CONVICTED (2024) | notorious puppy farmer Eugene Daly, born 6 April 1982, of 88 Derryfubble Road, Dungannon BT71 7PW – transported very young and unwell puppies from Northern Ireland to Great Britain.
Company director Eugene Daly, operator of a dog breeding establishment (DBE) licensed for over 200 dogs by Mid-Ulster Council, was fined after admitting to a charge of ‘transporting a dog not fit for the journey’. The paperwork held by Daly was also inaccurate and fraudulent.
Daly, sole director of Hillside Kennels Ltd and Daly Transport Ltd, was prosecuted after a consignment of his puppies was stopped and examined at Belfast Port.
Puppy farmer and transporter Eugene Daly is pictured with dog groomer girlfriend Sandra Millar who is alleged to sell puppies on his behalf
The case arose as part of Operation Paws for Thought, a multi-agency initiative led by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) aimed at clamping down on the low-welfare trafficking of puppies between Northern Ireland and Great Britain.
Checks carried out on exports made by Daly discovered that destination addresses held for the puppies were false.
Veterinary examination of the puppies found that some of them were not eight weeks old.
Many seemed poorly socialised, had extended tummies and a pot-bellied appearance consistent with worm infestation.
The bedding in the cages appeared wet and quite heavily soiled. This contradicted Daly’s assertion that the puppies had only been loaded less than two hours previously.
Daly pleaded guilty and was fined £400 plus £15 offender levy.
Daly’s partner is Sandra Millar of Stiloga Road, Eglish, Dungannon BT71 7QH. According to the anti puppy farming campaign group Do Better DoneDeal Millar, a dog groomer trading under the name Happy Tails, sells farmed puppies on her boyfriend’s behalf, while lying that they are home-bred.
Gannon, who was previously convicted of running an illegal venison supply plant, was prosecuted following a police investigation into his activities initiated in January 2020.
Searches were carried out at a property in the Castlederg area and in two food processing plants in Coalisland and Scotland. This led to a further investigation into money laundering.
In court Gannon pleaded guilty to various charges in relation to the possession of criminal property.
Detective Chief Inspector Wilson said: “We welcome the outcome and want to remind the public and any business owners that we will continue to tackle all types of criminality including wildlife crime such as deer poaching and money laundering, investigating reports accordingly.
“The investigations into Mr Gannon’s unlawful activity, were conducted collaboratively with partners from the Food Standard Agency, Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs, and Derry City and Strabane Environmental Health Council, which highlights our shared determination and commitment to disrupting these types of crime.
“Going forward, the local community is encouraged to report any similar incidents of deer poaching to police, to prevent this illegal activity taking place. I would also like to add that when investigating officers are considering wildlife crime other offences may be identified”.
Sentencing | 200 hours of community service; confiscation order for £6,000.
CONVICTED (2024) | serial animal abuser Liam Reece Aiden Swift, born c. 2001, of McCrea Park, Clogher BT76 0AE – killed two dogs and is suspected of the brutal slaying of a third.
Violent career criminal Liam Swift admitted cruelty offences after two dogs were found dead.
He admitted causing unnecessary suffering to a dog on October 5, 2023, then to another dog on November 12, 2023.
Swift was under investigation for the death of a third dog who had been found with “horrific injuries” several months beforehand.
Dungannon Magistrates Court heard how Swift was arrested over a bail breach on November 11 and, because police knew he owned a dog, they attended his home to ensure she had food and water.
Officers found faeces everywhere and, when the dog didn’t appear, they began checking rooms.
The dog was discovered dead on a pile of rubbish in a cupboard, a chain tightly wrapped around her neck, cutting into the skin.
Then on November 15 police learned there was a second dead dog hidden in a hedge near Swift’s home.
A search revealed the decomposing body of a small dog wrapped in a blanket and placed in a bag.
Swift’s partner confirmed the small dog was hers and she had brought her to Swift’s home on September 23 while staying with him.
She claimed on October 5 another male arrived at the property and ecstasy tablets were produced, which fell on the floor, with her unnamed dog ingesting them.
The dog “became hyper” then fell asleep. However, she later noticed the dog was very wet and asked Swift if he had thrown water over her, which he denied.
The partner left the house for a time but later received a call from Swift claiming he couldn’t waken the dog and she “was in a bad way”.
On return she found the animal “cold and dead”.
She wrapped the dog in a blanket and the pair went outside to bury her. They had no shovel, however, so left the body in the hedge.
Two weeks after the death of this dog, the defendant purchased another dog, but contacted his partner on November 10 claiming he had run away.
