CONVICTED (2023) | Aman Kahssay, born c. 1981, of Claude Road, Roath, Cardiff CF24 – caused his dog to suffer with a large mass which had become ulcerated and infected.
Cardiff man Aman Kahssay left his pet dog to suffer with an ulcerated and infected mass which attracted flies
Kahssay pleaded guilty to cruelty to a Staffy-type dog called Holly in that he failed to provide a continuation of vet treatment for a large mammary mass which became ulcerated and infected. He also failed to follow vet advice to euthanise the dog.
The court heard a written statement from RSPCA inspector Sophie Daniels who said she had spoken with Kahssay outside his property on 15 June 2022.
When she saw Holly she described her as in “normal body condition and mobile and alert” however on the left underside of her abdomen area was a “large jaffa orange sized mass”.
She said: “It was an open, cavernous mass, with no skin covering half of it and the internal area was pink and had fleshy pockets and a honeycomb appearance. There was no visible discharge and it appeared clean, but there was a smell of infection present. Flies were starting to show interest in the mass whilst the dog was outside.”
A call was made to a vets – and it was confirmed that Holly had last been seen on March 2, 2022 after Kahssay’s neighbours took her. Euthanasia could not be carried out without the owner’s permission, however and no further contact was made with the vet.
Kahssay agreed for inspector Daniels to take Holly to a vet who confirmed that she had “deteriorated and that the tumour was inoperable and that she would be in pain”. He advised euthanasia, but stated that he could not enforce this.
Kahssay, who declined euthanasia, was issued with two weeks’ worth of palliative treatment for Holly, including pain relief, steroids and antibiotics. It was strongly advised that Holly be euthanised at the end of this period and an appointment was booked. Kahssay was also issued with an RSPCA warning notice.
The court heard that this appointment was cancelled and although another appointment was later booked he did not attend.
RSPCA Daniels left voicemails and made several attempts to speak and see Kahssay but he was not contactable. On August 24, a warrant was executed by South Wales Police.
In mitigation, the court heard that Kahssay had no intention to cause harm, claiming that Holly was a loved pet who he didn’t want to put down. It was also said he regretted his actions.
Sentencing | 16-week custodial, suspended for 18 months; 20-day rehabilitation activity requirement. Ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £154 and costs of £200. Disqualified from keeping any animals for eight years (expires August 2031)).
CONVICTED (2023) | irresponsible backyard breeder and wildlife persecutor Anthony Andrew Searl, born 9 October 1987, of Green Meadow Drive, Tongwynlais, Cardiff CF15 7LU – kept seven ‘hunting’ dogs in disgusting conditions without food and water.
Bloodsports fanatic Anthony Searl was prosecuted for animal cruelty after two of his seven dogs escaped and one was knocked down.
Police Community Support Officers (PCSO) came across the dogs while on patrol and local enquiries led them to Anthony Searl.
Officers attended Searl’s home and discovered a skeletal whippet locked in a cupboard, without any food or water and covered in her own faeces.
Three terrier puppies were locked in another room while their mother was in a bathroom. All of the dogs were kept in the same atrocious conditions.
Searl was arrested, and the seven dogs were taken to the vets.
The terriers were passed into the care of a local rescue while the whippets needed further veterinary treatment for injuries and malnutrition. Happily they too were nursed back to health and can also be rehomed.
Searl admitted causing unnecessary suffering to animals.
Sentencing | 12-month jail term suspended for 18 months. Banned from keeping animals for 10 years (expires February 2033).
CONVICTED (2023) | Michael Mountstephens, born 8 October 1973, of 23 Glyndwr Road, Ely, Cardiff CF5 4EE – failed to get medical treatment for a lurcher after an orthopaedic metal plate became exposed in her leg,
Mountstephens, head of a large family of violent career criminals, was prosecuted after the dog, called Luna, was found with an infected leg in a dirty kennel in December 2021.
The RSPCA sent an inspector to the property following enquiries. Inspector Julie Fadden was met by a man who said there were no whippets or lurchers with leg injuries at the property. She then met another man who said there was a dog in a cage in the back garden with a leg injury but she was “fine.”
