CONVICTED (2022) | cattle farmer Wesley Gracey, born c. 1960, of Tehillah Farm, Moss-side of Gight, Fyvie, Turriff AB53 8LY – set about a distressed cow with an electric cattle prod.
“Over-exuberant” farmer Gracey, a partner in livestock firm W&J Gracey, misused an electric cattle prod on a “stubborn” cow, who suffered multiple lesions and bruising all over her body.
Gracey used the device on both sides of the animal’s neck, her ribs. and hind quarters during a cruel incident, which lasted approximately four minutes.
The cattle farmer resorted to the unlawful action after the cow refused to leave his truck at a slaughterhouse.
Gracey had driven six cows to the Scotbeef abattoir in Inverurie, where all but one of the cattle left the transporter.
Despite attempts to “cajole” the animal after she had sat down in the truck, she would not be moved.
But in turning to the use of a cattle prod, Gracey went well beyond what is legally allowed.
Fiscal Deputy Lewis Devoy told the court that the prod can only be used on an animal’s hindquarters and only for a maximum of one-second bursts.
The animal was eventually slaughtered in situ. A post-mortem found “multiple lesions” and bruising around the shoulders, neck, back and hindquarters, as a consequence of the electric prod.
Gracey admitted a charge under the Welfare of Animals (Transport) (Scotland) Regulations 2006 and the Animal Health Act 1981, of repeatedly applying the electric prod, causing suffering.
The farmer had also faced a charge under the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006, of causing the cow unnecessary suffering with the prod and by repeatedly kicking it, but the Crown accepted his plea of not guilty.
A not guilty plea to a third charge of behaving in a threatening or abusive manner was also accepted.
Defence agent John McLeod said his client had “been a farmer for decades” adding that he buys and sells a “large volume of cattle” throughout the year. On this occasion he had been “overexuberant” in his use of the prod.
He concluded “There are half a dozen people visible in the CCTV observing all this going on, as if to suggest it’s a process not entirely unheard of.”
Wesley Gracey’s son James Gracey, a vet at the Meadows Veterinary Centre with branches in Oldmeldrum and New Deer, Aberdeenshire, has had his licence to practice suspended for six months by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS). His suspension came after he was found guilty of dishonesty and animal welfare charges in relation to cows owned by his father.
Corrupt vet James Gracey
The RCVS found Gracey had signed Food Chain Information forms in relation to the cows without declaring any conflict of interest.
It was also found he had signed an emergency slaughter form stating a cow had not been administered treatment within the previous week when it had. On a separate occasion, he also signed a form stating a cow was fit for travel when it was not.
The RCVS found his conduct in relation to the proven charges risked undermining public health and animal welfare, and in relation to the emergency slaughter form his conduct was dishonest and misleading.
Gracey, who was born in Northern Ireland, lives at the Tehillah Farm, Turriff, Aberdeenshire AB53 8LY.
CONVICTED (2019) | veterinary surgeon Jatinder Dhami, born 16 July 1971, of Woodlands Close, Oadby, Leicester LE2 4QP – for violence towards animals in his care
Dr Jatinder Dhami, a vet with the Vets4Pets practice in Springfield Retail Park, Market Harborough, admitted attacking a Staffordshire bull terrier named Sasha after she supposedly bit him following her booster injection. A receptionist at the practice witnessed Dhami kicking the helpless dog twice and then stamping on her.
She described how she saw Dhami kick Sasha “with the front of his toes, the kick propelled her to slide along the floor to the extent of the lead, she looked up and whimpered, cowered and had her ears back.”
She continued; “She got up and the respondent then took a step towards her and kicked her again, causing her to slide along the floor again.”
The receptionist then swore at Dhami, who is her employer, before leaving in tears.
The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) committee had the power to strike Dhami off the register, leaving him unable to practise.
But instead they decided that, based on good references and character witnesses, it would be unlikely to happen again and a suspension was appropriate.
