CONVICTED (2026) | serial animal abuser Michelle Alice Hitchens, born 1 March 1975, of Cranmoor Green, Pilning, Bristol BS35 4QF – kept starving rabbits in poor conditions.
Mother-of-two Michelle Hitchens pleaded guilty to two offences following an investigation and prosecution by the RSPCA.
She was previously convicted of animal welfare offences relating to rabbits and ducks in 2023 and was banned from keeping all animals, except dogs, for ten years.
While it was said that she had given away the remaining rabbits in her care following her original conviction, she later took three of them back before proceeding to starve and neglect them again..
On May 7, 2025, RSPCA Inspector Kim Walters attended Hitchens’ home address with police and found three very underweight rabbits in the conservatory.
Inspector Walters said: “As I went into the conservatory area, which had the door closed, I noted that it felt very hot inside and there was a very strong smell of ammonia.
“It was very difficult to move around as the area was stacked and covered in rubbish and filthy cages covered in faeces and urine. I noted that in a locked small cage was the decaying carcass of a small mammal.
“Inside the double tier hutch were two rabbits. There was no dry bedding, no food and no water provided in this hutch. Both water bottles attached to the side were bone dry and the small bowls were face down and embedded within the filthy bedding on the base of the hutch. The hutch floor had either rotted or been chewed.
“My eyes were watering from the smell of the ammonia.
“Inside a small cage was another rabbit with no food available but a small amount of water was provided in a bottle.”
The surviving animals were seized by police and transferred into the care of the RSPCA. They were then taken to a vet for treatment.
The overseeing vet said the animals would have suffered from a lack of food and water, unsuitable accommodations and the environmental risk from the temperature in the conservatory being 25°C.
Inspector Walters added: “Rabbits can make fantastic companions – but it’s vital that their needs are met; including the provision of a proper environment for them to live in. That simply wasn’t happening here.
“These rabbits were living in a hugely inappropriate environment and they were not receiving the care they desperately needed.”
The rabbits have since been rehomed.
Sentencing | 180 hours of unpaid work and 15 rehabilitation activity requirement days; £500 costs. 15 year ban from owning all animals, except dogs, but can appeal after ten yars (expires January 2041).
CONVICTED (2025) | puppy farmers Kelly Webb and John Cacace of High Street, Arlingham, Gloucester GL2 7JN – kept dogs in filthy and cramped conditions.
Puppy farmers and animal abusers Kelly Webb and John Cacace.
In June 2023, a warrant was executed at the home of unlicensed dog breeders Kelly Webb and John Cacace, during which seven dogs and a litter of puppies were seized on animal welfare grounds. The raid came after Stroud District Council received information from the Nature Watch Foundation about the couple’s illicit activities.
Webb and Cacace were subsequently interviewed but gave ‘no comment’ replies to investigators.
The local authority later gained possession of all the seized dogs under Section 20 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006.
At a hearing on March 17, 2025 at Gloucester Crown Court, Cacace and Webb admitted animal welfare offences and breeding dogs without a licence.
Costs were awarded to the council for fees incurred during obtaining veterinary treatment and kennelling fees.
All the dogs bar one have been re-homed.
Sentencing | Cacace: 12- month community order with 100 hours of unpaid work; £2,000 costs. Ten-year ban on keeping dogs (expires April 2035). Webb: nine-month community order; costs of £500, fine of £129 and a £114 victim surcharge Five-year ban on keeping dogs (expires April 2030)
During a court hearing on 10 July 2023 John Cacace was ordered to pay costs of £4,946 to Stroud District Council in relation to dogs named as Buster, Mary Jane, Bella, Roxy, Dynamite and Bingo. The dogs, owned by Cacace and Kelly Webb, were seized on animal welfare grounds and required veterinary treatment.
Family business: Mickey and Charmaine Webb, puppy farmers from Arlingtham, Gloucester,.
Three more dogs – an English springer spaniel named Vinnie, a terrier named Tina and a French bulldog cross named Arrow – were also seized. These animals were jointly owned by Mike Webb (known as Mickey Webb) and Charmaine Webb of 3 Forest View, Passage Road, Arlingham, Gloucester GL2 7JR. Charmaine Webb was ordered to pay £1,054 to Tewkesbury District Council.