Luna was badly abused by heartless Michael Mountstephens and the ret of his trash family
Inspector Fadden asked to see the dog and was shown into the garden. She said: “I saw a grey whippet/lurcher type bitch in a kennel with a run. The dog was grey with white markings and had an exposed metal plate showing, attached to the bone on her right foreleg.
Luna was in agony after her leg became badly infected and a metal plate fully exposed
“The dog was holding her right front foreleg up and I could smell the distinctive smell of infection coming from it, even from a distance. The dog was lean and I could see her ribs and spine. The kennel was dark and dirty with some faeces within and there was no comfortable resting area.”
One of the men said Luna had “recently” been seen by a vet and that her owner was Mountstephens, who was out. Neither man could confirm which vet Luna had been seen by, and when enquiries were made with vet practices in the Cardiff area, none of their records showed they had performed surgery on Luna.
The men eventually agreed to let Luna get urgent veterinary treatment after Inspector Fadden warned that she would bring the police with her on her next visit otherwise. The vet who examined Luna later that day said her owner was responsible for “ongoing serious neglect” as the exposed plate on her leg was extremely obvious.
The vet said: “Luna was mildly lame, being unable to bear some weight on the right foreleg which indicates this was causing pain. It is very likely due to the appearance of the skin surrounding the exposed plate that this wound/exposed bone had been present for a prolonged period, potentially weeks to months, prior to presentation. This would have led to a prolonged period of suffering.”
Police were called to attend the vet practice and seized Luna, passing her into the RSPCA’s care.
The RSPCA launched an investigation in which it was first alleged that Luna didn’t belong to Mountstephens and had been dumped at the property, then that he was her owner and had taken her to the vet.
Mountstephens was given a message to urgently ring Inspector Fadden, and that steps would be taken to rehome Luna if he didn’t contact the RSPCA within 14 days. The RSPCA kept trying to contact Mountstephens in December 2021 and January 2022 but didn’t succeed, so decided to rehome Luna once she had recovered.
RSPCA inspector Christine McNeil, who fostered Luna during her rehabilitation, said: “It was lovely to be able to care for Luna and help her recover from what was a really dreadful ordeal. We started off with short walks to build up the strength in her leg, and her loving, friendly and sociable nature shone through. She liked nothing more than snoozing on my sofa and trying out all my soft furnishings, and I’m so pleased that she’s doing well in her new home.”
Mountstephens was tried at Cardiff Magistrates Court in July 2022. The judge couldn’t be sure that Luna was Mountstephens’ responsbility for the entire two-year period that was alleged, so could only hand down a verdict based on what happened in the two-month period that Mountstephens accepted.
Mountstephens was found guilty of one charge of causing unnecessary suffering at the hearing. He was found not guilty of failing to take reasonable steps to ensure the needs of Luna were met.
Sentencing | 18-week prison sentence, suspended for two years due to his caring responsibilities; costs of £500. Banned from keeping any animals for 12 months.
CONVICTED (2022) | Rhianne Victoria Saville, born 21 March 1996, of Cathcob Close, St Mellons, Cardiff CF3 0AH – starved a young dog to death.
Mother-of-one Rhianne Saville was banned from keeping all animals for five years after admitting cruelty to a three-year-old Staffordshire bull terrier named Dior.
She admitted failing to adequately investigate or address the causes of the dog’s weight loss and poor bodily condition as well as pressure sores to her hocks (heels).
A written statement provided to the court from RSPCA inspector Christine McNeil explained that Saville had assumed care for Dior as part of an arrangement with her previous owner.
Dior pictured hours before she succumbed to starvation
Having seen photographs of Dior’s poor bodily condition, the original owner asked that the dog be returned to him. Very sadly, the dog died shortly after being returned.
Inspector McNeil was shown Dior’s body on 5 January 2022 after a report was made to the RSPCA suggesting the pet had been neglected. “The body was extremely thin with no muscle coverage and the spine, hips and ribs were all visible and easily felt. Her head was also sunken above the eyes,” said inspector McNeil.
“I noted sores on the hocks and the underneath of the back feet and the front right wrist joint and on the left front paw. I also noted hair loss at the base of the tail.”