Dr Dhami told the committee he had domestic and family pressures and had been working long hours. He said in his statement: “I do not, and never have, sought to defend what was an irrational and adrenalin-fuelled action, but equally my actions were in no way premeditated.”
The committee also heard Dr Dhami and his family had been receiving “hostile communications” due to the case.
The committee took that into account during its decision making. It said in its report: “As recently as yesterday, the respondent received an anonymous letter couched in clearly racist terms.
“The committee deplores the fact that the respondent and his family have been subjected to this campaign.”
The committee also said they were assured by one of his colleagues who gave evidence on his behalf that Dr Dhami would not kick another animal.
The report stated: “The committee was particularly impressed by the evidence of a registered veterinary nurse who has worked with the respondent for about 12 months.
“She had no doubt about the respondent’s professionalism and care for animals.”
The committee members decided to give him a suspension of four months.
The report said: “The committee is satisfied that a period of suspension is sufficient in this case to protect the welfare of animals, maintain public confidence and to declare and uphold proper standards of conduct.”
Two other allegations relating to a kitten and a Jack Russell dog were dismissed by the committee.
CONVICTED (2019) | vet Dr Zahra Tahaneem Rafiq, born circa 1990, now of Wallington, London Borough of Sutton, and previously based in Huyton, Merseyside – stole two French bulldog puppies she had just delivered.
Dr Zara Rafiq was fired after she took a French bulldog puppy she was meant to be delivering.
Rafiq took the pup home with her after joking to a colleague that she planned to do it. The new-born dog died three days later at Rafiq’s home, which she admitted despite earlier saying it had faded in her car.
Rafiq had delivered the litter of six dogs, each worth up to £2,000, by Caesarian.
Instead of leaving them to recover with their mum Lila, she and a colleague, Oscar Perez Maillo, both took a puppy home with them.
The second dog was later returned still alive after another worker with VetsNow raised concerns.
Rafiq was fired by VetsNow in Huyton, Merseyside, and a misconduct hearing by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) found her to be ‘dishonest’. However, she was cleared to practise again after six months.
‘I’m fuming,’ owner Safinah Mhagrh told the Daily Record. ‘That vet stole my puppy. It was a terrible, heartless thing to do. She should not be allowed to practise.’
Safinah had taken her three-year-old French bulldog Lila to surgery after she went into labour in December 2017.
‘The first one was coming out legs first and got stuck. I thought Lila was going to die,’ she said. She was told to go home while vets operated.
When she came back, she was told there had been a litter of four but the stuck one hadn’t survived. Another of the puppies then died as it was too weak, but Lila bonded with the remaining two.
Ms Mhagrh said she had contacted police but the case hadn’t been taken further. A hearing heard Rafiq was remorseful and not motivated by financial gain.
Panel chair Ian Arundel said: ‘The committee concluded Dr Rafiq was very unlikely to pose a risk to animals in future.’
CONVICTED (2018) | vet John Hendrie Smith, born 20/05/1929 (since deceased), of Galston, East Ayrshire KA4 – left 200 dogs howling in agony as they died from an outdated euthanasia injection to the heart
Terminally ill German Shepherd Bounce howled in agony for several minutes after being given a lethal injection by disgraced vet John Hendrie Smith from Galston
Galston vet Hendrie Smith was struck off after admitting putting over 200 dogs to sleep using an outdated technique.
He was found guilty of a number of charges relating to clinical and communication failings against him at a Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) disciplinary committee hearing.
He was removed from their register.
Hendrie Smith, who had been a vet for nearly 65 years, was investigated after an owner complained. Shockingly, he was found to have used the controversial technique on hundreds of helpless animals at the Valley Veterinary Centre in Galston, Ayrshire.
The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) were made aware of his technique when a dog owner complained to them after the vet had euthanised his dog.
Darren Stevenson said Bounce, his German Shepherd, had “screamed in agony” for minutes after the injection before dying.