CONVICTED (2024) | Lynsey Alcock, born 28 January 2000, of 117 Inglewhite, Skelmersdale WN8 6JG, and Thomas Webster, born 5 February 2002, of Beech Close, Skelmersdale WN8 8DL – starved between seven and 10 cats to death.
The remains of the pets’ skulls, jaws, legs and tails were found scattered around the faeces and rubbish-strewn property in Beech Close, Skelmersdale, in a scene which was described by an RSPCA inspector as “utterly heart-breaking.”
The water in the sink and toilet had been drunk dry and some of the cats had partially eaten others in an attempt to stay alive.
Alcock had denied one charge contrary to the Animal Welfare Act 2006 following an investigation and prosecution by the RSPCA but was found guilty in her absence at a trial in June 2024.
Webster admitted a single charge of failing to provide adequate food and water for four animals resulting in their deaths and was sentenced in December 2023.
The court was told that RSPCA Inspector Vicki Brooks had gone to the flat on April 12, 2023, after the charity had received reports that cats had been left unattended.
Seals and markers were placed on the front door to see if anyone was coming or going – as is standard practice – but 48 hours later it was clear that no one was at the house.
Two days later, the officer returned to the address with officers from Lancashire Police. The door was still sealed and enquiries were made with neighbours who said that the occupants hadn’t been seen for up to two months.
In her written evidence to the court Inspector Brooks said: “When the front door was opened we were immediately surrounded by a very large swarm of flies.
“I saw the remains of a deceased cat in the area to the right of the bottom of the stairs.
“It appeared to have been partially eaten as it still had skin and fur in some places but all that remained of the tail was bones with small amounts of flesh on.
“As I made my way through the flat I was, despite my years of experience, very shocked, disturbed and upset by what was found.
“The entire flat was filthy, covered in faeces and piles of rubbish and clutter were strewn everywhere.
“The flies were overwhelming and there was a very large presence of fleas. Amongst the mess the police officers and I found the remains of several deceased cats.
“I became conscious of crunching underfoot and upon closer inspection I found amongst the faeces a significant amount of skeletal and partially eaten body parts belonging to cats all over the floors of the rooms.
“There were no live animals in the flat. The scene was utterly heart-breaking.”
It was clear the cats had perished at different times because some remains appeared mummified but others were not as old.
The cats who had recently died had only survived as long as they had by eating the already deceased remains of their siblings, parents and/or offspring.
Four cats, whose bodies were still intact, were found in the lounge and the bedroom. There was no food or water available and there was no water in the toilet.
The inspector estimated there were between seven and ten cats dead in the property.
It was only possible to carry out post mortems on four of the cats, such was the level of their decomposition.
The report concluded that starvation was the most likely cause of death.
During interview with the RSPCA Alcock claimed she had not lived at the address since September 2022, although witness statements heard in court disputed this.
She said she had only been to the property once in late December 2022 and then once again in February 2023 when she said she remained in a car whilst someone else went into the house.
In mitigation the court heard that Alcock had “mental health issues”.
Speaking after the sentencing hearing Inspector Brooks said: “This was a particularly harrowing and disturbing case for everyone involved.
“It was not possible to establish the exact number of cats that had suffered and perished whilst in Alcock’s care due to the condition they were found in at the property.
“It was a heart-breaking scene that will stay with me for a long time and I’d like to thank the witnesses and Lancashire police for the help and support they gave me throughout this very difficult and upsetting investigation.”
Sentencing | Alcock: 26-week custodial sentence – suspended for 12 months; “rehabilitation”; £50 fine. Banned from keeping animals for FIVE years (expires November 2029). Webster: 17-week prison sentence, suspended for 24 months, a 12 month mental health treatment programme; 60 hours of unpaid work, “rehabilitation”; £1,000 costs. Banned from keeping all animals for eight years (expires November 2032).
CONVICTED (2023 and 2024) | Brandon Woolveridge, born 5 April 1999, of Melbourne Street, Barrow-in-Furness LA14 5TU – blackmailed people over their missing pets.
Brandon Woolveridge, who had victims all over the UK, responded to social media posts about lost or stolen pets and in some cases threatened to kill the animals if their owners did not pay up.