In a written statement from a vet it was confirmed that Dior was examined on January, 6 2022 and then a post mortem was also arranged. The statement said: “On examination the body was severely emaciated with almost no muscle mass with pressure sores on the points of both hocks and a wound on the front of the right carpus (wrist joint). The post mortem report states that the weight loss is due to reduced nutrition with no detectable underlying health issue.
“With no underlying health issue, assuming a normal weight as a start point and assuming the lowest average female Staffordshire bull terrier weight of 11 Kg, with no food at all it would take a dog ten to eleven weeks to drop to the post mortem weight of 6.67 Kg, longer if some food was available. This means that the dog will have suffered for a prolonged period of at least eleven weeks before death.”
Sentencing | eight weeks in prison, suspended for two years; 10 days of Rehabilitation Activity; £400 costs. Five-year ban on keeping dogs (expires September 2027).
CONVICTED (2022) | Dean Wayne Dando, born 21 February 1980, and Ceri Ann Parker, born 10 February 1982, both of 63 Highbury Road, Ely Cardiff CF5 4LR – failed to have their dog’s horrific facial injuries treated.
The court heard that the couple failed to get veterinary care for swelling to the bull-cross dog’s face after she was attacked and injured by another dog.
RSPCA deputy chief inspector Gemma Black told the court that Parker had told her they had not been able to afford to take the dog, Elsa, to the vets for any treatment. She also told the inspector that she had been bathing the wounds, but that they had been getting worse, and although Elsa was eating and drinking she was getting thinner.
DCI Black said: “I immediately saw a horrific injury on the eye and face on a bull-cross type dog that was lying on their sofa. The entire left side of Elsa’s face was swollen with wounds and pus surrounding it. Her left eye was not visible, instead there was fleshy inner eyelid exposed and swollen where the eyeball should be.
“The wound was one of the worst I had seen on an animal. Elsa was thin with her ribs and hip bones prominent and there was a strong smell of what I have previously known to be infection in the air. Elsa had bloody staining also on her legs.”
DCI Black told Parker she had serious concerns for the welfare of Elsa and that she wanted to take her to the vet immediately. The couple both agreed that they would sign her into the care of the RSPCA for treatment.
The court heard that a full veterinary examination was carried out and the vet confirmed that he believed that Elsa had been caused to suffer unnecessarily. Elsa weighed 11.6 kg, which the vet advised was a body score of two out of five.
“She had several masses all over her body, with one that had a wound and that was scabbing in the stomach area,” said inspector Black.
“The inside of her mouth was horrific, with rotten teeth and exposed roots.”
The independent vet advised she should be put to sleep on welfare grounds to prevent further suffering.
Sentencing | Dando: 12 weeks’ imprisonment suspended for 12 months; 10 days of rehabilitation activity requirement (RAR); £250 costs. Parker: 10 weeks’ imprisonment suspended for 12 months; 10 days’ RAR; £100 costs. Both were disqualified from keeping any animals for just two years (expires May 2024).
CONVICTED (2021) | hare coursers John Jeff Greedy, born 4 August 2002, of Clos Dyfnaint, St Mellons, Cardiff CF3 0DY and Dougie Whitbread, born 19 October 2000 of Coldwell Terrace, Pembroke SA71 4QL
Dougie Whitbread (left) and John Jeff Greedy were caught hare coursing.
Travellers Greedy and Whitbread were found guilty of hare coursing in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, after they were spotted by a local game keeper.
The pair were each fined £541.50 after being found guilty of hunting a wild mammal with a dog.
They were also ordered to have their thermal imaging camera and binoculars forfeited under section 9 of the Hunting Act 2004.
The court heard how police were called to an estate in Dumbleton near Tewkesbury on the morning of Wednesday 26 November, 2020, after concerns were raised about the behaviour of the men.
A local game keeper had spotted the men and two dogs walking across a private field taking part in what looked like hunting.
Police arrived to find a vehicle potentially belonging to the men parked down a country lane. The pair were then watched by officers who saw Greedy looking through binoculars before releasing his dog to chase a hare.
Whitbread meanwhile was using a thermal imaging camera to look for more hares.
