CONVICTED (2002, 2006 and 2014) | serial animal hoarders and abusers Glyndwr R Jones, born c. 1951, and Margaret A Jones, born c. 1957, and Philip Michael Jones, born c. 1997, of Llanerch Crescent, Gorseinon, Swansea SA4 4FP

The RSPCA thought it had dealt with Glyndwr and Margaret Jones’ four-legged obsession in November 2002 when a court restricted them to a handful of cats, dogs and rabbits after they recovered 56 cats, 23 gerbils, 22 rabbits, 20 snakes, 10 tarantulas, 10 hamsters, nine ferrets, five lizards, four mice, three rats and a dog in their three-bedroom semi-detached home.

But in December 2006 the couple was before the courts again after police and RSPCA officials found more than 70 cats and six dogs in their home.

A council housing official investigated the family after receiving a series of anonymous calls from neighbours.

She discovered it was home to dozens of animals in conditions so appalling the smell was detectable outside.

After stepping inside the house the official described the sight as “such chaos”.

“There were animals in cages under blankets, roaming free, there were rodents. It was virtually impossible to count the number of animals,” she said.

She said that she visited the house on two occasions and estimated there were up to 100 animals.

She also called in the council’s environmental health expert, Emyr Evans who successfully applied for a warrant to enter the house in October 2005.

Mr Evans said: “When we got in there, the first thing I noticed was an overpowering smell of ammonia. “

He said it was being used to disguise the smell of urine and was so strong it stung his eyes.

“There were a large number of cats and dogs, some of which were roaming around the property. In the lounge, behind each chair, was a litter tray – the litter trays were full to over-flowing,” said Mr Evans.

The day after the visit a notice was served on the couple ordering them to tidy the property and clean its surfaces.

That order was withdrawn and served on their teenage son Philip Michael Jones after it was decided he was the owner of the animals.

The family told council officials some of the animals were rescued, some belonged to Carmarthenshire College and others were pets of two younger daughters.

Two of the animals, a Yorkshire Terrier and a cat, had to be put down after the RSPCA seized them.

All the animals in the house were underfed and almost all recovered and gained weight after being taken away.

In court Glyndwr Jones and his wife claimed their “enthusiastic” son Philip was solely in charge of the animals apart from a single cat, a cross Persian called Smokey, which was Mrs Jones’s pet.

But the district judge said as tenants of Swansea Council and parents the two “senior defendants must have had control over what came into the house”.

Philip Michael Jones told the court he rescued kittens, pups and other animals and claimed recognised bodies such as the RSPCA would not take them in.

Describing himself as “on the sick” and a former residential home care worker, he said he loved animals more than humans because he had been bullied at school.

He added he once paid a £1,500 vet’s bill for medical aid for a kitten which had been abandoned on a motorway.

Ultimately, all three defendants were found guilty of cruelty to dogs and cats.

In January 2007 Glyndwr and Margaret Jones were given 56-day suspended jail sentences and fined £2,000 each.

Philip Michael Jones was banned from keeping animals for two years and ordered to do 150 hours community work.

In April of 2013, another RSPCA and police raid found 31 dogs and 10 cats at their home.

In July 2014, Glyndwr Jones and Margaret Jones were convicted of breaching the lifetime ban and given 165-day suspended jail terms.

They were ordered to pay £250 each towards the £67,000 cost of the operation (including kennelling).

Philip Michael Jones was fined £175 and ordered to pay £250 costs for keeping animals in unhygienic conditions.

In December 2014 the three appealed against the convictions at Swansea Crown Court but Judge Michael Burr sitting with two magistrates dismissed the appeals and said conditions in the house were “disgusting”.

Wales Online 11 December 2014
BBC News 7 January 2007
Wales Online 14 December 2006
BBC News 12 December 2006
Daily Mail 12 December 2006