Brandon Woolveridge was originally jailed for 42 months in October 2023 for multiple counts of blackmail, but let out of prison in mid-September 2024 under the government’s early release scheme.
The court heard that Woolveridge lied to his victims and claimed he had found their lost animals. He demanded money for their return and threatened to abuse or even kill the pets.
Woolveridge, who told victims he was a traveller to add menace to his threats, told one dog owner he would never see his pet again and would use the dog for breeding.
He threatened to shoot another victim’s dog if the owner put the phone down and did not send him £1,000.
After he was paid £1,000 from another victim, he laughed and said: “Now I can buy a new car.”
One of Woolveridge’s victims said: “The fact that he was mocking me made me feel completely humiliated.
“I don’t think I will ever forget the way he made me feel that day.”
Similar cases of blackmail were reported across the country but police found they were all linked to Cumbria.
Officers launched Operation Façade and arrested Woolveridge after analysis of phone evidence linked him to the cases.
He was initially charged and pleaded guilty to two counts of blackmail but was convicted of nine counts of blackmail and asked for 73 similar offences to be taken into consideration.
Det Insp Amanda Sykes said: “[Woolveridge] made this ordeal even more traumatic by firstly raising [his victims’] hopes that their pet would be returned, then frightening them into believing he would harm their pets if he did not get money.
“They would then have their hopes dashed and their money taken when they realised this was all a lie.”
Woolveridge was also convicted of theft after stealing a wheelchair owned by a vulnerable girl.
The girl was unable to go outside due to the theft and the family was forced to buy a new one as it was damaged.
Woolveridge was sentenced to a total of 44 months in prison but was released after 11 months. Within a fortnight he was committing identical offences, demanding £1,000 for the return of a missing dog from one of his previous victims.
Prosecuting, Paul Brookwell said that the victim, Mandy Butler, who works as a volunteer with the Lost Dog Tracking Team, helping to reunite people with missing pets, had received another call two days previously demanding money, which she believed had also been made by Woolveridge, having recognised his voice from his previous offending.
The second time, Brookwell said, “she recognised the voice, she recorded the call, and it was the defendant”.
Woolveridge demanded £500 upfront, saying he would drop the dog with a vet, the court heard, and “threatened that if police were involved she would never see the dog again”.
No money changed hands, the court was told, with Butler reporting Woolveridge to police instead.
Tanya Elahi, defending, said the “main and greatest” mitigation she could offer was “his guilty plea today”.
She said he had “taken responsibility for his actions”, and also asked for his age to be taken into account, saying “particularly in young men, maturity develops slowly”.
Sentencing Woolveridge, Judge Heather Lloyd said he had told his victim he was a “man of his word”, promising he would return the dog once he received the money.
He had warned Butler against reporting him, the court heard, telling her: “I swear down on my boy’s life that you will never see the dog again. Us Travellers don’t mess about.”
Sentencing him to three years in prison, reduced to 27 months with credit for pleading guilty, the judge told Woolveridge: “You are obviously not a man of your word, you are a thoroughly dishonest person.”
In a statement read to the court, Butler said she was an animal lover who had been volunteering in the role for 11 years.
“I see the trauma and upset of people who have lost their pets,” she said. “Pets are part of the family,” and she had been upset to see “Brandon and his gang try to exploit this trauma” for money.
Butler said in a statement that Woolveridge’s most recent victim had been an elderly man who was terminally ill with cancer, adding that the “effect on the elderly male was heartbreaking”.
She said she could not believe Woolveridge had offended “within two weeks, without a thought for the devastation he is causing” after being convicted and let out early.
Speaking to the Guardian after Woolveridge was sentenced, Butler said she runs “a few” lost dog groups, and often shares her number on posts, so had had several calls from Woolveridge in the past.
“He’d ring me about a dog, and then five minutes later, ring me about another dog, not realising it’s the same number he’s just called,” she said.
Butler said when she heard his voice she “knew straight away that it was him”.
“My stomach turned,” she added. “I honestly thought he’s somehow got a phone in prison, because I knew he was in prison.”
Butler thought, she said, that there was “no way they could have let him out after such a short time”.
“For the courts to have allowed him an early release was absolutely shocking. I think it’s appalling what they’re doing.”
