CONVICTED (2022) | William Gauley, born c. 1994, of 63 Baldovan Crescent, Easterhouse, Glasgow G33 4LR – used his two dogs as a weapon against three police officers and a police dog.
Tragic: Boston (left) and Shadow lost their lives after their owner William Gauley ordered them to attack police officers and a police dog.
A court ordered the destruction of bulldogs Boston and Mastiff after their owner, violent career criminal William Gauley, ordered them to attack the officers and PD Diesel.
Gauley, who was armed with a knife and meat cleaver, instructed the dogs to pounce on the officers as they tried to arrest his brother, Ryan Gauley.
One officer suffered three bites on the thigh, leaving him requiring eight or nine stitches, while another was bitten once and police dog Diesel was also attacked during the melee.
Gauley pleaded guilty to assaulting constables Ryan Plunkett, Martin O’Neill and David Craig.
He also admitted behaving in a threatening or abusive manner, being in charge of a dogs that were dangerously out of control as well as the unlawful possession of a knife and meat cleaver in a public place.
Sheriff Iain Fleming jailed Gauley for 27 months and disqualified him from owning a dog for four-and-a-half years.
An order was made for the dogs, who have been held in kennels since the incident, to be destroyed.
CONVICTED (2021) | Richard Anthony Armstrong, born 9 July 1974, of Maybury Road, Plaistow, London E13 8RZ – left two dogs to roast to death in a vehicle.
Self-employed security dog handler Richard Armstrong was found guilty of one charge of causing unnecessary suffering.
His conviction follows police finding one dog dead and a second Belgian Malinois collapsed but still breathing on April 20, 2019.
Security firm owner Richard Armstrong left two dogs to die in a cramped kennel in car boot in 24°C heat
Video footage shows Armstrong explaining to officers how dogs Hector and Yardie had been in the back of his Vauxhall Astra estate in crates with the boot open and a fan running.
He said there was an air conditioning system in the vehicle which worked from a separate battery. He told the RSPCA he left the boot door open but the dogs tended to “jump up and down when they heard any noise” and this must have caused it to close, trapping them in the heat. He also claimed the fan stopped.
Armstrong said he had received complaints at home about the dogs barking so had left them in the car.
Police contacted the RSPCA which launched an investigation while a police officer rushed with Yardie to a vet’s in Ilford.
Insp Kate Ford from the RSPCA said: “She was in a very bad condition and it was looking likely that euthanasia was to be recommended.
“These dogs had been left in the vehicle for possibly in excess of two hours and the temperature was around 24 degrees.”
Insp Ford recalled peering into the boot. One cage was empty with diarrhoea towards the back while Hector was in the other already dead.
“The kennel was just about large enough for the dog to stand in but there would not have been room for him to move.
“There was no evidence of water in either kennel,” Insp Ford recalled.
Camera footage shows Yardie being rushed to the vets where she was given oxygen and fluids in a desperate bid to save her.
She was suffering hypothermia, muscle tremors, an irregular heart rate and a body temperature of 40.3 degrees.
A sedative and pain relief were given, but she began to vomit and twitch. Vets felt she would not recover and sought permission from Armstrong to put her to sleep.
Sentencing: 12-month community order with 120 hours of unpaid work; total of £840 in costs and charges.
CONVICTED (2021) | Sanjeev Kumar Gill (aka Vix Gill), born 10 February 1976, of 44 Lancaster Road, Southall UB1 1NW – left two security dogs to starve to death
Company director Sanjeev ‘Vix’ Gill only received a five-year ban despite leaving two helpless dogs to starve to death in filthy conditions
RSPCA Inspector Mike Beaman was called by colleagues at one of the charity’s Animal Hospitals in November 2019 after company director Sanjeev Gill arrived with two dead dogs: a two-year-old male Akita called Cuba and a four-year-old male German Shepherd, Max.
Inspector Beaman said: “Both dogs were extremely emaciated and given the lowest body score possible by the vet who examined them.
“Cuba was 19.4kg and Max was 19.6kg, way below a healthy weight for these kinds of dogs.”
The court heard how the vet said an average weight for an Akita is 45-59kgs and 30-40kgs for a German Shepherd.
On examination of Max’s body, the vet said in a statement that his coat was very dirty and covered in mud, he didn’t have any obvious skin lesions and he had faeces stuck to his pelvis and hind limbs.
