also had a deep, pus-filled wound behind her right ear.

“The veterinarian advised that Ziva was in septic shock and was suffering from multi-organ failure. Her back leg was so badly infected that it would need to be amputated but because Ziva was so weak she would not survive the anaesthetic and sadly the decision had to be made to euthanise her.”

Paws N Go logo
Stokesley has a dog-walking business named Paws N Go

The Scottish SPCA said it was disappointed Stokesley wasn’t issued with a ban on keeping animals.

“Stokesley failed to take appropriate action and respond to the urgency of his dog’s condition, which ultimately led to her suffering from excruciating and debilitating injuries, which became so severe that the only option was euthanasia to end her suffering,” added Inspector Dick.

“He is employed as a dog walker and has responsibility for animals in his care on a daily basis, which makes this incident even more concerning.

Anyone working in a professional capacity with animals would be expected to have easily recognised the severity of Ziva’s injuries.

“Had he taken swift action at onset of injury and provided his dog with the appropriate veterinary attention, she need not have suffered and may even still be alive and well today.

“We are pleased Stokesley has been fined but disappointed he was not issued with a ban given his employment involves caring for animals on a daily basis. We would hope he would think long and hard about his ability to care for animals going forward.”

Sentencing: fined £800. No ban.

Daily Record
Glasgow Live

Dogs, Organised Animal Crime, Pet Profiteering, puppy farmers / traffickers, kennels, backyard breeders

Woolston, Southampton: Artur and Joanna Kramer

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CONVICTED (2022) | Artur Kramer, born c. 1974, and his wife Joanna Kramer, born c. 1977, of Flat 50, 60 Victoria Road, Woolston, Southampton SO19 9TZ – illegally imported 43 dogs from Poland.

Artur and Joanna Kramer

Polish nationals Artur and Joanna Kramer pleaded guilty to running an unlicensed business, illegally importing 43 dogs and illegally transporting dogs. They also admitted two money laundering offences involving a total of £16,050.

Ethu Crorie, prosecuting, said Joanna Kramer was visited by officers from Southampton City Council in September 2020 and given a written warning.

The unscrupulous pair continued to flout the law despite being told to cease their activities

However the Kramers carried on with their illegal activities. They were travelling to and from Poland “on average around every six weeks, bringing back ten falsely described puppy litters”.

They then sold the animals using websites including Pets4Homes and Gumtree, with each being listed for more than £1,000, the authority said.

Recorder Charles Morrison said Joanna Kramer played a leading role in what he described as a group activity that had continued for some time.
He told the couple: “This was a business you were involved in to make money, without bothering to go through the usual steps to make it a lawful business.”

Sentencing | Joanna Kramer was handed a 12-month jail term, suspended for two years, for a money laundering offence involving £11,250. Her husband received a nine-month sentence, also suspended for two years, for a similar offence involving £4,800. There were no separate penalties for the other offences.

Daily Echo