Police stopped them before they killed any hares and approached them as they returned to their vehicle where they seized items of hunting paraphernalia.
PC Phil Mawdsley, from the Rural Crime and Tewkesbury Neighbourhood Policing teams said: “Hare coursing is a UK Wildlife Crime priority and this is one of the many successful prosecutions that we’ve had in Gloucestershire.
“Hare coursing is not welcome in our county and bringing offenders to justice is a priority for the Rural Crime Team.
“The team has recently been accepted to join a nationally led operation, called Operation Galileo, which aims to target illegal hare coursing and I hope that this case shows how seriously we treat the crime.
“This is the strongest that our rural community has been and I believe this is down to joint work to combat this crime and push criminality out of our county.”
John Greedy, now of Broad Street Common, Peterstone Wentlooge, Cardiff, was convicted of a further animal cruelty charge in relation to a terrier found with fresh and historic facial injuries.
John Greedy’s unnamed terrier had facial injuries consistent with animal fighting
On 26 March 2022 officers from the Hungerford and Downlands neighbourhood team attended an address in North Heath, Chieveley, Berkshire following a report of badger baiting.
While at the scene, a member of the public handed over a small terrier dog, which they had found nearby and had fresh and historic facial injuries.
An officer took the dog to the nearest vet for treatment.
Greedy attended and confirmed he was the owner of the dog so he was arrested.
Greedy was charged by postal requisition on 13 June, 2022.
Investigating officer PC Sean Morris, of the Hungerford and Downlands neighbourhood team, said: “A thorough investigation has led to John Greedy’s conviction as well as a fine and costs totalling more than £1,000 and the safe rehoming of a beautiful terrier looking for a fresh start.
“The Hungerford and Downlands policing team is determined to prevent, deter and tackle rural crime throughout West Berkshire.”
Sentencing: ordered to pay a fine and costs. Deprivation order on the unnamed terrier.
CONVICTED (2021) | illegal dog breeder Christopher J Mae, born 23 January 1989, of 66 Habershon Street, Splott, Cardiff CF24 2DY – mutilated the ears of puppies.
Mae, who traded under the name Bulletproof Bullies, pleaded guilty to four offences and was sentenced to 16 weeks in prison. He will have to pay more than £11,000 for the cost of housing his dogs, fines and a victim surcharge.
The court heard Mae caused unnecessary suffering to two dogs when he “cropped” their ears, which is an illegal practice in the UK.
The ears were cropped for “financial gain”, with the dogs worth between £1,000 and £1,500 more after the banned procedure, the court heard.
Mae sold dogs through a Facebook page for between £1,000 and £5,000 each, “depending on quality and bone structure”.
The court heard he was an unlicensed breeder and he pleaded guilty to the illegal landing of a dog in the UK called George, which could have come from China or Spain.
George was examined and had difficulty walking.
Council officers investigated Mae’s Facebook page and discovered multiple references to dog breeding and offering dogs and puppies for sale.
His home was searched and eight adult dogs and eight puppies were found.
All eight adult dogs had their ears cropped.
Vet records revealed more than 60 dogs had been registered.
The court heard five females were his breeding bitches and he owned two stud dogs, and that Mae had a “special bloodline” that he had developed for certain colours.
Mae’s dogs were seized and three adults and two puppies had to be taken to quarantine because they had no passports.
The court heard Mae sold to “unsavoury people” and had 13 convictions for 21 previous offences from 2004 to 2017 including assault, possessing a controlled drug, dishonesty, handling stolen goods and criminal damage.
Sentencing: jailed for 16 weeks; ordered to pay £11,000 in costs. Disqualified from having any animals for eight years and prohibited from applying for revocation of that order for five years (ban expires July 2029).
CONVICTED (2021) | Marc Jones, born c. 1978, and son Neil Jones (aka Neil Ieuan Davies), born 26 April 1998, both of Ferntree Drive, St Mellons, Cardiff CF3 0AA – starved and neglected their pet dog
Marc Jones and his son Neil Jones / Davies were ordered to undertake rehabilitation activity after pleading guilty to animal cruelty
The dog owned by Marc Jones and Neil Davies was found to be very thin, infested with fleas and had “undergone a period of starvation”.
