CONVICTED (2021) | Margaret Cawley, husband John Cawley, Joseph Cawley Senior, Joseph Cawley Junior, Michael Cawley, Annalise Cawley, John O’Brien and wife Mary O’Brien, Daniel and James Yeboah, Mary Ward, Austin Paice and Rebecca Hall – imported and sold sick puppies across Buckinghamshire.
Members of an international puppy farming gang based in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, were jailed for a total of more than 18 years after masterminding a large operation to traffic sick puppies into the UK from southern Ireland to be sold on to the public.
In total, thirteen people appeared at Aylesbury Crown Court for sentencing. These included several members of Irish traveller family the Cawleys, who originate from Mullacreevie Park, County Armagh.
Ten of the defendants pleaded guilty to fraud and nine of those also admitted animal welfare offences, and a further three pleading guilty to animal welfare offences.
Seven were handed immediate jail terms totalling more than 18 years; the longest combined prison sentences an RSPCA investigation has ever seen.
Lead RSPCA investigator Michelle Hare said the prosecution followed “a large multi-agency investigation into a sophisticated and complex puppy farming ring in the Milton Keynes area”.
She added: “This operation was led by the Cawley family who were illegally breeding and importing puppies to supply to third parties – or frontmen – to be sold to unsuspecting members of the public on their behalf.
“Dogs were kept in poor conditions in lorry containers and the backs of vans and were often riddled with health problems but were sold to innocent families who were hoping to add a dog to their homes but were, instead, left with staggering vet bills, dogs with complicated needs and, for some, the heartache of losing their puppy.”
Between June and November 2019, the RSPCA and Trading Standards received a large number of complaints about the sale of puppies from different addresses in the Milton Keynes area.
Some of them had become sick and others had undisclosed health issues.
Three of the puppies died and many had been sold with fraudulent vaccination cards.
Initially these cases were investigated in isolation but, as statements were gathered, it became apparent that the addresses were linked and the RSPCA joined up with Milton Keynes Council’s Trading Standards department to investigate.
In March 2020, RSPCA officers joined Thames Valley Police as they executed warrants at six addresses, one storage unit and a number of unregistered vehicles at the Willen Road travellers’ site in Newport Pagnell and Avon House in Bletchley, Milton Keynes.
Police seized 54 dogs including cocker spaniels, schnauzers, chihuahuas, springer spaniels, Labradors, beagles and poodles.
In her witness statement, Inspector Hare said:
“As I made my way onto the site it was clear that there were a very large number of dogs and puppies present. Other than a couple of dogs running loose on site, the rest were all being housed in lorry bodies and storage containers situated on the site.
“Some of the dogs had untreated health problems and conditions including fur loss, ear infections and dental disease, and they were all being kept in wholly inappropriate environments.
“The trailers had been split into pens and all of the dogs were being kept in poor conditions. The kennels were dirty and smelt strongly of ammonia, while one of the pens was full of hazards including nails sticking out, sharp metal mesh and wires hanging down. There were holes in the walls and floor that appeared to have been caused by the dogs trying to chew out of the space.
“We removed four pregnant bitches and a poodle cross who had recently given birth, along with five poodle cross puppies who were just 48-hours-old. Police seized a total of 51 dogs and a further four litters of puppies were born in our care.”
Officers found empty vaccination vials and needles, alongside flea and worming products, a stack of blank vaccination sheets which matched those the victims had been given when they purchased puppies from the associated addresses.
Interviews were conducted with members of the Cawley family – who admitted ownership of some dogs but claimed they didn’t know who owned others – and with the ‘frontmen’: Yeboah, John and Mary O’Brien, Hall and Paice.
A separate investigation had been carried out following the sale of puppies from another second property in Milton Keynes. But it was soon linked with this investigation – named Operation Sandpiper – when CCTV footage was obtained showing a man, identified as John Christopher Cawley from Willen Road, delivering puppies.
A second vehicle – a red van recorded as travelling on a ferry from Belfast to Liverpool on 29 October 2019 with passengers listed under the Cawley name – was also seen delivering puppies to this property and later returned from Holyhead to Dublin on 13 November. The contact number provided by the passengers matched the number used to advertise three litters of puppies online.
A witness went to view a Dalmatian puppy at the address after an online advert was posted; it explained the puppy was being rehomed as it was being bullied by their other dog, a pug. The same seller had also advertised a Labrador puppy, photos of which appear to have been taken in the wash house.
Another witness attended Whaddon Way, Milton Keynes, in October 2019, responding to an advert for cocker spaniel puppies. She didn’t buy the puppy from the seller – believed to be Daniel Yeboah – as it looked unwell.
She went back onto Pets 4 Homes and found another advert with the same photos but a different listed seller.
When she contacted the seller she claimed that she was having to rehome the puppy as it was being bullied by her pug.
The RSPCA gathered further intelligence in October 2020 that puppies were being imported from Ireland, housed on a travellers’ site and sold online, and the adverts were linked to Michael Cawley.
On 4 November 2020, Thames Valley Police contacted the charity after an officer attended Willen Road and found puppies there. Inspector Hare attended to meet police at the scene and found a collie bitch, a cocker spaniel bitch, a 12-week-old cocker spaniel puppy, and three six-week-old spaniel cross pups on site.
Inspector Hare said: “The three youngest pups were in a dark, cold pen and they couldn’t see anything but four solid walls. The water was dirty and the bedding smelled strongly of urine. The environment was totally unsuitable.”
“Joseph Cawley Snr, who was on scene, said his cousin owned the puppies. I told him I’d be removing them and asked for the owner’s details but he refused to give them to me. Police seized the puppies. They had brown discharge in their ears, nasty infections and bloated abdomens.”
