CONVICTED (2024) | Kyle Vaughan, born 28 August 1997, of 100 Milltown Road, Lisburn BT28 3TZ – starved two dogs to a skeletal condition.
Vaughan, owner of vehicle valeting business K.V Carkleen, was convicted of cruelty to a Doberman-type and Husky-type dog.
The unnamed dogs were examined by a vet who found they were “suffering due to starvation”. Both had visible hip and rib bones and their spines were prominent.
The charges date back to September 2023 when a local authority animal welfare officer received a report of concern from council enforcement officers who had taken possession of the two dogs.
The dogs were taken into the care of a local animal sanctuary and nursed back to health. They have since been rehomed.
Sentencing | two-year conditional discharge; ordered to pay a total of £369 in legal costs and vet fees. Disqualified from keeping animals for five years (expires April 2029).
CONVICTED (2024) | greeder Robert Guy, born 27 September (tbc), of 17 Ballyfore Gardens, Newtownabbey BT36 6XY – severely neglected two dogs in his care; breached a previous ban for similar offences.
Charges were brought against serial dog abuser Robert Guy by Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council under the Welfare of Animals Act (NI) 2011.
An investigation was conducted in August 2023 by a local authority Animal Welfare Officer after receiving a report that Guy had dogs on his property, with indications suggesting the dogs had attacked each other.
Upon inspection, officers discovered two dogs with fur loss, filthy ears and puncture wounds.
A veterinarian confirmed that one dog was suffering from putrid wounds, while the other had very short cropped ears. Furthermore, both animals had visible skin lesions and were in a filthy state. Both dogs were treated for their injuries and condition, and were both successfully rehomed.
Guy was found to have breached a disqualification order imposed in November 2021, which prohibited him from keeping dogs for seven years.
Sentencing | four-month custodial suspended for 12 months. 15-year disqualification ban preventing Guy from owning dogs.
CONVICTED (2024) | Nicola O’Neill, born 10 February 1984, and James McWilliams, born c. 2003, of Felden Place, Newtownabbey BT36 7FL – for the neglect and starvation of nine filthy bull-terriers who resorted to eating another already dead dog.
Evil backyard breeders James McWilliams and Nicola O’Neill abandoned 10 dogs with one being eaten by the others after dying
Mother and son Nicola O’Neill and James McWilliams admitted failures to ensure the needs of the severely malnourished animals were met but blamed a lack of money.
In March 2022 an animal welfare officer from Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council attended the family home on the outskirts of north Belfast to investigate a report that a dead dog was being eaten by others.
The officer discovered a mixture of puppies and full-grown dogs, some severely underweight and kept in filthy pens without access to bedding or water.
“Through the fencing she could see a dead dog on the ground that appeared to be half-eaten,” prosecution counsel said.
Five pups, believed to be American XL Bully breeds, were being held in a crate in the kitchen area, covered in urine and faeces and with their ribs and spines clearly visible.
Some other dogs were in the back garden, close to the dead bull terrier.
Based on post-mortem examination and a lack of blood spattering on the ground, prosecutors believe he had already died when the others began to eat the remains.
All nine surviving dogs were seized and examined by the Council’s vet.
McWilliams later told the welfare officer he did not usually live at the property, but had previously helped his mother take care of the dogs.
He also claimed they were struggling for money to feed the animals.
Counsel added: “Before this incident he was advertising six-week old American XL Bully pups for sale on Facebook, believed to be the five puppies that were seized at the time.
With the costs of caring for the remaining animals now in excess of £2,000, they are all still alive and have gained significant weight since their seizure.
Defence barrister Jonathan Browne acknowledged the circumstances were “deeply unpleasant”.
“Any right-thinking member of the public will find the facts truly abhorrent,” he said.
Mr Browne told the court the dogs had belonged to O’Neill’s late husband James McWilliams Sr – a prominent member of paramilitary group the Irish National Liberation Army. The court heard that he lived elsewhere but visited every day to tend to the dogs.
After McWilliams Sr’s sudden death in August 2021 O’Neill “neglected to look after the dogs”.
He added that James McWilliams Jr had an emotional bond with the animals and felt that giving them away would be a disservice to his late father’s memory.
“It’s a romantic notion, but in reality it costs money,” Mr Browne submitted.