The male red Staffordshire terrier, named Rocky, was seized by the RSPCA and has now been rehomed.
He was examined by a vet and found to have an ear infection. Tests showed he was also anaemic
Rocky was very underweight, blind from cataracts and suffering a severe ear infection.
In the vet’s opinion, Rocky had been provided with an inadequate or inappropriate food supply for at least fourteen days.
He said that the owners’ failure to get treatment for Rocky’s ear infection resulted in him suffering pain and discomfort, adding that his overall condition was serious enough to constitute unnecessary suffering.
RSPCA Inspector Christine McNeil said: “When I first saw Rocky, he was in very poor condition. Although he was very friendly and affectionate, it was clear he wasn’t being looked after properly. The vet reported that he was very underweight, blind from cataracts and had awful ear problems. He also seemed very hungry; he tried to get into a plastic food bin, and when he was given food, he really wolfed it down.
“Rocky was immediately given veterinary treatment to address his infected ears, and the skin problems which had been caused by fleas and put on a gentle feeding regime of easily digestible food. We were so glad he was transferred into our care, as he really needed some TLC. Rocky has now reached an appropriate weight and we’re happy to confirm that he has been rehomed with a caring family.
“The neglect suffered by Rocky could have been easily avoided but he was simply left to suffer without the care he needed and deserved. We encourage people who can no longer cope with caring for their pets to contact us for help and advice to avoid unnecessary distress and suffering being caused.”
Sentencing: Marc Jones – ordered to pay £185 costs and charges. 12-month community order with 20 days of rehabilitation activity; three-month curfew. Disqualified from keeping animals for three years (expires April 2024).
Neil Davies – ordered to pay a total of £330 fines costs and charges; 12-month community order with 25 days of rehabilitation activity. Disqualified from keeping animals for five years (expires April 2026)
CONVICTED (2020) | Anton Marcus Boston, born 21 April 1994, previously of Habershon Street, Splott, Cardiff but as of late 2022 living at Heol Pant Y Deri, Ely, Cardiff CF5 5PL – convicted of illegal dog breeding and fraud
Illegal backyard breeder Anton Boston
Anton Boston was prosecuted following a multi-agency investigation into his dog breeding business, Boston Bullies Wales (from December 2020 Boss Tonne Bullies).
In May 2019 Shared Regulatory Services, RSPCA and police officers raided Boston’s house and found six adult dogs and five puppies.
Boston did not have a licence to breed dogs and was breeding more than the permitted levels. Officers found two fraudulent canine passports but no paperwork at all for the other animals.
Cllr Michael Michael, Cabinet Member responsible for Shared Regulatory Services, said: “Our officers were investigating Anton Boston for some time, due to the complaints that we received from a number of sources.
“While we were preparing our case for court, at the end of January this year, it was reported in the press that Boston had been targeted in an aggravated robbery at his house, where armed men entered his property demanding cash and stole one of his puppies. By that time, our case against Boston was continuing, and we knew that the business he was operating from his home was illegal.”
Cllr Michael continued: “At the request of the judge and the fact that a suspended sentence has been given in this case, we will be keeping a very close eye on Anton Boston to ensure he doesn’t breach any of the conditions of his sentence.”
Sentencing: 32 weeks’ custody, suspended for 18 months with a requirement to carry out 20 days of rehabilitation activities, as well as a 16-week tagged curfew. A forfeiture and destruction order was obtained for the passports and £350 costs was awarded to the Shared Regulatory Service.
CONVICTED (2019) | Dean Williams, born 15 March 1980. of Clos Y Ffynnon, Pontprennau, Cardiff CF23 8HW – hurled a small French bulldog to the floor from above his head before punching her several times.
Violent Dean Williams can now add animal cruelty to a long list of convictions which includes rape.
Construction worker Dean Williams, whose previous crimes include rape as well as dishonesty, violence and motoring matters, threw the French bulldog, named Koda, to the ground and punched her in the head before being chased down by a witness on a busy Cardiff street.