When the RCVS investigated his complaint it found that Hendrie Smith, who qualified in 1953, had used the technique for years on more than 200 dogs.
The vet admitted than many animals wailed in agony before dying
Reports from the disciplinary enquiry record that Darren approached the vet for help with his terminally ill German Shepherd Bounce.
However when Hendrie Smith made a house call he had failed to bring a muzzle for the dog and instead tried to wrap a belt around Bounce’s mouth.
The vet also had to borrow some pliers from Darren to fix a syringe.
The needle was then inserted through the lung wall, a process likely to cause intense pain because of its dense nerve network.
Stevenson’s partner at the time Rachael McRoberts heard the dog scream.
She told the Times: “It was horrible. The dog was wailing for what seemed like ages.
“I’ve never heard a dog make a noise like that.”
The case raises questions over how the RCVS regulates vets and why an ageing practitioner, who qualified so long ago, had not been subject to checks and revalidation.
Under rules introduced about five years ago vets must do at least 35 hours a year of “professional development”, but this can range from formal courses to reading journals or “reflecting” on cases.
The RCVS advises vets: “It’s up to you to decide how best to fulfil your own learning needs” and says records need not be updated annually and are unlikely to be inspected.
CONVICTED (2018) | Viktor Molnar, a vet from Darenth Fishing Complex in Dartford – bypassed rabies laws and illegally imported puppies from Hungary
Vet Viktor Molnar imported puppies to the UK illegally, bypassing rabies laws
Molnar, who advertised himself as a mobile vet, pleaded guilty to offences under the Rabies Order 1974 and the Animal Health Act 1981, and to an offence under the Pet Animals Act 1951 for using his premises a a pet shop without a licence.
He was brought to justice after a retired teacher from Renfrewshire, Scotland, bought a miniature dachshund puppy called Janet from him for £700. The puppy was sick on the journey home from Bury, so she contacted Molnar to request a copy of the animal’s pet passport.
She also took Janet to a vet in Paisley, where the puppy was estimated to be aged between eight and 12 weeks, much younger than the age suggested on the vaccination card.
Bury council said that as a result, the puppy was too young to have been brought into the UK legally.
The vaccination card had no record of a rabies jab or tapeworm treatment, so Renfrewshire council was contacted and the puppy quarantined.
Council bosses there alerted their counterparts in Bury.
An animal health inspector visited Hungarian-born Molnar’s flat in February 2016 and found four adult dogs and five miniature ‘teacup’ dachshund puppies inside.
Bury council said Molnar purchased the puppies online and they arrived by van the night before with Hungarian-issued pet passports.
The inspector, a court heard, sought advice from a veterinary practice where the puppies were estimated to be under 12 weeks old, rather than the 17 weeks indicated by their pet passports.
The council said it meant they would have been too young to be vaccinated and lawfully brought to the UK as a result.
Those puppies were quarantined as well as Bury Licensing Service launched a probe into Molnar.
Bury council said the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons has been contacted over his fitness to continue practising as a vet.
Angela Lomax, head of trading standards and licensing at Bury council, said: “Young puppies should never be transported long distances into the UK, yet underage and unvaccinated puppies continue to be illegally sent here from abroad – often in appalling conditions – and are destined to be sold via online adverts to unsuspecting members of the public.”
Sentencing:
Molnar was given a 270-hour community order and disqualified from operating a pet shop or a boarding facilities for 10 years.
He was also ordered to pay compensation of £2,686.93 to the woman who purchased the dog and £2,500 court costs.
Molnar was struck off the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons’ register after being found found unfit to practice veterinary surgery.
The Committee said that Molnar had put “material interests over those of the profession and the public” and that his actions had posed “a real risk” to the puppies.
Due to the seriousness of the offences committed by Molnar, the Committee concluded that the case could “only be properly dealt with” by removing his name from the register.