“He found himself wanting to care for them but financially not able to.”
Urging District Judge George Conner not to send either defendant to jail, Mr Browne predicted they will carry the stigma of offences with them for the rest of their lives.
Judge Conner told them: “For those who enter a responsibility to look after animals, a very high standard (is required).
“Unfortunately in this case you both failed very badly.”
Sentencing |
Nicola O’Neill: four-month custodial suspended for a year; £250 towards costs. James McWilliams: 100 hours of community service; £599 costs. Both are banned from keeping dogs for 10 years.
CONVICTED (2024) | Conor Ward, born c. 1992, of Cranny Avenue, Carnlough, Ballymena BT44 0HA – abandoned five dogs and left them to starve.
In an animal cruelty case described in court as “truly harrowing”, Conor Ward admitted causing unnecessary suffering to several unnamed bull terrier-type dogs who fought with each other after he abandoned them. One dog was killed by the others, who then fed on his corpse in desperation.
In April 2020 Ward uploaded this image of one of his dogs to Facebook
Ward’s cruelty came to light in November 2020 when animal welfare officers from Mid and East Antrim Borough Council visited his home after receiving a report about dogs fighting in the back yard.
Ward shared this image of his English bull terrier to his Facebook followers in April 2020
The property was vacant. There was no food and little clothing, but there was post in Ward’s name.
When investigators looked in the rear concrete yard, they discovered the half-eaten dead dog and four other animals.
The dead dog – a Staffy – was found to have numerous puncture wounds on his neck and back. He had died as a result of “significant trauma to the upper respiratory tract” and one of his hind legs had been eaten.
One female Staffy had to be coaxed from her ramshackle living accommodation
The four living dogs – three Staffies and an English bull terrier – were all underweight and had no access to food or water or clean bedding. All of them had cuts and wounds of varying ages.
One female Staffy was found “hiding in the back of a kennel and took some coaxing and reassurance” to entice her out. When she finally emerged, there were fresh and bleeding wounds to her face and nose.
Another Staffy was observed eating the corpse of the dead dog and was found to be timid and underweight.
The third living Staffy was given a body score of just 2/9 and had bleeding puncture wounds to her face.
An English bull terrier was found in a pen by herself. Historic scars were found on both front feet, nose, head and carpus regions.
Sadly this little dog did not survive with Ward’s other dogs resorting to eating his remains
All surviving dogs were nursed back to health and went on to be rehomed.
Defence counsel Grant Powles told the court his client had asked a relative to look after the dogs as he was dealing with “sensitive” personal issues at the time. He added that as a result, Ward turned to “illicit drugs” including cocaine.
Sentencing Ward, District Judge Nigel Broderick told him it was no surprise that having been left with neither food nor water, the dogs began fighting to such an extent that one Staffordshire Bull terrier was killed and the other four, “no doubt starving of food, resorted to eating it”.
Revealing how the dog most likely died as a result of “significant trauma to the upper respiratory tract,” the judge told the court “I cannot imagine a more serious and harrowing case of animal cruelty”.
Although he imposed a six month jail sentence in order to both punish Ward and to deter others, the judge freed him on bail pending an appeal of the sentence.
Sentencing | six-month custodial sentence; total costs of £5,486.62 costs. 20-year disqualification order applicable to all animals. Ward lodged an appeal with a hearing set for 12 February 2024.
The custodial sentence imposed on Conor Ward was overturned and replaced with a combination order of two years on probation and 100 hours of community service.
Judge Gerard McNamara told Antrim County Court of Appeal that while it was a “very distressing case” involving cruelty to “defenceless animals”, he was varying the sentence because Ward’s cruelty was passive rather than active.
He was also taking account of other “personal mitigation” as well as Ward’s guilty pleas and remorse.
The 20-year ban on keeping, owning or transporting any animal was affirmed.
CONVICTED (2023) | Zara Doherty, born 20 June 1992, of Glenvarna Drive, Newtownabbey, BT36 but with links to West Belfast – left her pet dog and cat unattended in a property for several days.
Pets belonging to Zara Doherty had to be rescued by local authority animal welfare officers after she abandoned them
Proceedings against Doherty, a heroin addict, were brought by Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council under the Welfare of Animals Act (NI) 2011. Doherty was convicted in her absence after failing to attend court.