CONVICTED (2023) | sadistic Daniel Taylor, born c. 1992, of 99 Shrewsbury Road, Manton, Worksop S89 2TX – tortured, killed and mutilated more than 100 deer, foxes, badgers and pigeons.
A police search of the home Daniel Taylor shares with company director wife Georgina Ruth Taylor, née Georgina Brigham, revealed over 100 graphic phone videos and images which showed him attacking, decapitating and encouraging his dogs to fight and kill wildlife.
Prosecutor Lucy Woodcock told the court: “In some videos he is seen dissecting the animals and ripping internal organs out”.
Officers also found 15 deer heads and 14 fox tails, as well as snares and weapons.
Police found a shocking hoard of deer skulls, fox tails and weapons at Daniel Taylor’s family home
A blood-stained quad bike and lamping equipment were also recovered.
Police arrested Taylor, confiscated his phone and removed his dogs from the house as part of the investigation.
Officers were able to map the images and videos on his phone to specific locations.
PC Mark Holland, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “From this we were able to prove when and where most of the animals were killed and link this evidence in with several reports of poaching.
“We also received intelligence which helped establish Taylor was in areas at the relevant times.”
PC Ben Harrison said: “At the back of Taylor’s premises we found what was essentially a slaughterhouse for animals.
“Taylor clearly took pleasure out of his dogs torturing these animals.
“They were clearly being trained to get hold of these animals and rip them to shreds.
“The videos were gruesome and the sounds of the animals squealing in pain were horrible.
“In one particular video, while Taylor was filming one of these acts, he dropped his phone and it flipped over. He bent over to pick it up and it captured a full face shot of him. There was no question over who was doing the filming or who was the owner of these videos.”
The court heard Taylor had played a leading role in “sadistic behaviour” which was “prolonged and repeated” between August 2021 and February 2023.
Sentencing Taylor, Judge Mark Watson told him: “These offences cannot in any way be described as sport. This was a barbaric hobby of yours.
“This was planned activity by you and you clearly revelled in the suffering of these animals.
“You encouraged your dogs to attack these animals with ferocity and they suffered immeasurably.
“These were prolonged and repeated incidents of serious cruelty and examples of sadistic behaviour.”
Sentencing | jailed for two years and eight months. Banned from owning, keeping or participating in keeping dogs for at least seven years
CONVICTED (2024) | Raymond James Pearce, born c. 1981 , of Brierville Road, Stockton on Tees TS19 0JR – left a pony in great pain with a rope lodged two inches into his neck.
Pearce was found guilty in his absence of animal cruelty offences in relation to a piebald cob named Marshall, who was found covered in dry blood with a tether embedded two inches deep in his flesh.
RSPCA prosecutor Andrew Bousfield said the pony was being tethered with a narrow rope which had worn into his neck causing an infected wound.
Mr Bousfield said veterinary evidence showed the injury had been infected for at least four days and was two inches deep.
Field officer Seema Ritson, from World Horse Welfare, attended a green space in Norton, County Durham, after becoming aware of the pony.
Giving evidence, she told the court Marshall was being kept on poor grazing land and smelt of “rotting flesh”.
She said: “As he walked past me I got a really bad smell. It was a smell of rotting flesh I knew straight away there was something wrong.
“I could see a very thin rope around his neck. I could see straight away there was dried blood and yellow puss. All the mane was matted. The smell was like a dead animal.”
The pony was found covered in dry blood with a tether embedded two inches deep in his flesh
Ms Ritson said she could not see any food or water for Marshall and confirmed there was insufficient grass for the pony to graze on.
She reported the animal to the RSPCA and later that day Marshall’s owner, Raymond Pearce, arrived at the scene.
Ms Ritson said Pearce tried to pull the rope out of the pony’s neck. “I immediately asked him to stop because the rope was embedded into the pony’s neck,” she said.
“Even when I went to touch his neck he moved away so he knew it was sore. I asked him not to touch it because without pain relief that would have been extremely painful.
“He wouldn’t stop.”
She told the court she saw him try and pull the rope out of the pony’s neck at least three or four times.
RSPCA inspector Steph Baines also confirmed she witnessed Pearce do this at the scene and said she could smell the pony’s injury before she got to the animal.