CONVICTED (2018) | Irish travellers Simon O’Donnell, Margaret McDonagh, Edward Stokes, Thomas Stokes, Thomas O’Donnell and Mary McDonagh – all of Hayes, and Daniel Doherty, a practising vet from Iver Heath, Bucks – made millions of pounds from selling sick and dying puppies.
Crooked vet Daniel Doherty pocketed at least £75,000 after providing a puppy farm conspiracy gang with vaccination and health cards
Six members of an Irish traveller puppy farming gang were convicted of fraud and animal welfare offences following a three-year RSPCA investigation into puppy dealing in London and Berkshire. A vet who conspired with the gang by providing certificates which suggested the puppies were healthy and bred locally, was found guilty by a jury of conspiracy to commit fraud.
Nearly 5,000 puppies were either imported from a dealer in Ireland or bred in disgusting conditions
The RSPCA launched ‘Operation Adder’ after receiving a multitude of complaints from members of the public who had bought puppies which had fallen ill and in some cases tragically died.
RSPCA officers estimated the network of dealers were selling puppies for an average of £500 each – making at least £2,548,500 by selling 5,097 puppies during a five-year period – although investigators suspect there were many more.
The gang were most active between 2014 and 2016, before being raided by police and RSPCA investigators. Forensic examinations of mobile phones used to sell the puppies show they were making around £800,000 a year during this period.
On 27 May 2016 RSPCA officers joined Metropolitan Police officers as they executed warrants at four addresses in Hayes: Bedwell Gardens, Bradenham Road, Coldharbour Lane, and Rosedale Avenue.
A further warrant was executed by Thames Valley Police at a property in Tenaplas Drive, Upper Basildon, on 1 February 2017.
During the first warrants, a total of 46 dogs and puppies were found being kept in plastic sheds, outbuildings and garages, or running loose in gardens and yards at the four Hayes addresses. All of these were seized and placed into RSPCA care.
The dead bodies of four Yorkshire terrier puppies were found wrapped in black bin bags scattered around the garden at the property in Coldharbour Lane – thought to be from the same litter. Despite veterinary treatment, four puppies later died from parvovirus.
Three of the bitches, who were pregnant when they were seized, went on to have a total of 16 puppies, although one was still-born.
Nine dogs were later seized from the Berkshire address and taken into RSPCA care.
RSPCA inspector Kirsty Withnall, who uncovered the gang with help from the Metropolitan Police, said: “Four of the gang members are siblings and, together with their partners, launched this network of puppy sellers and dealers in west London, with Edward and Mary Teresa Stokes later continuing to sell dogs from their new address in Reading, Berkshire, while Thomas Stokes went on to sell again from another property in Feltham.
“This was an complex and sophisticated network of organised fraud and cruelty to dogs. This was a complicated and multi-faceted, high volume conspiracy whereby the gang has misrepresented commercial, puppy-farmed dogs imported from abroad as family-bred pets to con members of the public out of money.
“Puppies were illegally imported from southern Ireland before being transported to the defendants’ homes where they were kept in plastic sheds, outbuildings and garages. They were advertised online and sold for between £350 and £650 each.
“The gang were generally dealing with fashionable breeds and designer crossbreeds such as Yorkies, cavapoos and Labradoodles.”
Officers took statements from 83 victims in total, all of whom had bought puppies from the gang at different addresses, having responded to adverts posted online. Twenty-five puppies sadly died or had to be put to sleep due to severe health problems.
“Buyers have had to cover expensive veterinary bills or, tragically, lost their pet as a result of poor breeding, inappropriate transport and inadequate care,” inspector Withnall added.
“We also discovered that the sellers were using lots of different names and aliases as well as changing phone numbers.
“Prospective buyers were led to believe that the puppy they wished to purchase had been born and raised in a loving family home, the mother dog being a family pet. They were provided with paperwork relating to pedigree parentage, health documentation and vaccination certificates, much of which was falsified and did not or could not be shown to relate to the puppy in question.
