CONVICTED (2023) | Jamie Straugheir (aka Jamie-Lee Straugheir), born 17 March 2022, of Victoria Road, Darlington but with strong links to Ipswich and Felixstowe in Suffolk – bit the head off a live hamster.
Straugheir admitted biting the head off a domestic pet hamster on Christmas Eve 2022.
He also pleaded guilty to charges of failing to surrender to police and failing to appear in court when he was expected on February 6, 2023.
Sentencing | 26 weeks’ imprisonment. Disqualified from owning, keeping or participating in keeping pets for a period of 10 years but may apply for the order to be terminated as early as 2028.
CONVICTED (2021) | Edwin Grange Welch, aka Ned Welch, born February 1995, of 11 Honeypot Lane Caravan Site, Honeypot Lane, Darlington DL3 0YH – bred dogs without a licence.
Ned Welch and a litter of cavapoo puppies he recently advertised on Facebook.
Traveller Welch, director of Easy Car Recycling Ltd, admitted one offence of breeding dogs and advertising a business selling dogs without a licence.
He pleaded guilty to the charge, which dates from between November 22, 2019 and April 28, 2021, and was given a 12-month conditional discharge.
He was told to pay costs of £150 and a further £21, which will go towards funding victim services.
CONVICTED (2020) | Christy Leigh Jones, born c. 1985, of 21 The Mead, Darlington DL1 1EU – kept five horses in appalling conditions, caked in faeces with overgrown hooves
Convicted: Christy Leigh Jones is banned from keeping horses until December 2025
Jones kept her horses in stables that, in the opinion of a vet, had not been properly cleaned out for at least six months.
Their hooves had also been left to grow untrimmed.
RSPCA Inspector Gemma Lynch, who led the investigation for the animal welfare charity said: “The stables in which the horses were found were filthy.
“The horses stood on inches of faeces.
“There was very little natural light and a strong smell of urine and faeces throughout.
“Micky, Paddy and Dinky’s stable doors were being pushed open by the buildup of bedding creating a gap where they could possibly trap a leg.
“In order to lead the horses out of the individual stables, piles of sodden straw and faeces in the central aisle had to be cleared as they prevented the stable doors from opening.”
Jones kept the horses in foul conditions and failed to have a farrier attend to their hooves, which were painfully overgrown
A vet examined each of the horses and concluded Micky, Paddy and Ruby had not had any hoof trimming for at least 12 months or more; Dinky and Rainbowdash hadn’t had theirs trimmed for six months or longer based on the differences in hoof length.
It is normal practice for a horse to have their feet trimmed every eight to 12 weeks, and sometimes more frequently.
The veterinary report submitted to the court also said: “These horses have been kept in appalling conditions.
“They were living in their own excrement and several of the horses had faecal material matted on their hair.
“This environment is completely unacceptable and is a significant health risk for these horses.
“Based on the depth of faecal material accumulated with bedding, I would estimate that these stables had not been appropriately managed for at least six months.”
Two of the horses have since been rehomed, with the remaining three soon to be made available for rehoming.
Sentencing: £840 costs. Five-year ban on keeping horses (expires December 2025).
CONVICTED (2020) | John Raper and Clare Louise Raper, ages unknown, both of Darlington, County Durham – for the mistreatment of several animals
John Raper
John Raper and wife Clare Louise Raper were convicted of causing unnecessary suffering to their Labrador cross Chico and failing to meet the needs of Chico, a cat called Puss, three domestic white rats and two budgies.
Mr Raper pleaded guilty to a third offence of failing to protect Chico and Puss from pain, suffering, injury or disease.
When RSPCA inspector Clare Wilson entered the home with police she found the animals were living in an unhygienic and hazardous environment. Inside, the rooms were hoarded household items which were infested with fleas, flies and other insects.
Clare saw Chico had an untreated skin condition with hair loss to his back, and he was scratching his skin. As well as his condition, his water was dirty and undrinkable.
There was a metal cage containing two white rats – the only water they had was also dirty and had dead flies floating in it.
There was rubbish and takeaway containers filling their cage and she saw doner meat from a takeaway box but no specific rat food. The rats were huddled in a corner as their soiled newspaper was falling and dripping through the base of the cage.