She said: “I smelt the pony before I got to him.
“When the owner first arrived he was quite agitated. He said he was happy for us to get treatment for the horse.”
The court heard Inspector Baines interviewed Pearce and he told her he’d come back from a two-week course in Manchester and left the pony in the care of his former brother-in-law. However, giving evidence in court his ex brother-in-law said this was untrue and branded the allegation a “p*** take”.
He said the last time he looked after Marshall was around three years ago and denied he was asked to care for the horse. Pearce’s sister also gave evidence and said it was untrue that he attended a course in Manchester.
The defendant himself did not show up for the trial and his barrister withdrew from the case.
The hearing went ahead in his absence and he was found guilty of four counts of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal.
He failed to ensure adequate or reasonable daily care or supervision leading to an untreated infected wound of the neck.
He used an unsafe and inappropriate tethering leading to an embedded rope neck wound.
He failed to provide prompt or adequate professional veterinary care and attention.
Finally, he failed to take steps to ensure the needs of the pony were met.
The court heard Marshall is currently in the care of the RSPCA and has made a full recovery.
Sentencing | 12-week prison sentence suspended for 12 months; £780 costs and a £154 victim surcharge. Banned from owning all animals except birds for 10 years.
CONVICTED (2023/24) | Lauren Angela Downes, born 3 May 1985, of Parc Mellan, Penzance TR18 3PB, and Wayne Hickman, born c. 1979, also of Penzance – left their dog in constant pain with chronic dental disease.
Lauren Downes pleaded guilty to causing suffering to the Staffy-type dog named Ruby and was sentenced in August 2023. Her partner, hotel worker Wayne Hickman, initially denied the charges, but later changed his plea. His sentencing hearing was in January 2024.
Wayne Hickman and his partner Lauren Downes left Ruby in constant pain from untreated dental disease
Hickman’s defence barrister told the court that his client had no money, was in arrears with his rent and was in the process of being evicted from his home.
“He accepts that he can’t have a dog for the foreseeable future and there is genuine remorse that at a time when he was struggling with a relationship breakdown,” he said.
“His dog was neglected in a way that it should not have been.”
Sentencing Hickman, Judge Simon Carr said the circumstances of this case were “chilling”.
“You were joint owner with your partner of a Staffordshire Bull Terrier,” he said.
“One of the features in the reports of this case that I have read is that this was one of the most mild mannered and gentle and amenable dogs it was possible to imagine.
“In some ways that makes the brutality it experienced even worse.”
He said in 2022 when Hickman was living with Downes it was obvious during a veterinary visit paid for by others that this dog needed “substantial” dental care.
The photographs of the dog’s teeth were not easy to look at, he said, and it would be obvious to anyone seeing them that work needed to be done.
“The dog would have been in constant pain,” he said.
He said despite separating from his partner he continued to see the dog and would have been aware she was suffering and the appalling conditions in which she was kept and yet he did nothing.
He said even if Hickman could not have afforded a vet he could have contacted the RSPCA and any other organisation.
“Instead you chose to close your eyes, turn your back and allow your dog to suffer as this dog suffered every minute of every day with those pains,” he said.
“When you take on responsibility for an animal you take on a huge responsibility. It is you they look to for security and food for treatment when they need it. Taking on an animal is not something you take on part time and you failed consummately in your obligations.”
During Lauren Downes’ sentencing hearing the court noted that custody was appropriate given the prolonged incidents of serious neglect that caused very high levels of suffering to the dog , despite warnings and professional advice.
Sentencing | Wayne Hickman: 12-week custodial suspended for two years; £1,000 towards costs. Banned from owning a dog for 10 years (expires January 2034) . Lauren Downes: 12-week custodial suspended for 18 months; rehabilitation; 200 hours of unpaid work; £400 towards costs plus £154 victim surcharge. Banned from keeping all animals for 15 years (expires August 2038).
CONVICTED (2024) | Connar Hudson born c. 1991, of Margaret House, 46 Berryfields Road, Sutton Coldfield B72 2UG – battered an XL bully for “jumping around in the bath”, causing severe injury.
The dog, Simba, was heard screaming as he was being beaten by vile bully Connor Hudson. The RSPCA was alerted after a neighbour sent them a sound recording of the dog in distress and seized him.