“When visiting, buyers were usually met by a man, often there were children and a woman present, giving the impression of the ‘family home’ that the puppies were claimed to have been part of. They were also shown bitches claimed to be the mothers but we now know these were stooge dogs bought in to lull buyers into a false sense of security.”
Daniel Doherty, who operates two My Vets surgeries in Uxbridge, west London, conspired with the gang to commit fraud. Evidence showed that 4,689 puppies were taken to MyVet 24/7 by the gang between 23 March 2011 and 10 May 2017 for their first vaccinations, with the vet pocketing at least £75,000.
Convictions/Sentencing
Daniel Doherty, born 28 July 1968, of Wood Lane, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, who was convicted of conspiracy to commit fraud, was given a 12-month suspended sentence. Following a review of the case by the Court of Appeal on 19 July 2018 under the Unduly Lenient Sentencing scheme Doherty was sent to prison for three years and six months.
Following a retrial which concluded in January 2020, Doherty was sentenced to two years in jail suspended for 18 months. Doherty was released from prison after serving just eight months. He immediately returned to work as a veterinary surgeon at his practice. Simon O’Donnell, born 23 August 1987, previously of Bradenham Road, Hayes, was convicted of conspiracy to commit fraud, running a pet shop without a licence, and three animal welfare offences. He was sentenced to three years in prison (later increased to four years by the Court of Appeal). He was disqualified from keeping dogs for life. He was also ordered to pay a £170 victim surcharge. Thomas Stokes, born 16 May 1992, previously of Coldharbour Lane, Hayes, was convicted of conspiracy to commit fraud offence and one animal welfare offence. He was jailed for three years (increased to four years and eight months by the Court of Appeal). Disqualified from keeping dogs for life. He was ordered to pay a £170 victim surcharge. Thomas O’Donnell, born 27 January 1989, previously of Bedwell Gardens, Hayes, was convicted of four fraud offences and three animal welfare offences. He was handed a two-year jail term suspended for two years. He was ordered to complete 100 hours of unpaid work and a rehabilitation activity. He was also disqualified from keeping dogs for life and ordered to pay £115 victim surcharge. Margaret McDonagh, born 25 September 1990, previously of Bradenham Road, Hayes was convicted of fraud and given an 18-month community order and rehabilitation activity. She was also ordered to pay £85 victim surcharge and given an order which prohibits her from keeping dogs until an application to the court to lift it. Mary McDonagh, born 15 September 1989, previously of Bradenham Road, Hayes, was convicted of fraud. She was given a 12-month community order. She was also ordered to pay £85 victim surcharge and given an order which prohibits her from keeping dogs until an application to the court to lift it. Edward Stokes, born 10 December 1982, previously of Rosedale Avenue, Hayes, and later of Tenaplas Drive, Upper Basildon in Berkshire, was convicted of fraud and animal welfare offences. He was given a two-year prison sentence suspended for two years (increased to four years and eight months in prison by the Court of Appeal). He received a lifetime ban on keeping dogs which cannot be appealed for 10 years.
In August 2018 Thomas Stokes had his prison term extended again after he continued to sell unwell dogs while being investigated.
Stokes had moved to Hughenden Road in High Wycombe while under investigation.
Police stopped Thomas Stokes’s car in High Wycombe and found three cockapoos in the boot
His ruse was uncovered when police stopped him in High Wycombe while he was in his car – as part of a separate inquiry – and they found three dogs were found in the boot of his car.
Stokes admitted a further count of fraud by false representation and two animal welfare offences.
His sentence was extended by 27 months, taking his total sentence to six years and 11 months.
Speaking after the latest sentencing, RSPCA inspector Kirsty Withnall said: “It goes to show how much money there is to be made in this trade that people will take the risk and continue selling, despite being investigated.
“Sadly though it’s the animals who pay the price when these dealers fail to put their health and welfare first.”
The RCVS Disciplinary Committee directed that Doherty be suspended from the register for just one month following his conviction for conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation.