Details of convictions/sentencing:
• Annalise Cawley, born 23/03/1999, of Willen Road travellers site, Newport Pagnell MK16 0QE pleaded guilty to fraud and animal welfare act offences and received a 12-month prison sentence suspended for two years and a 10-year disqualification order on all animals;
• John Christopher Cawley, born 18/08/1996, of Willen Road travellers site, Newport Pagnell MK16 0QE pleaded guilty to fraud and animal welfare act offences and received three -and-a-half years in prison and a 10-year disqualification order on all animals;
• Joseph Cawley Senior, born 10/02/1977, of Willen Road travellers site, Newport Pagnell MK16 0QE pleaded guilty to fraud and animal welfare act offences and received three years and nine months in prison and a 10-year disqualification order on all animals;
• Joseph John Cawley, born 04/12/2002, of Willen Road travellers site, Newport Pagnell MK16 0QE pleaded guilty to animal welfare act offences and received a 24-month community order with 30 rehabilitation activity requirement days, 150 hours of unpaid work and a 10 -year disqualification order on all animals;
• Margaret Cawley, born 01/11/1974, of Willen Road travellers site, Newport Pagnell MK16 0QE pleaded guilty to fraud and animal welfare act offences and received three years and nine months in prison and a 10-year disqualification order on all animals;
• Michael Cawley, born 17/07/1980, of 20 Reeves Croft, Hodge Lea, Milton Keynes MK12 6DA pleaded guilty to fraud and animal welfare act offences and received two years and three months in prison and a 10-year disqualification order on all animals;
• Rebecca Elizabeth Lorraine Hall, born 13/12/1990, of 8 Shepherds, Fullers Slade, Milton Keynes MK11 2BH pleaded guilty to fraud and animal welfare act offences and received four months suspended for two years, £750 compensation and a 10-year disqualification order on dogs;
• John Paul O’Brien, born 29/09/1971, of 11 Grangers Croft, Hodge Lea, Milton Keynes MK12 6D pleaded guilty to fraud and animal welfare act offences and received 13 months in prison and a 10-year disqualification order on dogs;
• Wendy Jane Ann O’Brien, born 04/04/1989, of 11 Grangers Croft, Hodge Lea, Milton Keynes MK12 6DA pleaded guilty to animal welfare act offences and received three months suspended for two years, three-month curfew order, £1,000 compensation and a 10-year disqualification order on dogs;
• Austin Charles Paice, born 12/12/1986, of 126 Whaddon Way, Bletchley, Milton Keynes MK3 7DQ (has an alternative address at 25 Orchard House, Green Lane, Wolverton, Milton Keynes MK12 5EZ pleaded guilty to fraud and received a 13-month prison sentence. Animal welfare offences have been remitted back to the magistrates’ court;
• Mary Ward aka Mary Ward-Jackson or Mary Johnston , born 25/10/1989, of 20 Reeves Croft, Hodge Lea, Milton Keynes MK12 6DB pleaded guilty to animal welfare act offences and received three months suspended for two years, 20 rehabilitation activity requirement days and a 10-year disqualification order on all animals;
• James Yeboah , born 27/08/1977, of 98 Avon House, Bletchley, Milton Keynes MK3 7BS pleaded guilty to fraud and animal welfare act offences and received nine months suspended for two years, 150 hours of unpaid work, £1,000 costs and compensation, and a 10 year disqualification order;
• Daniel Yeboah, born 13/06/1976, also of 98 Avon House, Bletchley, Milton Keynes MK3 7BS pleaded guilty to fraud and animal welfare offences and received three and a half years in prison and a 10-year disqualification order on all animals.
The court also issued destruction orders for 10 seized mobile phones and forfeited £16,000 of seized cash which will be distributed to the victims.
Costs of £100,357.63 were awarded to the RSPCA.
All of the dogs were cared for by the RSPCA and in foster homes and can now all be rehomed.
After the two-day sentencing hearing, Judge Francis Sheridan said: ‘Not one of the defendants in this case should ever be given a licence to breed animals.
‘The effects referred to in this case cannot be regarded by the public as anything other than utterly abhorrent.
‘This is a trade in cruelty and misery for the animals and the human beings who sought to buy them. The protection of the public must be foremost in my mind.
‘This is a massive industry and that is all it is, an industry of misery.’
The judge also warned consumers to take care when they bought dogs from the website Pets4Homes, which had been used to facilitate the sale of many of the scammers’ puppies.
Its makes think. Where could they possibly be Housing all these number of Dogs on A Travellers Site.
Glad they have raided 1.this I bet is happening all over on these sites.the problem is the police don’t raid them enough.i know some of these guys work but compared to what they buy there is alot of scamming going on.not most brides can afford such agood send off everythink is so expensive.surely the police must wonder where all that cash comes from.
we need to get rid of these fucking scumbag travellers, clearly the irish ones are the worst. The vast majority are nothing but criminals, they are truly depraved, Wherever they are they inflict misery on the people in the surrounding area. dont forget they are good catholics. They contribute nothing to society, all you apoligists, travellers liason services etc hurry up and die you fucking idiots.
Their God bothering has always seemed at odds with their shockingly callous treatment and exploitation of animals. I will NEVER apologise for them or excuse them in any way or kid myself that it’s a “tiny minority”. What’s the point in denying something that’s staring you right in the face? If they want to change how people feel about them, they need to change their ways. Stifling opinion by playing the race card just causes resentment.
Being thoroughly objective can sometimes be difficult, given interpretation problems, however, definitely not in these cases.
They should not get access to medical treatment.
Thank you x.