Monthly Archives: April 2022

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

Gillingham, Kent: Junade Ali

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CONVICTED (2022) | backyard breeder Junade Ali, born c. 1994, formerly of Gillingham Road, Gillingham ME7 – kept 23 dogs in atrocious conditions.


Ali, of no fixed abode, was found guilty of three animal welfare offences, including causing unnecessary suffering.

Medway Council environmental protection officers inspected a property belonging to Ali in 2019, after he enquired about a licence to breed dogs, and found three Belgian Malinois, two Neapolitan Mastiffs and 18 puppies in appalling conditions.

Some of the dogs had no bedding or water available and were kept in cramped conditions and others were kept in crates which were too small for them. Two dogs were also being kept in an apartment above the property, and officers raised welfare concerns with Ali before contacting the RSPCA.

Ali called council officers in early January 2020 to say he no longer had some of the dogs and but a joint investigation with the RSPCA led to a further inspection later that month, and officers seized 19 dogs, including 15 puppies and four adults.

The conditions they were kept in had worsened, with some dogs suffering from urine burns on their feet, and one found to have an untreated painful eye condition which required surgery.

The investigation found that Ali had contacted the council to enquire about a breeding licence as he was no longer able to advertise puppies for sale on a number of websites without one.

Cllr Jane Chitty, Medway Council’s portfolio holder covering enforcement, urged people who want a dog to go through a rescue centre.

She said: “We take animal welfare extremely seriously and work with partners, such as the RSPCA, to ensure backyard breeders are brought to justice.

“In this case, the defendant clearly had no regard for the dogs in his care and saw them as a way to make money.

“If residents are breeding three or more litters of puppies a year, they need to apply for a licence.

“As shown in this case, we will inspect premises to ensure that animals are being looked after properly.

“If you are thinking of buying a pet, we would encourage you to consider rehoming from a rescue centre or make sure you are purchasing an animal from a reputable, licenced, breeder.

“I would like to thank all of the officers involved in this case for their hard work.”

An RSPCA spokesperson said: “We know there’s a spike in people searching for puppies and buying dogs at the beginning of the school holidays but we’d urge families to carefully consider whether getting a dog is right for them.

“Dogs are a huge commitment and need lots of time and attention, even once summer is over and the kids are back at school.

“After the RSPCA campaigned for years, in 2018 the government finally introduced tougher licensing regulations around the selling of animals – including breeding and selling dogs – and new legislation came into force which banned the sale of puppies and kittens in England from third-party sellers e.g. pet shops, traders or dealers, which we hope will help crackdown on this multi-million pound industry.

“This means that anyone wanting to buy or adopt must go directly to a breeder or rehoming centre. Those who go to a breeder should use our puppy contract – puppycontract.org.uk.

“If you do have the time and money for a dog then we’d urge you to consider rescuing instead of buying a puppy.

“Not only will this give a rescue dog a chance at finding his forever home but it’ll also save any potential heartache caused by unwittingly buying a dog from a puppy farm.”

Sentencing | 12-month community order; £600 towards court costs. Banned from owning, keeping or dealing with animals for five years (expires April 2027).

Kent Online

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

Telford, Shropshire: Ray Mainland and Sue Tweedie

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CONVICTED (2022) | commercial breeders and dog show judges Ray Mainland, born c. 1952, and partner Sue Tweedie, born 12 July 1962, both of The Banks, St. Georges Road, Donnington, Telford TF2 7NE – kept 18 dogs in squalid conditions.

RSPCA officers found the Bouviers de Flandres and Portuguese water dogs in a smelly and unsanitary environment at the couple’s home in 2020.

The RSPCA was alerted to concerns for the dogs’ welfare when Mainland and Tweedie sought to rehome the animals in January 2020.

During a visit the following month, inspector Kate Parker discovered heavily soiled blankets outside and a dog pen that was also heavily soiled.

“The window to the left of the front door, and the front door itself, had a thick layer of a black substance, and the smell that was coming from within was foul,” Ms Parker said.