The council’s animal welfare officer visited the property on the Glenvarna estate in January 2023 and, after ascertaining that no one had tended to the needs of the animals for several days, carried out an abandonment procedure.
Zara Doherty’s pets Bella and Loki. The supposed ex-junkie has a history of pets in her care going ‘missing’
The officer executed a warrant and witnessed an underweight dog, thought to be a German Shepherd/Rottweiler crossbreed named Bella, and a young cat called Loki, locked in a room with no access to food and water. The area was dirty with faeces and urine present on the floors. A council vet advised removal of the animals from the property.
Sentencing | three-month suspended prison sentence; a total of £433.14 towards legal/court costs, vet expenses and boarding fees. Laughable two-year ban on keeping animals (expires November 2025).
CONVICTED (2023) | hare coursers Darren Prenter, born 25 May 1996, of Velsheda Court, Belfast BT14 7LZ, Patrick McGourty, born 27 December 1995, and Patrick Robert Shannon, born 17 March 1972, of Cranbrook Court, Belfast BT14 7HA.
Hare coursing gang members L-R Darren Prenter, Paddy Shannon, Patrick McGourty
Prenter and McGourty admitted illegal hare coursing as well as aggravated trespass in Glenwherry Moor in County Antrim on January 22, 2023. Shannon only admitted the aggravated trespass offence.
Following their guilty pleas, the Public Prosecution Service withdrew charges of killing game and taking part in a hare-coursing event.
A defence lawyer told the court the moor’s gamekeeper alerted the police to suspected hare coursing.
When officers arrived, the defendants came walking across fields with three lurchers and a springer spaniel.
While they claimed they had been out walking their dogs, two dead hares were found during a search of a car.
The trio said they had found them by the roadside but were given a formal police caution.
The Public Prosecution Service told the court earlier this week that hare coursing had been a persistent problem on the moor.
District Judge Nigel Broderick replied: “I think I’ve dealt with this area before.”
A defence lawyer conceded that since the dead animals had been found with puncture wounds, it was likely they had died in coursing.
But they added there was no evidence they had been killed on the moor.
Judge Broderick doubted the trio had been in the area merely to walk dogs.
He said: “They all live in Belfast [and] they were in Ballymena. It’s a long way to go just for a walk.”
The judge said: “I take a dim view of this behaviour. It’s an area of conservation, well-maintained, and this was a deliberate act.”
The case against Shannon was adjourned until December 7 for a pre-sentence report.
Sentencing | Prenter and McGourty were given a two-month custodial sentence, suspended for three years.
Career criminal Patrick Robert Shannon has now been sentenced. Shannon, who has 156 previous convictions, was given three months in prison, suspended for three years.
District Judge Nigel Broderick told him: “On balance, I will leave something hanging over your head.”
Shannon, now of Annesley Street in Belfast, had already admitted aggravated trespass when he appeared at Ballymena Magistrates Court.
Judge Broderick told Shannon that when deciding his sentence, he had to take into account his extensive criminal record. His previous convictions include armed robbery and drug smuggling.
CONVICTED (2022) | April Louise Thomas, born 30 April 1994, of Thornhill Parade, Ballyclare BT39 9RE- filmed herself hitting and throttling a cat.
Mother-of-two April Thomas, who has links to Larne and Croydon, pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to a cat.
In May 2021 Belfast City Council received a complaint about an act of animal cruelty at Thomas’s home. A video clip sent with the complaint showed Thomas grab a white cat from a crate and hold it up by the neck.
In the footage she appeared to apply pressure in a strangling motion while shouting: “See this weak neck. Shut up.”
A council solicitor said “She then strikes the cat on the head and face and calls the cat names.”
The animal, who does not belong to Thomas, could be seen grasping and moving her jaws in pain before being shut back into the crate.
District Judge George Conner was told the incident had been reported after Thomas sent the video to a relative.
A vet who examined the clip confirmed the cat would have suffered from being choked and struck.
Thomas initially denied the allegations until she was shown footage. At that stage she claimed the cat had bitten her.
Animal welfare officers subsequently located the pet and returned her to her owner, who received an improvement notice not to leave her with Thomas again. During interviews she claimed to have given the cat “a smack because it wouldn’t shut up and attacked me”.