The RCVS committee said they had taken into account the circumstances of this case and, in particular, the view of the court that Doherty had been motivated solely by animal welfare concerns and not financial gain, and that it was this overriding concern that had allowed others to exploit his willingness to continue to vaccinate puppies despite their source.
CONVICTED (2016) | Aniela Jurecka, born 26 September 1987, of Prospect Place, Collier Street, Tonbridge TN12 9BP; Charlotte Johnson, born c. 1987, of Tollgate Way, Sandling, Maidstone ME14 3DF, and vet David Edward Smith, born February 1950, of Lower Farm, The Street, Finglesham CT14 0NA – drugged sick and potentially dangerous horses and sold them to unsuspecting buyers.
Vet David Smith was a key player in a horse drugging scam alongside Aniela Jurecka (middle) and Charlotte Johnson (right).
The horses, priced from £1,950 to £5,700, were drugged at South East Horses, based at Great Thorn Farm in Marden and at hired land at Duckhurst Farm in Staplehurst, to cover up lameness and other problems.
Jurecka and Johnson advertised horses for sale in equestrian publications, but text messages revealed the pair were drugging horses to mask poor behaviour or lameness. The women would advise buyers to save money by using the veterinary services of David Smith, who would give the horses a clean bill of health.
Prices for the horses ranged from £1,950 to £5,700 and they were sold from Duckhurst Farm in Staplehurst and Great Thorn Farm in Marden, both in Kent, with certificates for good health provided by Smith.
Jurecka and Johnson were convicted of drugging potentially dangerous horses and selling them on.
Police launched an investigation after the first report was received by officers in October 2010. The horse, called Belle, developed behavioural problems and was lame, and was a thoroughbred, not an Irish sports horse as advertised.
They were arrested after a large-scale operation, which involved Kent Police, Trading Standards and the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS).
Jurecka and Johnson pictured outside court.
On 31 May 2013, police executed a warrant at Lakeview Veterinary Centre in Capel Le Ferne, where Smith was practising. They seized information from computers, which uncovered poor record-keeping by Smith, in particular surrounding the supply of Modecate — a long-acting sedative.
Several text messages sent to Smith by the dealers were also uncovered by the detectives where Jurecka asked Smith for Modecate and sedative Sedalin.
Due to the number of victims coming forward, the investigation was a complex and large enquiry. The trio were charged with fraud in January 2015.
Corrupt vet pictured during his court appearance.
After a 14-week trial at Maidstone Crown Court, Jurecka, Johnson and Smith were convicted of conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation.
In scathing comments after the verdicts, Judge Martin Joy said the trio had been convicted on overwhelming evidence of committing the offence over a long period, defrauding a large number of customers. Several customers were thrown and at least one was in hospital for two months with life-threatening injuries.
Others had broken ribs and one was left unconscious in a ditch.
Many horses had to be destroyed or retired.
Smith had previously been struck off from the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons for serious misconduct in certifying animals he had not examined. He was later reinstated by his college but went on to commit frauds in the latest case.
Speaking after the verdicts, Detective Constable Tracey Brightman said: “These horses were obtained cheaply by the Johnson and Jurecka because they had physical problems or aggressive tendencies.
“We believe their issues were masked with drugs supplied by Smith when a potential buyer came to try out the horse. “The dealers made huge profits on unfit, ill and injured horses working with a veterinary surgeon to ensure their lies were covered with credibility.
‘What they were doing was not only fraud but also putting their customers in danger. In one instance a woman was left unable to walk for a year after being thrown from her horse.
“It later transpired the animal had serious back problems which made it unsuitable for the activities that Smith had passed it for.
“The criminal aspect of the case may overlook the fact that passing an injured horse as fit to ride and jump is nothing short of cruel and shows a complete disregard to the veterinary oath.
“Unfortunately in some cases the horses were so ill they had to be euthanized causing yet more distress to the new owners.”
Sentencing: each was sentenced to two-and-half-years behind bars.