The court heard: “This was the death of two dogs killed inside a month and the third dog within a year.
“There is already a live investigation into the death of another dog he allegedly killed in January 2023. Its injuries were horrific.”
A defence barrister said his client had a troubled and complex background. He said that while Swift had some family support, “that has been significantly displaced, particularly as a result of the visceral reaction from the community to these charges”.
“Those who operate outside the law have indicated to the defendant, in no uncertain terms, that he is not to return to his property in light of the views taken.
“Offending of this type will follow him around for the rest of his life.”
The defence conceded Swift is in breach of two suspended sentences but pointed out that neither relate to animal cruelty.
District Judge Michael Ranaghan remarked: “These dogs died horrible and potentially prolonged deaths. It was extreme cruelty to animals who do not deserve to be treated by anybody like that. Cruelty at its most apparent. It was appalling behaviour.”
The judge concluded: “It is my understanding that I can make the disqualification order banning owning any animal for life and that is what I will do. This man should not be around any animal going forward.”
Sentencing | eight-month custodial for the animal cruelty offences with a further two months added for the previously suspended sentences. Lifetime ban in relation to all animals.
Facebook animal welfare group Northern Ireland’s Voice for the Voiceless were contacted late last year by a Clogher resident after they published details of the Liam Swift’s prosecution. The resident set out in detail the nature of Swift’s cruelty to dogs.
CONVICTED (2023) | puppy smugglers Mark Anthony Hirst, born September 1977, of Lidgett Lane, Skelmanthorpe, Huddersfield HD8 9AQ* and Oliver Sean McVeigh, born c. 1974, of 65 Kinturk Road, Cookstown BT80 0JD
Breeder Oliver Sean McVeigh (left) colluded with pet transporter Mark Hirst to smuggle animals from Ireland into Britain.
Hirst, sole director of Allstar Pet Transport Limited, and commercial dog breeder McVeigh pleaded guilty to charges in relation to an illegal puppy smuggling racket between Northern Ireland England.
Hirst’s company was a front for an illegal racket where bogus paperwork was used to move dogs from puppy farms in the Republic of Ireland to the UK mainland
Hirst was jailed for four months after he pleaded guilty to a charge of fraud by false representation, while McVeigh walked free from court with a suspended three-month custodial sentence after he admitted supplying the dogs to Hirst to illegally sell in the UK.
Some of the puppies seized by police from Mark Hirst’s vehicle
The court heard that Hirst was stopped on August 2, 2022, by a DAERA official (Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs) at the Duncrue inspection centre which is part of Belfast Port.
The official found 58 dogs in Hirst’s van along with a cat who was being legitimately transported to her owner in England.
The puppies were an assortment of breeds, including golden retriever, cockapoo, miniature terrier, French bull dog, American bull dog, cocker spaniel, roan spaniel and dachshund.
The court heard that Allstar Pet Transport was a “legitimate” business, but under EU laws Hirst was required to produce transport certificates for each animal he ferried between Northern Ireland and mainland Britain.
When the DAERA official checked the transport certificates for the dogs found in Hirst’s van they were found to be false.
Each certificate must state the origin of the ownership, the place of departure, date and time of departure, the intended place of destination and the expected duration of the journey.
During an earlier court hearing, an investigating detective said the paperwork contained details of those Hirst allegedly met to obtain the animals, but police could only contact one person who stated they did not know him.
“(Some of) these people don’t exist, they are duplicate names and addresses, they are bogus,” he contended.
Searches of the vehicle uncovered vaccination cards completed by a veterinarian based in Co Longford.
The detective said Hirst travelled to Northern Ireland by ferry, drove across the border, and then returned with the animals.
“It is the police case that the defendant is involved as a puppy smuggler,” he alleged.
“He’s involved in moving dogs from the Republic of Ireland over to Great Britain and he is making fraudulent declarations to DAERA in order to obtain his paperwork.
“These dogs are being recovered from puppy farms in the Republic of Ireland and documentation is being falsified to suggest they are from Northern Ireland.
The detective described Hirst’s pet transportation business as “a façade to facilitate a criminal enterprise.”
Prosecutor Rosemary Walsh told the court that Hirst “could have run a legitimate business on this day but he was providing false information and it was not possible for the authorities to know where an animal was going. We have no evidence of where the animals were going. Anything could happen to them.”
McVeigh’s lawyer told the court “was having puppies at his impeccable kennels which he couldn’t sell in Northern Ireland”.