A photograph of an alleged bite mark on her hand was also produced. Thomas acknowledged her behaviour had been inappropriate but stated that she suffers from depression.
Defence barrister Paul Burns acknowledged the seriousness of an incident he argued had lasted “a couple of seconds”.
Stressing his client’s previous clear record, he told the court her IQ has been assessed in the bottom one percent of the general population.
“She is clearly a lady with very significant anxiety and various other difficulties,” Mr Burns added.
Sentencing | 80 hours of community service. £172 in costs. Banned from keeping cats for 10 years. The order prohibits Thomas from keeping cats, from looking after cats or being involved in anything to do with cats.
CONVICTED (2022) | Valerie Orr, born c. 1966, of Mounthill Manor, Larne BT40 3FB – for the mistreatment of her ailing pet dog.
Orr pleaded guilty to failing to ensure the welfare of the border collie, known as Harley, who was found in very poor condition at her home.
The charges were brought against Orr by Mid and East Antrim Borough Council under the Welfare of Animals Act (NI) 2011.
Proceedings followed an investigation by Council’s Animal Welfare Officer who visited Orr’s property in March 2021.
A warrant was executed after Harley had been taken to a vet and concerns raised regarding his condition, in particular, the need for the dog to be euthanised was not adhered to.
Harley was examined by Council’s vet who advised the dog had a putrid smell coming from him, with large matts of hair that smelled strongly of urine and faeces, plus an infection around his backend.
The area under his tail was examined and the left anal gland was grossly enlarged with a nodular appearance. It had abscessed and leaked a lot of infected material. This painful and chronic lesion was causing suffering to the dog.
The decision was made to euthanise the dog in his best interest.
Sentencing: fine and costs totalling £622. Three-year ban (expires January 2025).
CONVICTED (2021) | David Blair, born 12 August 1977, of 23 Ballycraigy Park, Newtownabbey BT36 5XF – for the extreme neglect and starvation of two dogs found malnourished in insanitary conditions.
Blair pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to a pug-type dog named Toto and a mastiff-type dog known as Skye and failing to ensure their welfare.
The charges were brought by Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council under the Welfare of Animals Act (NI) 2011.
During a visit to Blair’s home in January 2020 the council’s animal welfare officer discovered the two severely malnourished dogs living in a room with faeces and blood on the floor. Maggots were observed under the dogs’ food dish and the rear garden was covered in dog faeces.
The dogs were taken into the council’s possession and transported to the council vet for examination. Toto was given a body condition score of 1/5 and weighed only 5.7kg while Skye weighed just 26kg and her body condition was given a score of 0/5.
In addition to their poor body conditions, both dogs were living in unacceptable conditions and were certified as suffering.
Fed a proper diet, Skye’s weight increased to 34.7kg while Toto’s increased to 8.1kg.
It was determined that the dogs could have died without the council’s intervention.
Sentencing: seven months in jail for causing unnecessary suffering with an additional four months for failing to ensure the welfare of these dogs, to be served concurrently. Ordered to pay £200 in costs. Disqualified from keeping animals for 10 years (expires October 2031).
CONVICTED (2021) | Kathy Margaret Marshall, born 7 April 1989, of Sunnylands Avenue, Carrickfergus BT38 8JT – for the cruel mistreatment of four dogs found starved at her home.
Marshall pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering and failing to ensure the welfare of four unnamed dogs which she owned.
The charges were brought against the Marshall by Mid and East Antrim Borough Council under the Welfare of Animals Act (NI) 2011.
Proceedings followed an investigation by the council’s Animal Welfare Officer who visited Marshall’s property at Sunnylands Avenue, Carrickfergus on 19th December 2019.
A number of dogs were found living at the property in a malnourished state. The dogs ate ravenously when provided with food.
A council vet gave three of the dogs a body condition score of 1/5 with the fourth dog being scored 0/5 due to being extremely thin. That dog was skeletal with no discernible body fat and loss of muscle mass. A vet said that the dog would not have survived in her malnourished state.
All four dogs made a full recovery and were successfully rehomed through an animal sanctuary.
Sentencing: four months in prison suspended for 12 months; £310 in costs. 10 year disqualification order (expires September 2031).