He was later found to have substantial cuts and bruises to his head inflicted by ‘blunt force trauma’.
Hudson, a violent career criminal whose previous criminal convictions include burglaries which targeted elderly and vulnerable people, denied hurting Simba but later confessed after being found guilty of two animal welfare offences following a trial.
The attack on the dog took place on the morning of January 29, 2023.
Prosecutor Sarah Pratt said: “Another resident went down the lift to go outside and have a smoke. He heard shouting but couldn’t make out what was being said.
“He also heard the sound of dogs screaming. He identified the noise was coming from Connor Hudson’s flat. The witness started to record. The recording was short as he didn’t want a confrontation.”
She stated the neighbour called the police who attended Hudson’s flat but did not feel they had power of entry so they advised the complainant to contact the RSPCA, who sent an inspector at 1.36pm that day.
The court heard Hudson allowed the inspector in and they subsequently found Simba sitting on an arm chair with bruising.
A second XL Bully was at the home but there were apparently no concerns about him.
Hudson initially refused to allow Simba to be taken to a vet, but eventually relented.
Ms Pratt stated there was ‘extensive bruising’ and cuts to the dog’s head and said: “The injuries are consistent with blunt force trauma consistent with slapping or beating with an object or hand.”
Hudson’s lawyer told the court his client was “struggling with his mental health” at the time whilst not taking his medication.
Sentencing | 16-week custodial, suspended for 12 months; rehabilitation. Banned from keeping animals for ten years (expires January 2034).
CONVICTED (2024) | Daryl Burgess, born 6 April 1992, of Chantry Close, Clacton CO16 9QL – starved his dog to death.
Burgess was prosecuted by the RSPCA after the skeletal remains of the young mastiff-type dog named Patch were found in his garden. The horrific discovery was made on 12 January 2023 by police officers pursuing a suspect.
The RSPCA was alerted and an investigation was started.
RSPCA inspector Emma Beynon said: “I was shocked and upset to see the condition he was in.
“Every single bone could be seen in his body, he looked like a skeleton. Patch would not have even been two years old.”
A vet who examined Patch gave him a body condition score of zero out of nine and said the owner “should have .. sought medical advice and treatment”.
They continued: “By not seeking veterinary advice they would have been failing to meet the animal’s needs, causing the suffering of the animal.
“It would have taken days to weeks to reach a body condition score this low.”
In court, Burgess pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to a dog by failing to adequately explore and address the dog’s weight loss.
In mitigation sick Burgess, who represented himself, described Patch’s wilful killing as “an unfortunate event”.
Speaking after the conviction, inspector Beynon described the case as “truly heart-breaking”.
She added: “This was a deliberate disregard for Patch which resulted in his sad death.
“Pets are completely reliant on their owners to ensure their needs are met and they are kept safe and healthy.
“Owning an animal is a privilege – and ensuring appropriate care is a key part of the responsibility we have towards our pets.
“It’s so sad that, in this instance, that responsibility was not met and Patch was left to suffer.”
Sentencing | 23 weeks in prison; £300 costs and £154 victim surcharge. Disqualified from keeping all animals for life.
CONVICTED (2023) | Ross Jan Stone, born March 1983, of Trenance Downs, St. Austell, PL25 5RH – for cruelty to his pet lurcher.
Stone, drug dealer once implicated in a 2012 double murder case, who was found guilty of causing unnecessary suffering to the tan lurcher-type dog, known as Taz, by failing to investigate and address the causes of her poor bodily condition and weight loss.
He was convicted on one count of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal and one count of failing to ensure the welfare of an animal for which he was responsible.
The offences took place between June 20 and July 20, 2022, in St Austell.
It has not been reported if the dog survived.
Stone pleaded not guilty to both offences but was eventually found guilty.
Sentencing | eight-week curfew; mental health treatment; rehabilitation; costs of £1,040 and victim surcharge of £114. No mention of a ban.
Stone was issued with a Criminal Behaviour Order banning him from keeping dogs for the next 10 years. This came after Stone repeatedly allowed his dogs to stray, resulting in 22 sheep being mauled to death by them with social media reports that the animals also killed cats and pet rabbits. Full details here.
We collate data on animal cruelty convictions in the UK