Cardiff Magistrates Court heard how Williams was later found lying on the ground trying to entice the “cowering” dog from underneath a car after she had ran off in the early hours of May 4, 2019.
Williams claimed Koda “jumped out” of his arms but magistrates said his version of events was not “credible in any way” and found him guilty of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal.
The court heard that the three witnesses all saw Williams pick up the dog and throw her to the ground near Richmond Road.
Two of the witnesses were students Sarah Bill and Emily Johnson returning home in a taxi after a night out.
Giving evidence to the court, Ms Johnson said: “I looked behind me out of the window and saw him pick it up above his head and throw her to the floor.”
She told the court she believed Williams used two hands and had picked up the dog holding two of her legs.
Ms Bill told the court she only saw Williams throw the dog when it was “about a foot” off the ground, after Ms Johnson called out.
Ms Bill then left the taxi they were travelling in to chase after Williams and the dog, to “try and get it off him because in my opinion he was inflicting pain”.
With the dog under Williams’ arm, Ms Bill said she followed them down Richmond Road and onto Gordon Road.
Ms Bill said she also saw Williams punch the dog in the head “more than three times”.
After chasing Williams, Ms Bill realised she was alone so ran back “hysterical” and calling for someone to call the police.
At this point Uber Driver Chris Inchley stopped to speak to the women after also witnessing Williams throw the dog.
At first Mr Inchley thought Williams was chasing after the dog because she was lost, but he told the court: “[Then] he picked the dog up above his head and threw it to the floor with force.”
He said he was “shocked” and that the dog “yelped”.
Mr Inchley added: “He was punching the dog to the head about four or five times. It was hard, it was very hard.”
The Uber driver then picked up the two women and they returned to Gordon Road where they found Williams laying on the floor looking for the dog.
Lola, the French bulldog violently attacked by Cardiff career crook Dean Williams, who can now add animal cruelty to his long list of criminal convictions.
Ms Johnson said: “When we came down we saw [Williams] lying on the floor looking under the car with a French bulldog cowering underneath. The dog was clearly in fear of this man. When the police came the dog came out.”
Police arrested Williams at the scene, and later interviewed him where he replied “no comment” to each question.
One of the officers, PC Southey, was at one point visibly upset as she gave evidence on Thursday. PC Southey described blood around the mouth of the dog and that it calmed down once Williams had been put in the police car.
A vet report found the dog had some minor injuries, including a small haemorrhage on her eye and a lesion above her eye.
Luis Williamson, defending, questioned if Ms Ball’s and Ms Johnson’s consumption of alcohol on their night out had impaired their judgement, which they both denied, and said there were inconsistencies in the evidence by the three civilian witnesses.
Mr Williamson added that the injuries of the dog were caused previously through “puppy play”.
Giving evidence, Williams said: “She jumped out of my hand and I tried to grabbing her because it was a busy road. She jumped out and I picked her back up. I’m an animal lover myself, I have had her since she was a pup. She was a family pet.”
He added that the dog was under the car only because of the number of people on the street, and denied hurting the dog or remembering interacting with Ms Ball.
In their verdict chair of the bench Martin Dennett said: “We have listened to the evidence we have heard today and while there maybe some inconsistencies, the underlying facts and descriptions are clearly articulated.
“We can clearly see there are facial injuries. We felt it suffered abuse at the hands of [Williams]. We are satisfied an attack took place and substantial in nature. We do not find your version of events credible in any way.”
Williams had pleaded not guilty at a previous hearing after being charged with one count of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal.
On Wednesday 17 July 2019 Williams appeared in court for sentencing.
The court heard Williams was alcohol-dependent and had consumed around four to five pints of lager on the day of the incident but “was not drunk”.
A report by the probation service said Williams was on anti-depressants and he told them he drinks “as much as I can get my hands on”.
Abused French bulldog puppy is now healthy and happy in her new home.
Koda was rehomed with witness Sarah Bill and renamed Lola.
Sentencing | eight weeks in custody suspended for 12 months. Ordered to carry out 20 rehabilitation activity days. Total of £735 costs and charges. Banned from keeping animals for three years, which was suspended for four weeks to allow his other animals to be rehomed (ban expired 2022).