Cuba’s coat was also caked in mud, and the tips of his ears and left thigh were damaged.
A post-mortem carried out on the dog’s bodies did not reveal any underlying medical conditions which could have been the cause for their extreme malnourishment.
Dog killer Sanjeev Gill
Gill claimed one of the dogs had gone missing the day before and he then discovered the pair dead in a communal area near his home.
Following the sentencing, Insp Beaman added: “This was an incredibly tragic case involving the death of two dogs which could have easily been avoided if they had received the adequate diet they needed.”
Sentencing: 12-month community order with 160 hours of unpaid work; £1090 costs and charges. Disqualified from keeping all animals for just five years (expires February 2026).
Sanjeev Gill is a director with the Select Group of companies. His only active directorship is for Select Airways Limited, which trades as Happy Days Parking. The Group operates in several sectors including recruitment and security.
Gill also has a residence in St Andrews House, St Andrew Wood Lane, Iver, Buckinghamshire SL0 0LD. It is rumoured that he is also keeping dogs at that property.
Gill has four adult children: Meena, Dylan, Riya and Sital. His wife’s name is Sunita Masih.
His brother Sunil Gill is a co-director of the Select Group.
CONVICTED (2020) | Michael ‘Mikey’ Rose (aka Michael Garner), born c. 1997, previously of Hill Park Crescent, Greenbank, Plymouth PL4 but most recently no fixed abode – punched and kicked a police dog after constables found him living in a tent in woods
Michael Rose aka Michael Garner and PD Ollie
Rose, who is originally from Basildon, Essex, punched and kicked PD Ollie as constables tried to restrain him. But the dog managed to grab hold of his ankle as he’d been trained to do.
The thug also rained blows on three police officers who found him in a tent and tried to headbutt another back at the police station.
Rose then assaulted two custody officers who were taking him to court the next day. One of the officers later said it was the most aggressive he had seen someone in 17 years of policing.
Jailing him for 18 months in total, Judge William Mousley said all six officers had been “just doing their job”.
He added that Rose had significant mental health difficulties, including paranoia, though he had refused to co-operate with psychiatric staff in the past.
Rose pleaded guilty to six counts of assaulting an emergency worker and one of causing unnecessary suffering to a dog on December 23 and December 24, 2019.
He changed his pleas minutes ahead of his trial.
Police Dog Ollie’s Twitter account said after the attack that there were no serious injuries and that he “recovered quickly”.
Rose was jailed in December 2017 for 29 months for two offences of blackmail. The latest offences were committed on licence after his release.
CONVICTED (2020) | Ernest Piotr Kujawski, born c. 1978, of Mayfield Road, Southampton SO17 – repeatedly slammed a police dog in a door
Ernest Piotr Kujawski and victim Ernie
Polish career criminal Kujawski slammed the dog, Ernie, between a door leaving him whimpering and yelping in pain.
PC Mark Farley and Mechelse herder Ernie rushed to Shirley High Street to attend reports of a car theft at around 12.47am on Wednesday, February 5, 2020.
Kujawski was spotted and suspected of having a weapon.
When the police arrived he fled the scene but Ernie was deployed to stop him.
Kujawski ran into his house and trapped the dog between a door injuring his paw.
PC Farley called for backup and with the help of a member of the public was able to free the dog.
A police spokesperson said: “Luckily Ernie has recovered well and is still a valuable member of our force.”
The duo received a Chief Constable Commendation for “showing courage, resilience, bravery and professionalism in detaining two suspects in a fast-moving, high threat environment”.
PC Mark Farley said: “Ernie did a fantastic job, and he would do so again without hesitation.
“It was by far the most difficult moment as a dog handler for me, putting him in harm’s way is never taken lightly, but we are here to protect the public.
“I am honoured to have received the award, but even more proud to see Ernie getting the recognition he deserves.”
Kujawski was found guilty of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal.
Sentencing: unpaid work requirement of 100 hours; £123 compensation.
CONVICTED (2020) | lifelong loser Niall Martin, born c. 1990, previously of Speedwell Road, Colchester and now the Strand in Ipswich – threw a police dog against a car, tried to choke her and wrenched her jaw open
Police were called after a row broke out between Niall Martin and his partner in Colchester and officers attended along with police dog, Ivy.