He added: “There simply wasn’t the demand at the time and demand for puppies in Northern Ireland dropped right off once (Covid) lockdown ended.
“There was a much higher demand in England and he knew he could transport dogs over there, get them sold and get paid”.
Passing sentence, Belfast Recorder Judge Patricia Smyth said that the case before her did not involve “cruelty to animals” but said that the “absence of a plausible explanation for the ultimate destination of these dogs is a matter of concern”.
She added: “The fraud enabled a profit to be made from animals bred in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland which are then sold at a much higher price in other parts of the UK and Scotland.
“The dangers for animal welfare are therefore obvious and a strong message must go out that unlawful practices such as this will not be tolerated by the courts.”
The Recorder noted that Hirst had previous convictions for drug offences and cautions for dishonesty offences.
Turning to McVeigh, Judge Smyth said his “excellent reputation as a dog breeder … has now been seriously diminished”.
Judge Smyth concluded: “Those who fraudulently attempt to undermine the system put in place to safeguard the welfare of animals are committing a serious offence.”
Sentencing |
Hirst was jailed for four months after admitting a charge of fraud by false representation.
McVeigh received a three-month suspended sentence.He admitted supplying the dogs to Hirst to be sold illegally in the UK and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation.
*Alternative address for Mark Hirst: Leys Farm, Park Lane, Emley, Huddersfield HD8 9SS.
Hirst’s company Allstar Pet Transport Limited was dissolved in November 2023. This was a reincarnation of a previous company with an identical name, which was dissolved in March 2021.
Hirst was implicated in a 2021 animal cruelty prosecution case after dozens of puppies found crammed into a van travelling on the M6 died with canine Covid. The vehicle, which was being driven by traveller Patrick Stokes of Adventure Lane, West Rainton, Durham, was stopped by police officers who found 46 dehydrated and malnourished dogs inside. Stokes told police he had paid Mark Hirst to transport the animals from Belfast to Cheltenham. He said he had picked the puppies up from Hirst just 45 minutes before being stopped by the police.
Hirst was charged with one count of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal and one count of failing to ensure the welfare of an animal in his care. He was due to stand trial in September 2021 but the outcome was never reported.
In June 2021 Stokes was convicted for his part. Details of the case against him are here.
#MostEvil | horse trader Mark McGurk, born c. 1998, of Glenpark Road, Gortin, Omagh – stabbed a horse in a revenge attack against traveller Harry Evans
Paedophile Mark McGurk is currently serving a prison term for sexual activity with a child. He was on bail for the horse cruelty matter when he sexually assaulted the child, after a cocaine and alcohol binge at a birthday party on October 5, 2019.
Despite previous denials McGurk ultimately admitted deliberately causing unnecessary suffering to the horse on June 10, 2019.
The court heard police were advised of the horse being stabbed at premises in the Gortreagh Road of Cookstown and on arrival McGurk identified himself as the owner.
An on-call vet was treating the horse and a number of puncture wounds were observed.
McGurk said he has been drinking with a fellow horse trader, traveller Harry Evans (an abuser in his own right albeit not yet convicted) and claimed that Evans had stabbed the horse after becoming “agitated”
Police were told Evans may still be in the area but they found him at his Magherafelt home, where he showed them a video sent to him by McGurk, via Facebook.
The distressing footage clearly showed the horse being stabbed.
McGurk was arrested and interviewed, but with the exception of claiming to own the horse, thereafter made no comment.
A vet provided a report on the severity of the injuries, confirming the horse had to be put down.
McGurk’s defence barrister said: “[He] expresses guilt, shame and remorse, in the strongest possible terms. He was behaving erratically, unpredictably and irrationally at the time. He describes the act as a moment of madness and can give no other explanation. He got emergency assistance from a vet and tried to stop the bleeding.”
Traveller Harry Evans, a horse trader and, like his former friend Mark McGurk, a pervert with a conviction for voyeurism
Asked why the attack was filmed, the defence said the two men had a disagreement to which Judge Ranaghan remarked: “I can’t see it as anything but revenge. Repeatedly stabbing that totally innocent animal which had the misfortune to be in the defendant’s care, was a profoundly evil act.
“I cannot begin to imagine the level of what that defenceless horse suffered involving extreme pain, fear and distress. One cut was very deep and probably caused its death. This wasn’t a moment of madness. It was at least four moments of madness. Blood was pooling around that defenceless animal’s feet. That level of evil cruelty is disturbing.”
Sentencing | jailed for seven months. Seven-year ban on owning any animal.
