CONVICTED (2022) | barbaric wildlife persecutors Grant Leigh Senior, born 4 February 1970, and son Grant Leigh Junior, born 24 March 1991, both of 38 Marler Road, Hyde SK14 4BD, and Paris Jade Carding, born 15 August 1993 of 12 Fawley Grove, Wythenshawe, Manchester M22 9WG – carried out multiple acts of animal cruelty.
The trio were arrested after a police rural crime officer was contacted anonymously, in October 2020, about posts and photos that had been posted in a private Facebook group, run by Grant Leigh Senior.
The RSPCA along with Cheshire Police, launched an investigation and secured warrants for two addresses in Greater Manchester.
As a result six dogs were removed and taken into RSPCA care and a number of mobile phones were also seized and forensically examined. These revealed numerous videos and photos of dogs engaged in hunting and fighting with wild animals such as badgers and foxes. Very young children featured in much of the footage.
Carding appeared in 32 separate video clips, all of which showed her “vicious and nasty” treatment of animals
In one video, Carding is heard saying: ”There it is, it’s a pig [badger] isn’t it? Bash, bash it, ooh, it’s biting’.”
In another clip, Carding encouraged a toddler to get a lurcher dog to attack a badger sett saying: ”Her face is going to be smashed. Good boy, get him out. Look at them fighting.”
She further baited three dogs into ”pulling a fox to pieces.”
Inquiries revealed she had been joined on the barbaric family expedition by her boyfriend, Grant Leigh Junior, and his ex-huntsman father, Grant Leigh Snr.
In one clip, Leigh Jnr is seen showing the toddler how to hit a badger with a spade.
One picture showed Grant Jr holding a dead fox with a child accompanied by the caption: ”Family day out, learn these kids young. Hunting mad!”
Grant Leigh Senior was convicted of causing unnecessary suffering to a terrier, alongside failing to properly look after six other dogs.
Grant Leigh Junior, a violent career criminal currently serving a three-year prison sentence for burglary, admitted seven wildlife offences, hunting with dogs and keeping dogs in poor conditions.
Carding, who worked at a primary school in Manchester for six years until 2021, was found guilty of five cruelty charges under the Protection of Badgers Act 1992.
RSPCA Inspector Kirsty Withnall, a case officer for the charity’s Special Operation Unit, told the court: “Upon interrogating the phones, it was discovered that recordings had been made of extensive and graphic badger and fox persecution.
“It also became apparent that Leigh Jnr’s partner, Paris Carding, was present during these recordings. She was responsible for taking the footage, was heard encouraging both Leigh Jnr and the dogs during the attacks and was completely complicit.”
At one property, Leigh Snr was arrested by police and officers found a kennel block in the back garden containing six dogs, three of which were recognisable from the videos.
Two black Patterdale terriers had scarring on their faces and one was underweight; three bull lurcher types – one called Mission – also had facial injuries; and a white and black terrier – called Clover – had fresh wounds and a swollen face and muzzle.
Clover and Mission could be seen on the videos from the phones being used to hunt and fight wildlife just two days before they were seized.
An independent vet who attended the scene said in his report that the kennels were ‘unhygienic’ and described many of the dogs as having ‘mature scars’.
Two of the dogs – Buster and Shay – were rehomed. Clover and Mission were said to belong to Leigh Jnr while the other two dogs – Rocky and Bronco – had been brought from the internet.
A third warrant was executed on December 23, 2020, at Carding’s address and a terrier, called Foxy, who had been seen in videos on the mobile phones, was seized and taken into RSPCA care. Carding said Foxy did not belong to her so he was rehomed.
The vet report added: “All seven dogs had evidence of skin scarring and with the exception of one all dogs had injuries to, or had missing teeth.
“These findings are commonly encountered when a dog has been fighting with another animal of similar size and stature.”
He said two of the dogs had evidence of de-gloving injuries to the chin/jaw, concluding: “In my experience a de-gloving injury of the chin is commonly encountered when a dog fights with a badger.”
PC Jim Clark from Cheshire Constabulary’s Rural Crime Team said: “This investigation uncovered a horrific catalogue of abuses and neglect of animals and cruelty to wildlife.
“This result reinforces our determination to work with our colleagues at the RSPCA to deter this type of behaviour as part of our commitment to protecting our rural communities.”
Manchester Evening News
ITV News
Daily Mail
Cheshire Live
Sentencing (9 March 2022):
Grant Leigh Junior was sentenced to the maximum he could impose of a total of 26 weeks in prison, ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £128 and was disqualified from keeping all animals for life (he can’t make any application to remove this for 25 years). Grant Leigh junior is already in prison for another matter and this sentence will be on top of that and will be consecutive.
Paris Carding was sentenced to a total of 22 weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months. She was given a curfew for 16 weeks, ordered to pay costs of £1,000, a victim surcharge of £128, and disqualified from keeping all animals for 25 years (she can’t make any application to remove this for 15 years). The judge said how a mother of young child has been present at this ‘horror show is beggars belief’. The long term impact on the children is immeasurable. He said she was the one person who could have asserted some influence and prevented children from seeing what happened and said to her ‘shame on you’. He said the extent of your culpability was obvious and to video what happened was a trophy perverse in the extreme.
Grant Leigh Senior was sentenced to 12 weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months. He was also ordered to complete a 15-day rehabilitation activity requirement, ordered to pay costs of £1,000,a victim surcharge of £128 and disqualified from keeping all animals for life (he can’t make any application to remove this for 25 years).
They were all deprived of their dogs.
Social Services need to be Informed and keep a close eye on that Child. They are not only taking a Junior out on Illegal Hunting Activities, as well as Teaching him that it is Normal Behaviour. She is Not even capable of looking after her Dogs, let alone looking after a Child.
I really hope that the Court comes down hard on Scum such as this. At least their Faces are out there and everyone knows who they are. A Bit Of Work the scum need, they wouldn’t have the Energy to go out Digging or Hunting, or whatever else the Mentally Disturbed Scum have been up to, before they were caught.