“It was almost unbearable without being immediately in front of the door.

“The smell was an obvious smell of faeces and ammonia, which made me feel nauseous. I continued to knock on the front door, but I got no reply.”

An independent vet report found the needs of the dogs in the pair’s care were not being met.

The pair were found guilty of one charge under the Animal Welfare Act and were ordered to pay £1,800 in court costs plus £200 each in fines. Lifetime ban but can appeal after 12 months.

The court has granted the pair 21 days to rehome all of their dogs before the ban on keeping animals is enforced.

BBC News

Dogs, Equine Abuse, Multiple Species, Serial Animal Abusers, Worst of the Worst

Craigavon, County Armagh: Martin, Mark and Hannah Henry

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CONVICTED (2022) | Martin Henry, born c. 1954, son Mark Henry, born 5 November 1991, and daughter Hannah Henry, born c. 1994, all of 125 Legahory Court, Craigavon BT65 5DF – starved and neglected five dogs.

The Henrys pleaded guilty to several counts of animal cruelty and failing to ensure the needs of five dogs were met.

The court heard the family home was covered in animal excrement and there was no food or water available for their pets.

Hannah Henry was the owner of two shih tzus, an akita and a jack russell.

The two shih tzus both had a body score of one – which means they were severely underweight.

The akita had been kept on an eight-foot-long chain in a pen in the garden – a pen that was too small for the animal to lie down in and was not watertight.

There was no bedding or drinking water. Excrement littered the floor of the pen.

Mark Henry, who had a previous conviction for animal cruelty and had been banned from owning animals, was the owner of a labrador cross.

He too was found guilty of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal.

He was found to have breached a disqualification order.

Their father, Martin Henry also entered guilty pleas to causing the Jack Russell and two shih tzus unnecessary suffering and failing to meet their needs.

None of the animals had access to water or food. They had never been taken to a vet or groomer or had their nails clipped.

The judge described the charges as a “litany of the most horrible acts a human being can carry out” and said it was “beyond contemplation” that it had been allowed to happen.

Sentencing |
Hannah Henry: two-year probation order.
Mark Henry: 200 hours of community service; three-month suspended prison sentence for breaching his banning order.
Both were ordered to pay £130 court costs and were barred from keeping animals for 10 years.

Martin Henry will be sentenced on 3 May.

BBC News

Update 9 June 2022

Martin Henry was found guilty of animal welfare offences in relation to five dogs kept in extremely poor environmental conditions and with no access to fresh water or food.

All of the dogs were voluntarily signed over to the Animal Welfare Service, including a Jack Russell-type dog owned by son, serial animal abuser Mark Henry.

Sentencing | suspended prison sentence; 10-year ban.

ArmaghI

Additional information

In March 2016 Mark Henry was convicted of causing unnecessary suffering to ponies in his care. He was prosecuted by Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council, when a concerned member of the public reported seemingly abandoned ponies on land at Burnside.

Vets found one young, extremely thin pony lying on his side in a distressed state. The pony was put to sleep to prevent any further suffering.

The two other ponies were tethered in such a way that they had no access to suitable food or water and they were seized and removed.

Henry was fined £600 and was banned from keeping animals for ten years, with costs awarded to the council of £1,950 along with £17 court fees.

Dogs, Violent and Sadistic Pet Abusers

Eglinton, County Londonderry: John Fleming

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CONVICTED (2022) | former police officer John Fleming (age and address unknown) – caught on camera brutally kicking one dog and slamming the head of another onto the road.

Fleming pleaded guilty to two counts of causing unnecessary suffering to his pets (pictured): Alsatian cross Ko and Staffy Alfie during the incident.

A witness spotted Fleming with his dogs on the Craigbrack Road, Eglinton, on January 30, 2021.

They saw Ko had “grabbed a springer spaniel by the back and was shaking it.”

Fleming kicked Ko until the dog let go and the Alsatian “cowered before him”.

But Fleming then bent down, picked the dog up by his head and slammed him “hard onto the ground”.