The police dog, Ivy, has since been retired
Martin was hiding and when the highly trained German Shepherd bit him. He reacted by hurling her against the car, choking her and pulling apart her jaws.
In a statement read out in court, Ivy’s dog handler said she genuinely feared for the animal’s life.
She said: “She bit him on the arm and then Martin threw Ivy against a parked car.
“I heard Ivy yelp with pain, he was trying to choke her.
“I punched him to the back of the head with all my force to try to get her free.
“I have never heard her make a noise like that before.
“I genuinely believe he was trying to kill or seriously injure her.”
Martin was convicted of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal following a trial. He admitted a charge of possessing cannabis.
Katie Armstrong-Mason, mitigating said: “On this particular day he had consumed alcohol and had an argument with his partner.
“The dog runs after him and bites him on the leg.
“The only reason he grabs the dog’s mouth is because he had been bitten and was in a lot of pain.
“He didn’t want to be arrested – the last time he was he got a four-week prison sentence.
“He has a borderline personality disorder and alcohol exacerbates his mental health problems – he gets in trouble when he drinks.”
Police dog Ivy retired from active duty earlier in January 2020. She was not badly hurt in the incident with Martin.
Chairman of the bench Don Wicks said: “This is a crossroads for you.
“It is a last chance scenario to change your life for the better.”
Sentencing: ten-week prison term suspended for a year. He must attend an accredited programme and 30 rehabilitation activity requirement days. Ordered to pay £300 costs, and £50 to the dog handler who suffered back pain during the incident.
CONVICTED (2019) | David Bennett, born c. 1978, of Livingston Avenue, Liverpool L17 – attacked a police dog
Liverpool thug David Bennett was prosecuted under Finn’s Law after attacking a police dog
Career criminal and drug addict David Bennett was convicted on two charges for assaulting police officers and a further charge for causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal.
This was the first conviction in Merseyside under Finn’s Law, an amendment made to the Animal Welfare Act, which makes it illegal to harm service animals.
The law was named after Police Dog Finn who was almost killed protecting his handler from a teenager with a knife.
As at November 2019 Bennett had 33 previous convictions for 72 offences, beginning in 1996, which include 46 thefts and similar offences.
Since he was a youth, he has been locked up for burglary, motoring offences and handling stolen goods.
Bennett was jailed for 12 months for wounding in 2008, and for eight years for dealing heroin and robbery in 2010.
PD Deema is due to receive a commendation for her hard work today.
PD Deema recovered from an attack by drug abuser and persistent criminal David Bennett from Aigburth in Liverpool
Chief Constable Andy Cooke said: “We are so proud of our police dogs and their handlers, and all the hard work they do to protect our communities.
“The commendation Deema will receive is so well deserved and we hope this will help people recognise all our dogs do to help prevent crime.”
CONVICTED (2019) | career criminal William George Sheen, born 1996, of no fixed abode, but originally from the Merryweather Estate in Ringwood BH24 1UL and with links to Bournemouth and Salisbury – hit a police dog with a large tin of baked beans.
Career criminal, lifelong loser, animal abuser: William Sheen from Ringwood in Hampshire
Sheen admitted arson, assaulting an emergency worker and causing unnecessary suffering to a service dog.
The court was told he had been causing a disturbance at the pub on Old Christchurch Road when staff called the police.
Officers from Dorset Police said they found him in a dry storage area of the kitchen shouting “Let me out” before waving a metal object at them and refusing to leave.
A fire was seen coming from the store and Sheen was heard to say “Go away – this place is going to go up”.
The fire service was called to extinguish the flames and a police dog, called Gus, was also sent to the scene.
PD Gus recovered and is now back on duty
In a statement, Dorset Police said: “Sheen began to throw items at the officers, including bags of flour and commercial-sized tins of baked beans.
“One of the tins struck PD Gus on the head, stunning him and causing him to back away.”
Police then used a Taser to subdue Sheen and he was arrested.
Ch Insp Heather Dixey confirmed Gus and the police officers involved did not sustain any lasting injuries and are back on active duty.
She added: “This case yet again demonstrates the danger that can be faced by officers and police dogs while dealing with hostile and volatile incidents.”
Sheen was jailed for 28 months after being convicted of a series of burglaries in the New Forest area. His address was given in court as Clarks Close, Ringwood.