A black cat called Puss was found curled up on a bed that was damp and soiled. Puss was also found to have a flea infestation.
Two budgies called Penny and Shadow were in a cage where they had no room to fly because of a large number of hanging toys. Their cage was also soiled with droppings.
Clare found another white rat living in a filing drawer. The drawer was closed so the rat was living in the dark amongst rubbish with no food or water.
Clare said: “I could feel insects on me throughout the time I was in the property so it was clear there was a major flea infestation and maybe other insects as well.
“The floor was wet with urine in places and there was no natural light or ventilation inside as all the windows were covered. There was rubbish and hazards everywhere making it an inappropriate environment for animals to be living in.”
A deprivation order was given for Chico, Puss, Penny and Shadow meaning that these animals will be able to be rehomed after a 21-day appeal period has passed.
The rats were signed over into the care of the RSPCA and have been rehomed.
Sentencing: six-month conditional discharge; £222 costs and charges. Lifetime ban on keeping animals with the right of appeal after 20 years.
CONVICTED (2020) | Joseph Pocklington (since deceased), born 16 October 1990, of Marshall Street, Darlington DL3 – ‘lost his temper’ and punched his pet dog in the face numerous times before dragging her by the neck
Joseph Pocklington was filmed punching his dog by a woman in her car
Joseph Pocklington was spotted by a woman in Crown Street, Darlington, who filmed the abuse on her phone before confronting him and taking the dog.
The witness then called the police who later found Pocklington asleep in a nearby church yard.
Alan Davies, prosecuting, said: “At around 4.20pm on Sunday, December 22, a witness was waiting to pick up her daughter on Crown Street in Darlington.
“She noticed the defendant sat on some steps with a black lurcher or greyhound type of dog on a short lead.
“She recorded him grabbing the dog by the neck, dragging it towards him and punching it to the face a number of times.
“The witness and her daughter challenged him and took the dog, he became upset by this and left. The witness then contacted the police who found him sleeping in a church yard.
“He was arrested and told police ‘yeah, I did give my dog a few slaps,’ he was then shown footage from the incident and became upset, saying he could not remember assaulting the dog and could only remember getting angry because the dog was trying to run into the traffic.”
Pocklington pleaded guilty to one count of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal.
Stephen Andrews, mitigating, said his client’s behaviour was out of character and he was very upset having watched the footage of the incident.
He said: “You have heard that when he was interviewed he became very upset and that’s because he was appalled by what he seen.
“You have a gentleman here who would describe himself as a dog lover. He has kept dogs for many years without any issues whatsoever, he looked after them and he protected them.
“How then does he end up before you for an offence of this type? He has over a period of time abused alcohol and has essentially become alcohol dependant.
“He has no recollection of the incident, but he tells me he can remember his feet becoming tangled with the dog lead and becoming angry.
“You have heard that police found him asleep in a public area a short time after, and that is because he was so intoxicated. He is incredibly remorseful.”
Sentencing: 12-month community order; total of £180 in costs and charges. Banned from keeping animals for two years (expired August 2022).
CONVICTED (2019) | Sarah Hird, born 1984, previous of Shildon Street, Darlington and more recently Ketton Ave, Darlington – left a pet rabbit to live without adequate shelter amongst dirty nappies and household waste in the garden
Sarah Hird’s unnamed pet rabbit was found living in disgusting conditions in a garden filled with discarded rubbish. The little bunny was soaking wet and suffering from painful urine scald, matted fur and untreated digestion problems.
The court heard that Hird’s partner told an RSPCA inspector to “fuck off” when he said the living conditions weren’t good enough for the pet.
Kevin Campbell, prosecuting on behalf of the RSPCA, said: “The investigator called at the address and the door was opened by a man.
“He said he got a shock at the amount of waste and rubbish piled up in the yard and in the corner was a small brown rabbit, soaking wet and without shelter.
“He explained the living conditions were unsuitable and there was an unfortunate exchange where he was told to ‘fuck off out of my house’.
The inspector took the rabbit and he was examined by a veterinary surgeon.
Mr Campbell added: “The vet who examined the rabbit said it was covered in urine scald and had matted fur, the rabbit’s skin was red raw, very painful and it was similar to nappy rash.