The witness recorded the rest of the incident on dashcam.

During the footage played to the court, Fleming is seen continuing to kick at the Alsatian a number of times before the animal gets up and runs back onto the road.

Fleming, wearing a yellow high vis jacket, can be seen swinging five full-force kicks at Ko.

At least three of his kicks connect with the animal, who is then seen running way.

Fleming (right) with husband Daniel Fleming-Cairo and a relative.

Striding a short distance down the road after Ko, Fleming appears to stop his husband Daniel Fleming-Cairo from stroking Alfie.

But he then picks up the smaller dog by his scruff and hindquarters, raising him above head height, arms fully stretched, before slamming the animal into tarmac.

The video records Fleming repeating the move – lifting Alfie nearly to head height, and slamming him into the ground.

However the footage is cut off when a vehicle drives in front of the camera, obscuring Fleming and his husband from view.

Prosecuting counsel said while there was no audio on the recording, the witness claimed he had “blasted the car horn and shouted something along the lines of ‘stop beating that dog’.”

However Fleming’s reaction was to turn around and begin “shouting and posturing aggressively,“ the court was told.

There were confrontational words exchanged between the men, with Fleming trying to open the vehicle door.

Disgraced former police officer John Fleming pictured outside court.

Council and police officers went to Fleming’s home a few days later.
A vet noticed that while both animals were friendly and good-natured, Alfie “did appear to be slightly sore when sitting and rising and was assessed as having a mild weight-bearing lameness in his right leg with a superficial wound.”

A third dog was also seized during the visit.

Although initially Fleming’s husband wanted to contest the Council’s application for this dog to be re-homed the court heard he had agreed to the measure.

The court also heard that when he was initially questioned about the incident, Fleming claimed his actions were “proportional.”

He said: “Obviously I am remorseful that I had to hit my dogs… [but] I wouldn’t have acted if I didn’t think that they weren’t correct… Do I regret acting? No… It’s the circumstances I regret that it even happened.”

When the witness’ account was put to him, Fleming “laughed throughout” that portion of the interview and accused the witness “of a public disorder offence”.

Defence counsel Eoghan Devlin said that Fleming had been dismissed from the PSNI this week “as a result of these proceedings”.

Not only had he suffered the ignominy of finding himself in the dock, but he had also lost “what was a very promising career,” Mr Devlin added.

Fleming faced a maximum sentence of five years behind bars, but walked free from court with a community service order..

Sentencing | 200-hour Community Service Order; £2000 towards costs. Banned from keeping any animal for ten years.

ITV News
Belfast Telegraph

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

Stroud, Gloucestershire: Nathalie Bakker

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CONVICTED (2022) | unlawful puppy breeder Nathalie Bakker, born 10 July 1977, of Cheltenham Road, Pitchcombe, Stroud GL6 6LH – bred 19 French bulldogs in three litters without a licence.


Bakker, who also offers microchipping and pet-sitting services, had already lost her licence to breed puppies after a dog in her care was killed by her own dogs. But she ignored Stroud District Council’s Animal Welfare Team’s clear instruction not to breed or sell dogs without a licence, and that resulted in a court appearance and a hefty fine and costs.

Dutch national Bakker pleaded guilty to charges of unlawful breeding and selling of puppies.

She had previously held an Animal Activities Licence for both the breeding and boarding of dogs at her home address. However, in March 2021 the Council’s Animal Welfare Team revoked her licence following the investigation of an incident in which a dog in Bakker’s care at the property was attacked and killed by her own dogs.

At that time, it was made clear to Bakker that the revocation of her licence prohibited her from operating a business of boarding, breeding and selling dogs. She ignored this instruction, however, and went on to breed three litters of French bulldog puppies (18 puppies in total) and subsequently selling 15 of those puppies – all without the licence to do so.

Sentencing | ordered to pay a total financial penalty of £3,255, comprising a fine of £1,500, full costs of £1,605 and a victim surcharge of £150.

Stroud District Council news