It was reported that David Smith had been removed from the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) Registrar after he was convicted of conspiracy to commit fraud in court and for a number of clinical failings. Smith appealed the decision and the outcome of that appeal is not currently known.
CONVICTED (2016) | former vet Gary James Cassius Samuel, born 09/06/1966, of Weston Road, Enfield EN2 0QD and vets’ assistant Rochelle McEwan, born 18/03/1987 of Stonecliffe Close, Leeds LS12 5BJ – trapped 22 huskies and eight cats in a squalid cellar.
Disgraced former vet Gary Samuel and his assistant Rochelle McEwan during a court appearance on despicable animal cruelty charges.
Vet Gary James Cassius Samuel, who practised for 16 years and had 10,000 customers, and assistant/partner Rochelle McEwan were convicted of animal cruelty after officers discovered 22 dogs and eight cats in the back room, living quarters and basement of Armley Vets, on Town Street, in Armley, Leeds.
Cruel Samuel, a father, and McEwan let the helpless animals starve in dirty cages in a secret basement underneath his practice which has hidden by a trap door.
Of the 24 dogs kept in the Leeds practice where Samuel also lived, 22 were huskies and six were puppies. One puppy found in a cage had to be put down, as did one of the eight cats found.
In February 2015 police were called to the property after a 999 call reported that Samuel was threatening McEwan with a hammer.
Video footage showing the foul conditions in which Gary Samuel and Rochelle McEwan kept starving dogs and cats
When they arrived they found husky type dogs living in dirty, overcrowded cages, which were kept below a trap door that was covered by a carpet and a table.
Some of the puppies found in the filthy cellar at Armley Vet’s in Leeds
The animals also had very little water and police officers who searched the building said there was a strong smell of urine and faeces.
Officers also found three cats in the back room. They were described as ‘skin and bone’ and one of them had to be euthanised.
The police called the RSPCA and some animals were removed from the house that night.
Three further dogs had to be put down on veterinary advice.
Samuel claimed that McEwan collected the dogs and he wasn’t happy about them being kept in the cellar, but they weren’t his responsibility. This wasn’t accepted by the court, however, and he was convicted of all charges.
RSPCA inspector Nikki Cheetham said: “I’ve seen a lot of shocking things working for the RSPCA but I would certainly never have expected to deal with something like this.
“People who work in the veterinary profession are the first port of call if an animal needs help. It is unthinkable to consider what was going on in this surgery as clients were coming and going, paying their vet fees.
“Dogs and cats were in a back room, the vet’s living quarters and a basement, accessed by a trapdoor in the floor that had been hidden by a piece of carpet – that’s where most of the dogs were found. They were in cages covered in faeces, with no access to food or water, in the pitch black. It was like a dungeon.”
Ms Cheetham said most of the dogs were Husky-types, with the exception of two Chinese crested dogs. Adult dogs were in the basement while puppies were found shut in one of the rooms, with most of the cats in another.
She said 21 animals – 15 dogs and six cats – have already been re-homed from RSPCA centres and branches in County Durham, York, Liverpool, Chester, Leeds and Harrogate.
In July 2018 Samuel was struck off after the disciplinary committee of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) ruled that he was unfit to practise as a veterinary surgeon.
A tribunal report revealed details of the raid on Samuel’s Armley veterinary practice in Leeds in February 2015.
It said: “Police entered the premises and described an immediate and strong smell of stale urine mixed with a strong smell of faeces.
“Having entered through the rear of the premises, they found themselves in an examination room, where there appeared to be a dirty towel with instruments on a table.
“As they moved onwards, they found cages, two of them occupied by husky-type puppies. They did not appear to have any water or bedding.
“An officer opened a chest freezer and discovered meat that appeared to be off.
“Dr Samuel was found in the main bedroom… He put his headphones on as a police officer approached him.
“The police noted that there were five animals in the bedroom, including two small dogs and two cats.
“Dr Samuel told the police about a cellar and showed them a trap door, covered by a carpet and a table.