CONVICTED (2019) | Daniel O’Sullivan, born c. 1990, of Bowland Drive, Liverpool L21: stabbed a police dog twice in head and attacked officers while high on cocaine and monkey dust.
Daniel O’Sullivan was prosecuted under Finn’s Law for his attack on PD Audi
Daniel O’Sullivan was jailed for 21 months after he admitted causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal, five counts of assault and two counts of possessing an offensive weapon in a public place.
Police were called to deal with the thug following reports of a man wielding a knife and broken bottle in a street in Hanley, near Stoke, on July 1, 2019.
When O’Sullivan refused to drop the weapons a police dog named Audi was sent into the incident.
O’Sullivan stabbed PD Audi twice in the head before throwing a bottle at an officer and kicking him in the face. He spat at four other officers.
Following his arrest O’Sullivan was taken to hospital for assessment and was aggressive towards medical staff.
PD Audi survived the knife attack and has since returned to duty.
Audi needed emergency treatment but survived the attack and has since returned to duty.
The prosecution for the attack against Audi is the first under the new Animal Welfare (Emergency Services) Act.
Known as Finn’s Law, it now recognises police dogs as public servants and not simply police property. The maximum sentence is currently six months.
Detective Inspector Stephen Ward, from Staffordshire Police, said: “O’Sullivan presented a significant danger to anyone who was nearby and we cannot allow the public to be put at risk.
“He assaulted five officers, spitting at four of them, which is a degrading experience for the officers concerned and can present a health risk.
“O’Sullivan was out to seriously hurt PD Audi and it was lucky that he wasn’t blinded or killed as a result of his injuries.
“Aside from the sheer cruelty of his actions, it takes a great deal of time, energy and expense to train a police dog and an experience like that could have ended his career. Fortunately, Audi has recovered well and is back at work.”
Sentencing | jailed for 21 months of which three months was for injuring PD Audi.
CONVICTED (2018) | Adrian Appleyard, born January 1977, of Springhead Road, Rothwell, Leeds LS26 0EX, and Karl Harwood, born 1978, of Ivy Gardens, Bramley, Leeds LS13 2NH – neglected three dogs used to guard a building site.
Karl Harwood
Appleyard and Harwood were found guilty in their absence of mistreating and failing to ensure the welfare of an Anatolian shepherd dog called Athena and two Caucasian shepherd dogs called Koda and Sasha.
One of three dogs abandoned at a building site by Leeds men Adrian Appleyard and Karl Harwood
The dogs were kept as guard dogs on a building site on Hollin Busk Lane, Deepcar, Sheffield and were left unattended between January 20 and January 23, 2018, prompting RSPCA inspectors to visit the site.
Insp Kim Greaves told the court the dogs had been left in three shelters but the roof of one covering two of the dogs – Koda and Sasha – had blown off, leaving them exposed to ‘bitterly’ cold conditions and snow.
Despite freezing weather the dogs had no shelter and hadn’t been fed for several days.
She said she first visited the site on Friday, January 19, following a call from a member of the public and when she returned on Monday, January 22, the set-up was exactly the same, with tape seals placed on the gates of the compounds by inspectors still in place.
Insp Greaves said: “The dog at the front (Athena) was brighter in herself but that’s probably because we had been able to get food and water to her but the other two dogs, because I know the breed, we would expect them to be alert and guarding the site but they weren’t.”
Insp Greaves said she could see Athena’s ribs quite clearly, indicating she was malnourished, and added that she thought the dogs had suffered a ‘prolonged period of neglect’.
Fellow RSPCA inspector Jenny Ronksley said she visited the site on Saturday, January 20 and Sunday, January 21 and left business cards at the site requesting the owners contact her, which they didn’t.
Dr Jenny Turner, a veterinary surgeon at Springfield Vets, also attended the site and said that the housing and nutritional supplies for the dogs were unsuitable.
Prosecutor Philip Brown said: “She believed that the period of suffering would been for at least four to six weeks but probably longer. They had suffered either a variable shortage of food over several weeks or starved entirely for a period of days.”
The prosecutor also told the court that Koda had developed ‘behavioural difficulties’ and that a vet had decided it was in the dog’s best interests to carry out euthanasia.
Sentencing: Appleyard – 150 hours of unpaid work. Banned from keeping any animal for five years (expired September 2023). Deprivation order for the two surviving dogs, Athena and Sasha. Harwood – 120 hours of unpaid work. No ban.