“She went on to identify other issues in the rabbit, its digestion system was not working properly. It needs to be working all the time or they become very unwell and die very quickly.
“The hutch was nowhere near good enough, and meant no protection from the extremes of the weather or predators.”
Hird, who was unrepresented in court, pleaded guilty to animal cruelty.
Sentencing | ordered to pay a total of £456. Banned from keeping rabbits for five years (expires October 2024).
CONVICTED (2018) | Billy Henry Welch, born c. 1989, and William Chates, born c. 1965, both of Rowan West caravan site, Levisham Lane, Darlington DL2 1QZ – for “horrific and abhorrent” cockfighting offences
North Yorkshire Police officers described footage of the cockfights, recorded on a mobile phone, as one of the worst examples of animal cruelty they had ever seen – and hailed the “landmark” custodial sentence.
Dead birds with bloody wounds were found at the scene. Many of the rescued birds were bleeding from the body and head,
On 13 January 2018, acting on an anonymous call to the police control room, officers from North Yorkshire Police’s Rural Taskforce and the RSPCA attended premises at Skutterskelf, near Stokesley, North Yorkshire.
A number of men were located there. Officers searched buildings and vehicles, and seized a total of 27 live birds, some of which were bleeding from fresh cuts to the body and head. Inside a stable block, officers located bird feathers, and dried and fresh bloodstains on the floor and carpet.
Billy Welch
During the enquiry, an examination was carried out on a mobile phone recovered from Welch, which revealed he was present at a number of other cockfights, on 19 December 2017 and 4 January 2018.
Investigators described the extremely graphic video footage on the phone as “sickening”.
The RSPCA provided expert evidence about the condition of the birds, and arranged for their safe storage and ongoing care.
Billy Welch pleaded guilty to charges of causing an animal fight to take place, keeping animals for fighting, and being present at an animal fight on three occasions in December 2017 and January 2018.
Jailing Welch, magistrates told him: “You put your own recreational needs before the welfare of your animals, in the most horrific and abhorrent circumstances.”
William Chates pleaded guilty to being present at an animal fight.
Two further defendants were found not guilty.
Sentencing | Billy Welch: 20 weeks in jail; £2,000 costs. Disqualified from keeping all animals for 20 years. William Chates: 120 hours of unpaid work; £170 cots. Disqualified from keeping all animals for 10 years.
CONVICTED (2016) | Pearl Barker of Ardmore Drive, Darlington DL1 3QB – neglected a German Shepherd dog and twice breached her disqualification order.
Barker had a cat and dog removed from her property in 2008 after an RSPCA vet found her German Shepherd had been neglected.
The dog weighed around 10kg less than the normal weight for his breed and he was found to have a severe flea problem which had not been treated.
The RSPCA issued a disqualification order to stop Barker from keeping any animals from 2008 until November 2018.
But two inspections at Barker’s flat in 2012 and 2015 found she had rabbits, cats and goldfish in her property.
Her original ten-year ban was extended by one year, but in 2016 Barker appealed to have her disqualification overturned. She told the court she missed the company of animals and hoped magistrates could see she had turned her life around.
But the RSPCA recommended that the ban should remain in place while Barker continues to adjust aspects of her life.
Prosecutor Kevin Campbell said: “This application is premature.
“The law is here to protect the animals and this case is not about her, it’s about the animals – we’re looking out for them.”
Chairman of the bench, Ruth Dent, said: “We’ve judged your application very carefully and while we realise you’ve made changes we feel this application is premature.”
Barker was told she must serve the rest of the ban until at least November 2017 before she can apply to own animals again.
CONVICTED (2015) | Daniel Michael Peel, born 22/03/1986, of 15 Blackmoor Close, Darlington DL1 4RU – caught on CCTV repeatedly kicking and stamping on his dog’s head, causing her to howl in pain
Father-of-three Danny Peel dodged jail despite kicking a defenceless dog’s head like a football
CCTV footage showed lifelong thug Daniel Peel kicking the female bull terrier-type dog, named Sacha, at a bus stop near The Navy Club on North Road, Darlington, on May 17, 2015.