“Dr Samuel turned on the light and officers saw that there were a large number of dogs in cages in the cellar. Dr Samuel said ‘these are her animals, she collects them, she never feeds them’.
“The police noted the dirty state of the premises and that the cages in the cellar were dirty. There was only water in one cage and the lack of water was a common theme throughout the premises.
“The huskies in the cellar had been there without a break for 48 hours in cramped conditions with no natural light and that they had been spending long periods in the cellar for at least several weeks. It found the cages in the cellar were in fact built to house the huskies.”
Samuel tried to blame McEwan, in her 20s at the time, by claiming they were her sole responsibility. The pair were experiencing relationship issues.
However, Samuel was found to have breached his duties as a vet as he was ‘completely indifferent to their plight’ and ‘tried to wash his hands’ of the situation by ignoring it.
Sentencing: Samuel – 12-week suspended prison sentence; 150 hours of unpaid work; total of £700 fine and costs. Banned from keeping animals for life. Barred from practising as a veterinary surgeon.
McEwan – 12 weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months; 150 hours of unpaid work; £250 costs. Disqualified from keeping animals for life.
In trying to convince the RCVS tribunal to reinstate his licence, Samuel claimed he was ‘in a completely different place than he was before’ and had ‘read extensively about animal welfare issues’.
He said: “Now that I have gone through this reformation process I would never have animals belonging to someone else kept in a vet practice, [I] understand that it is important that animals under my care must meet animal welfare standards of adequate lighting, space, ventilation a clean supply of food and water, exercise and social interaction.”
But a stunned Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons [RCVS] committee rejected his case.
They said: “Dr Samuel had, by this time, been practising as a veterinary surgeon for some 16 years.
“The Committee considered it extraordinary that he would require some sort of reformation in order to realise that animals under his care would need such basic essentials as adequate lighting, space, ventilation a clean supply of food and water, exercise and social interaction.
“All pet owners, let alone veterinary surgeons, would or should be aware of such basic matters.
“Furthermore, although he claimed to have undergone a reformation, the Committee noted that Dr Samuel referred to his conduct variously as an error, a mistake and a misjudgment. “Having heard from him, the Committee witnessed no depth of feeling, no sense of true remorse and no degree of upset for the animals that had suffered.
“The Committee could not be confident that Dr Samuel would not allow animals in his care to suffer in the future.”
CONVICTED (2015) | former vet Oliver Fraser Lown, born c. 1985, of Main Road, Kesgrave – jailed for having sex with a dog and a horse and having “grossly offensive, disgusting or obscene” images of animals
The court heard Suffolk Police were called to Lown’s home – a converted garage at his parents’ house – following an assault allegation by his now ex-girlfriend.
Officers took no further action over the claim, but they did confiscate computer equipment and found seven videos featuring bestiality.
Lown had a previous conviction for possessing similar images featuring animals for which he was sentenced to a 12-month conditional discharge by Northallerton magistrates in North Yorkshire in 2012.
He was struck off the UK professional register in 2014 by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) following a disciplinary hearing into his previous offences.
Sentencing Lown, Celia Dawson, JP, said pre-sentence reports showed he had a “lack of remorse” and had tried to justify his offences.
He used to be a drummer in punk rock band The 4130s but was kicked out after his conviction for animal rape.
Update February 2021
On Tuesday 9 February 2021 the Irish Times reported that Lown, now living in Letterkenny, Ireland, faces extradition back to the UK where he faces multiple charges of sexual activity with animals and of having extreme pornographic material.
The report states that 1,219 extreme pornographic images were recovered from the hard drive of Lown’s laptop after his arrest on April 4th, 2019 as well as 3,512 extreme pornographic videos.
Lown is charged with sexual offences involving animals, making indecent photographs of children and possessing extreme pornographic images. He is also accused of attempting to pervert the course of justice and possession of heroin.
We collate data on animal cruelty convictions in the UK
