CONVICTED (2022) | fraudulent puppy sellers Stacey Jane Hayward, born 20 October 1980, and boyfriend Steven Gilmore Foster, born 14 February 1980, both of Colliford Road, West Thurrock, Grays RM20 3BN; Kelly Jean Bennett, born 8 June 1978, and husband Ricky Jay Bennett, born 15 April 1980, both of Weymouth Drive, Chafford Hundred, Grays RM16 6BX – bought in sick and diseased puppies from Welsh puppy farms and sold them on to unsuspecting members of the public for vast sums.
The RSPCA launched an investigation into puppy selling in the Essex area after being contacted by members of the public who had bought puppies in Billericay, Grays and Thurrock.
The charity’s Special Operations Unit (SOU) – a specialist taskforce which investigates serious, organised and commercial animal cruelty, such as the high value trade in puppies – started looking into a premises at Crays Hill in 2019.
In the case summary, RSPCA prosecutor Hazel Stevens said: “Members of the public had made complaints to the local authority and the RSPCA about puppies being purchased from said premises – which soon became ill after sale.
“Twelve witness statements were taken in relation to puppies with health problems which were sold from the Billericay address between June and September 2019, and one in March 2019.”
The court was told that Basildon Council had licensed Stacey Hayward to sell puppies but the licence was revoked in July 2018 due to complaints about sick puppies. Her breeding licence ran out in December 2018.
Hayward and her partner, Steven Foster, moved to a new home and, in October 2019, complaints began coming into the RSPCA related to an address in Weymouth Drive, occupied by Kelly and Ricky Bennett.
An RSPCA officer visited in August 2019 and gave advice about licensing but no licence was ever issued for this address, the court was told.
Weymouth Drive was linked to an address in Colliford Road via a witness and this was confirmed as the new residence of Hayward and Foster.
Both sellers were advertising puppies who were described as being “bred at home” but it appears a number of puppies were sourced from Wales, with Welsh vaccination cards containing details cut out or erased.
Ms Stevens added: “In addition, adverts were placed on the selling sites with various names and numbers. Visitors to the Hayward address were still shown her licence documents despite its revocation.
“Search warrants were executed at both properties and puppies were found to be present at both with some adult dogs. Dead puppies were also found at both properties in the freezer (two at Weymouth and one at Colliford).
“Seizure of paperwork and phones further demonstrates the links between the two addresses and there is evidence of Hayward delivering to Bennett’s address.”
Nine puppies were found living in a shed at the rear of the garden at Colliford Road, they were all seized and taken into care. One tested positive for parvovirus and sadly died but the others, who were suffering from Giardia and other health problems, made full recoveries and were rehomed.
At Weymouth Drive, officers found three adult spaniels, five cocker spaniel puppies and two dead spaniel puppies which “appeared to have been dead for days”, Hazel said.
The court heard that the litter of spaniel puppies tested positive for Giardia, a small parasite that attacks the intestines.
RSPCA officers worked closely with the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit’s financial investigator who analysed financial records linked to the sellers, and attributed approximately £850,000 of income linked to the sale of puppies.
Seized phones were analysed and showed many messages responding to adverts for puppies, using different names.
Bank statements showed payments with the reference: “Puppy”.
At Weymouth Drive. Officers found four Rolex watches, a Chanel handbag, receipts for jewellery in excess of £20,000 and over £43,000 in cash.
Both Hayward and Kelly Bennett had been breeding dogs at home. Recovered vet records show continuous caesarean sections, “with some of these dogs being bred back-to-back with no thought for their welfare,” the CPS said.
The pair also regularly travelled to Swindon to collect puppies from unlicensed puppy farms and transported them in vans back to Essex.
Messages between them unveiled the callous way they set out to make money. In one text, Bennett said to Stacey Hayward: “Hurry up, sell them a dodgy dog and put another ad up. Lol.”
Other messages showed both Hayward and Kelly Bennett were sourcing puppies on a regular basis and placing adverts online using fake names and details, and claiming the puppies had been bred and reared in a family home.
Messages showed that both Hayward and Kelly Bennett were placing adverts online using fake names and details, and claiming the puppies had been bred and reared in a family home.
Messages on the phones also showed that Ricky Bennett had taken payments for the puppies, while witnesses had paid money into Foster’s bank account for puppies too.
RSPCA officers analysed the adverts and estimated that at least 100 adverts had been placed, advertising around 500 puppies, between December 2018 and March 2020, across Gumtree, Preloved and Pets4homes.
The court heard that the selling of puppies continued throughout lockdown, until May 2021.
The court heard devastating accounts from families that had spent between £600 and £800 on new puppies in 2019, only for them to develop serious illnesses within the first week.
One family shared how they claimed to have bought a puppy from Hayward in Billericay in July 2019, only to tragically lose her to parvovirus days later.
In her statement, read to the court by prosecuting barrister Hazel Stevens, the woman said she purchased her puppy, who her family named Mabel, from Hayward in Billericay on July 13, 2019 for £650. She noticed when she was there that the puppies were “nervous, scared and clinging to each other”, and that looking back now, “all the warning signs were there”, but despite this, she had fallen for Mabel and wanted to give her the best life possible.
The woman said: “At the time of purchase, Hayward said she wasn’t in possession of a vaccination card but it would posted to me on Monday morning. While on the journey home Mabel was sick in my car. I gave it the benefit of the doubt and thought it was just motion sickness. She was nervous, backing away from me and not eating or drinking.”
The woman said Mabel did improve but would sleep for long periods of time. She said Hayward never posted the vaccination card to her. On July 19, Mabel deteriorated and was taken to a vet, which confirmed she had parvovirus. The woman continued in her statement claiming that Hayward had been “dismissive” when she called her telling her about the virus, and allegedly said it was “a load of rubbish, the vets always say parvovirus”.