He then rounded the corner towards Northgate and stamped on the dog’s head five or six times causing the animal to whine loudly.
One witness, who was standing at the bus stop, said: “He brought his left knee up high and stamped down five or six times on the dog’s head. He put all his force into it. He did it with venom and anger.
“When he made contact with the dog I heard a crunching sound and a thud. It made me feel sick.”
The witness added that they shouted after Peel and wanted to pursue him but “felt scared”.
Prosecutor Kevin Campbell told Darlington Magistrates’ Court how the RSPCA received several complaints and spoke to witnesses who came forward following the incident, one of which identified Peel from his tribal tattoos.
Peel offered no comment when asked by the RSPCA why he attacked the dog.
The court heard how Peel had been subjected to a barrage of hate mail and threats on social media since the attack, which caused the breakdown of a long-term relationship.
Peel was identified by witnesses from his tribal tattoos
“Cruelty to animals will never be tolerated by the court,” said chairman of the bench, Nick Edger.
“We have seen just one aspect of what you did on that day and witnesses have come forward to say you did more.
A vet assessed Sacha and confirmed severe bruising on such muscular breeds is not always visible but she had experienced a lot of suffering.
After seeing the CCTV footage of the incident the vet said it was “a vicious attack” and there was “no justification”.
Peel later admitted causing unnecessary suffering to Sacha, who was owned by his former partner.
RSPCA officer, Clare Wilson, said: “It’s really down to the public that we managed to get the court to take this so seriously because of the response we had.”
Sentence: 12-month community order including 80 hours’ unpaid work; £1,500 court costs. Banned from owning animals for five years (expired November 2020).
In 2022 convicted violent dog abuser Peel launched a bully breeding business called Darlington Bully Camp (styled as Darlingtonbullycamp) or DBC. Facebook business page here.
DBC specialises in XL American bulldogs. Many of the dogs promoted on Peel’s social media profiles have cropped ears.
CONVICTED (2014) | Jon Soley (may also use the surname Zanetti), born 13/10/1980, based at Corbridge Crescent, Darlington DL1 2QH but as at October 2019 living in Elliott Court, Darlington DL1 4FF – captured on video kicking his dog in the ribs and hitting the dog repeatedly in the face with a dead rabbit
Jon Soley was only banned from keeping animals for three years after being convicted of cruelty to his dog.
Mobile phone footage played in court showed Jon Soley forcefully kicking his Patterdale Terrier, known as Billy, after the dog had caught a rabbit.
Onlookers can also be heard laughing and cheering as Soley repeatedly hits Billy in the face with the rabbit.
Wildlife persecutor Soley initially denied causing unnecessary suffering to the dog and another of failing to meet his needs by not seeking veterinary treatment for a mouth ulcer, but was found guilty following a trial.
He also admitted two offences under the Wildlife and Countryside Act of possessing a cage trap and attempting to take a wild bird.
Kevin Campbell, prosecuting on behalf of the RSPCA, told the court: “He struck the dog and caused it to suffer. Anyone who treats a dog like that causes it to suffer.”
Jon Soley’s lawyer told the court his client had no previous convictions for animal cruelty.
In mitigation, John Grierson said that while he agreed the footage was disturbing, his client had no previous convictions for animal cruelty and had kept dogs all his life.
He told the court Soley had not sought treatment for his pet’s mouth ulcer because it did not appear to be causing him any discomfort.
“Billy was a family pet – he went out for walks with the children in the family. He will regret the loss of the dog,” he said.
Soley was arrested during dawn raids in May last year as part of Operation Stockholm – a joint initiative by the RSPCA and Darlington police to tackle animal cruelty in the area.
Speaking after the hearing, RSPCA chief inspector Mark Gent said he was pleased with the result and hoped it would act as a deterrent for others.
He said: “This is a prime example of where we have undertaken a joint operation focussing on things that have been put on the internet and brought those people to justice.”
Billy was signed over to the RSPCA and magistrates ordered the destruction of the mobile phone and bird cages.
Sentencing: Ordered to pay £1,620 in costs, charges and vet fees. 12-month community order with 80 hours of unpaid work. A three-year ban on keeping animals (expired September 2017).
