CONVICTED (2022) | dog thief and abuser Clifford Hodgkins, born 6 December 1981, of 31 Woodlands Park, Blairgowrie PH10 6UW but originally from Kidderminster, Worcestershire.

Hogkins, who has strong links to the Stourport travelling community, was convicted of dog theft in relation to four dogs taken from their owners, and cruelty to a lurcher he left chained up outside in sub-zero temperatures.

Hodgkins, who has a long history of violent offending, stole three Jack Russells terriers and a Springer spaniel from remote properties in the Blairgowrie area.

He lifted one dog out of his kennel and bundled him into a car, while his horrified owner looked on.

Three of the dogs were later found more than 400 miles away, in different parts of the English West Midlands. The Springer remains missing, almost two years on.

Hodgkins, whose previous convictions include domestic violence, assault, carrying knives, burglary, and racially aggravated harassment, was found guilty of the thefts at two properties in Meikleour and Forneth in October 2020 following a trial at Perth Sheriff Court.

He was further convicted of a separate animal neglect charge, after a “crying” lurcher-type dog was seized by animal welfare teams from a property in Rattray, near Blairgowrie.

Police and the SSPCA swooped on the house in MacDonald Crescent, Rattray, and found the dog, called Bruce, tethered in the back garden.

Hodgkins was found guilty of failing to provide the animal with adequate shelter and exposing him to the elements between 27 and 29 November 2020. He failed to provide a suitable living environment and limited his movement by tethering him.

SSPCA inspector Katherine Aitchison told the trial she went to the property on November 28, 2021, following complaints from neighbours.

She said: “A male answered the door. At the time, he did not identify himself but I later understood that he was Clifford Hodgkins.

“He stated there was no dog in the back garden at all. I was told that a Lhaso Apso that I could see on the stairs behind him was the only dog on the property.”

Ms Aitchison said she returned with police the following day. She described the lurcher-type dog in the back garden as “very cold and all hunched up”.

She said: “I think the night before the temperature had dropped to minus four. The dog was obviously tired and was shivering.

“Its tail was between its legs and it had a roached back. That’s not happy body language.”

She said the dog had access to a wooden shed, which had a tarpaulin sheet with a slit in it instead of a door.

“There was a small blanket on the floor of the shed. It wasn’t providing much comfort and it definitely wasn’t providing any heat.”

The dog was taken to SSPCA offices and examined.

Ms Aitchison said Bruce had cracks on his paws, an infected claw and scarring on his face.

“He relaxed after a few minutes of being in the heat,” she said.

One witness told the trial she heard the dog crying and later saw Hodgkins shouting at him.

“He was being aggressive,” she said. I was on the phone to the police, watching it happen.

“He picked up a handful of gravel and threw it at the dog.”

Taking the witness stand, Hodgkins told the trial he had bought the dog for £400 after seeing it advertised on the internet.

“I bought it on the Friday and the police came and took him on the Sunday,” he said.

“It was a pet. I wanted to take him on walks in the countryside.”

He denied neglecting the animal, insisting that the shed – which had no door or windows – was wind-proof, dry and insulated.

Hodgkins rejected claims made by a neighbour that he threw stones at the dog and shouted aggressively at it.

“The dog was whinging because it was in a new environment,” he said.

“So I told it to get in (the shed) a few times.”

He said: “You have to train them, because they’re brain dead. You have to show him.”

But Sheriff Gill told Hodgkins that he found the evidence of SSPCA officers, police and neighbours to be credible and reliable and said it was clear the dog was left in a state of distress.

The sheriff found a further charge, that tree surgeon Hodgkins behaved in a threatening or abusive manner and threw stones at the dog, not proven.

Sentencing | jailed for 90 days and fined £500 for the thefts. He was fined another £400 for the animal neglect charge. Two-year disqualification order (expires June 2024).

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