However, the next day, the vet called the woman to say Mabel had deteriorated overnight. The woman continued: “When I saw her she was lifeless. It will be an image I will never get out of my head. I said to the vets that it was best to put her to sleep.”
The court heard the woman’s partner contacted Hayward after Mabel’s death demanding a refund, as “they were sold a puppy with an illness that would end her life”. The woman added: “Stacey Hayward still hasn’t issued the refund.”
Ms Stevens read out various other statements to the jury from other families, including one whose puppy ended up being healthy, however, they described the vaccination card given to them for the dog as “a joke” due to it “having a big hole in the back” with no reference to who had actually jabbed the dog.
Another family, who bought a puppy they named Jack, said he was “terrified of anything” and that he would “eat so fast he almost choked himself”. His owner said “I felt like I was terrorising him”. When he was taken to the vet, no microchip could be found, which led the owner to think the original paperwork “was a scam”, the jury heard.
Another account was heard from a family who bought a puppy from Kelly Bennett, claiming that it was quickly diagnosed with giardia, which can cause diarrhoea, vomiting, weight loss, poor condition, or death. However, their dog managed to improve and became “the love of their life”.
The family said: “There was no remorse from Kelly Bennett, or any offer of a refund. We paid £650 plus dozens of pounds in vets bills. Kelly Bennett was very aggressive and evasive, saying she must have got like that after handing her over.”
In May 2022 the two couples admitted offences relating to the fraudulent sale of puppies, some of which were found dead in freezers. In May 2022 all four entered guilty pleas: two to fraud and two to acquiring criminal property. Kelly Bennett also indicated guilty pleas to two offences under the Animal Welfare Act while Ricky Bennett indicated a guilty plea to one animal welfare offence.
Sentencing |
Stacey Hayward – sentenced to 47 months in jail. Lifetime ban. on owning animals
Kelly Bennett – 49 months’ imprisonment. Lifetime ban on owning animals.
Ricky Bennett – jailed for three years for the fraud and animal welfare act crimes, plus for separate assault, criminal damage and money laundering charges, the former where he had physically attacked his wife and children while high on cocaine
Steven Foster was due to be sentenced on 10 November 2022 but no update is publicly available.
Additional Information
The four pleaded guilty to the following offences:
KELLY JEAN BENNETT, between 30 July 2019 and 2 May 2021, committed fraud by making false representations to members of the public as to the condition, breeding and history of puppies for sale, through advertising with false names and locations intended to represent the private sale of a home bred puppy, thereby intending to make a gain for yourself or another or to cause loss to another, contrary to Section 2 of the Fraud Act 2006.
KELLY JEAN BENNETT, on and before 9 January 2020 at Chafford Hundred, Grays, you, being jointly concerned with Ricky Jay Bennett, did not take such steps as were reasonable in all the circumstances to ensure that the needs of a number of dog and puppies for which you were responsible were met to the extent required by good practice in that through the introduction of puppies not bred at the premises you failed to meet the need to protect the animals from pain, injury, suffering or disease by failing to establish a full and effective biosecurity disease control programme including the identification and treatment of ill health, and failed to provide them with an appropriate environment contrary to Section 9(1) of the Animal Welfare Act 2006;
KELLY JEAN BENNETT, between 3 October 2019 and 19 October 2019, in the vicinity of Grays, Essex, you, being jointly concerned with Ricky Jay Bennett, did cause unnecessary suffering to a certain animal namely a Cavachon puppy now known as Kaila by failing to provide veterinary care in respect of the animal’s ill health and by selling the animal in an unfit state when you knew or ought reasonably to have known that your failure to act would have that effect or be likely to do so, contrary to Section 4(1) of the Animal Welfare Act 2006.
STACEY JANE HAYWARD, between 1 December 2018 and 2 May 2021, committed fraud by making false representations to members of the public as to the condition, breeding and history of puppies for sale, through advertising with false names and locations intended to represent the private sale of a home bred puppy, thereby intending to make a gain for yourself or another or to cause loss to another, contrary to Section 2 of the Fraud Act 2006.
RICKY JAY BENNETT, between 29 March 2019 and 13 September 2019, acquired criminal property, namely £39,900 paid into his bank account from puppy purchasers knowing or suspecting it to represent in whole or part and whether directly or indirectly the proceeds of crime, contrary to section 329(1) of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.
RICKY JAY BENNETT, on and before 9 January 2020, at Chafford Hundred, Grays, you, being jointly concerned with Kelly Jean Bennett, did not take such steps as were reasonable in all the circumstances to ensure that the needs of a number of dog and puppies for which you were responsible were met to the extent required by good practice in that through the introduction of puppies not bred at the premises you failed to meet the need to protect the animals from pain, injury, suffering or disease by failing to establish a full and effective biosecurity disease control programme including the identification and treatment of ill health, and failed to provide them with an appropriate environment contrary to Section 9(1) of the Animal Welfare Act 2006.
STEVEN GILMORE FOSTER, between 18 December 2018 and 2 May 2021, acquired criminal property, namely £38,613 paid into his bank account from puppy purchasers knowing or suspecting it to represent in whole or part and whether directly or indirectly the proceeds of crime contrary to section 329(1) of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002. Sentencing for FOSTER was adjourned until 10 November 2022.
Source: Essex TV
Stacey Hayward has been on the radar of anti-puppy farm campaigners since at least 2009 and was even exposed in a TV documentary on illicit puppy selling. You can learn more about her here.
During her court hearing, Kelly Bennett asked for a jury member to be removed after they became upset when shown the video of the dead puppies in the freezer at Bennett’s address. Bennett felt the juror was “biased”. The judge dismissed the request saying he will not ask someone to not show natural human emotion.
