CONVICTED (2016) | drug dealer Francis Milliken, born 17 December 1974, of Weavershill Road, Ligoniel, Belfast BT14 8PS – crammed ten pitbull-type dogs, possibly used in dog-fighting, into small cages in a run-down uninhabited house.
In January 2016 police raided an address registered to Milliken at 159 Donore Crescent Antrim and discovered there was barely any furniture in the house which was not being lived in.
Ten dogs were in faeces-covered cages so small some of them could not sit down and the animals were without water and proper bedding. The house was described as having a “putrid” smell and some of the animals had cuts and scars and were in a general bad state of health.
The court heard five of the dogs were in such a bad condition they were taken from Milliken.
A prosecutor said when police forced entry to the Donore Crescent house they found two adult dogs in cages too small for them to sit in and they had scars and wounds.
There were newly-born pups in another cage and there was no water and no bedding and the animals were all “poorly looked after”.
Ten dogs were seized and the five charges brought against Milliken concerned the dogs which were deemed “extremely badly looked after”.
Defence barrister Chris Sherrard said his client is a “dog lover” and always had them as pets since he was young and wished to apologise for the way he kept the animals.
“It is not something he is proud off,” added the lawyer, but he said it was due to “passive neglect”.
Mr Sherrard added five of the dogs had been returned to Milliken after the police raid and the authorities monitored his care of them closely and there were no issues.
He said his client has a “bad” drugs record and said over the years when drug searches took place no mistreatment of animals was ever found.
At the time of the dog offences, Mr Sherrard said Milliken’s elderly mother had been in hospital and he was visiting her regularly and “things got on top of him, he became over-run”.
He said one of the dogs fell pregnant and he wasn’t planning on having so many dogs in the house.
Sentence: suspended four-month prison sentence. Banned from keeping dogs for an astounding two years (expired 2018).
Update March 2017
It was previously reported that the PSNI was footing the bill for the ongoing care of five pit bull-type dogs belonging to Milliken – two adults and three pups.
However, in March 2017 the Belfast Telegraph reported that all bar one adult dog had been rehomed.
The court heard that the remaining dog was “the worst” as regards his behaviour, and had “possibly been used as baiting” in dog fights.
Scum such as this shouldn’t keep Dogs Full Stop.