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.
CONVICTED (2024) | cat hoarder Teresa Hawtin, born c. 1975, of Duport Road, Burbage, Hinckley LE10 – kept 58 felines in a faeces- and urine-covered flat.
Two of the 58 cats found at Hawtin’s flat were were dead when the RSPCA entered the property. A third cat was put to sleep after being transferred into the charity’s care.
Hawtin claimed to be a “caring cat lover” who had previously run a cat rescue service.
However, in the preceding six months or so, the number of cats she was looking after had “increased dramatically” due to people asking her to “take in stray cats and cats that had been abandoned”.
RSPCA Inspector Helen Smith said Hawtin’s flat in Shilton Road, in Barwell, Leicester, was “one of the worst properties” she had attended in her 25 years as an inspector. She added the smell of urine and faeces was “overpowering”, with excrement covering “every surface” in the flat except for a small sofa.
Litter trays were overflowing, she said, and there were pools of diarrhoea on the floor. There were also “hundred of flies alive and dead”, the RSPCA said.
All of the remaining cats have since been re-homed, the charity added.
Ms Smith said: “The environment was completely unsuitable, and the smell from the ammonia was overpowering.
“The defendant also claimed she had run a cat rescue, but the conditions these cats were kept in were completely inappropriate for such a large number of cats.
“The RSPCA had tried to help the defendant on a large number of occasions – but she chose to ignore any offers of support.”
Hawtin was well known in her local area for collecting cats
Hawtin pleaded guilty to failing to ensure the needs of the majority of the cats were met, and failing to ensure they had a suitable, hygienic and safe environment. She was found not guilty of causing unnecessary suffering and of not providing timely and appropriate veterinary treatment for eight of them.
She told the court she had tried her best and felt those eight cats did not need veterinary treatment at the point at which she was looking after them, prior to the RSPCA attending. She added that she realised there were too many to look after and that was the reason she signed them over to the care of the RSPCA.
Sentencing | ordered to pay £100 in costs, a fine of £230 and a victim surcharge of £92. Banned from keeping cats for just two years (expires March 2026).
CONVICTED (2024) | Stephen Buxton of the Breach Cottage, Breach Lane, Sudbury, Ashbourne DE6 5HH, Susan Heath of 61 Foss Road, Hilton, Derby DE65 5BJ, and Oliver Lucas of Sudbury Park, Sudbury, Ashbourne DE6 5HU – ran an unlicensed puppy farm on which 28 dogs and puppies were kept in filthy and unsanitary conditions.
Susan Heath and Stephen BuxtonOliver Lucas
In 2020 officers from South Derbyshire District Council were notified that dogs were being bred at the family home of Stephen Buxton without the necessary breeding licence. When council officers contacted Buxton, he denied this but was reminded of the legal obligations.
In 2021 council officers received intelligence that dogs were being sold on social media by owners using different names, but all based at Buxton’s address. A court warrant was obtained by the council and officers visited the premises on June 7, 2022.
A total of 28 adult dogs and pups were found in agricultural buildings at the site.
Conditions were found to be cluttered and dirty, with extensive faecal and urine contamination. The premises was infested with flies and a dead rat was sighted .
The odour in the building was described as overpowering.
All of the dogs at the site were observed to be anxious, wary and in some cases afraid of contact with humans.
Using powers granted under animal welfare legislation, council officers seized the dogs and transported them to a local kennels. Veterinary examination determined that they had all been neglected for a lengthy period
Three weeks after the warrant, all of the dogs were signed over to the legal control of the local authority.
All of the animals were returned to full health and were found permanent homes.
Following the council’s investigation, three people were charged with offences relating to unauthorised breeding of dogs and animal welfare offences. All three pleaded guilty to these offences.
Stephen Buxton admitted one offence of causing unnecessary suffering, nine offences of failing to ensure welfare and two offences of breeding without a licence. He was sentenced to a 12-month community order with 190 hours of unpaid work and ordered to pay £114 victim surcharge and £5,000 contribution towards the prosecution costs.
Oliver Lucas admitted two offences of causing unnecessary suffering, three offences of failing to ensure welfare and one offence of breeding without a licence. He was sentenced to a 12-month community order with 100 hours unpaid work, ordered to pay a £114 victim surcharge and £2,000 contribution to the prosecution costs.
Susan Heath pleaded guilty to breeding without a licence and was fined £180. She was also ordered to pay a £72 victim surcharge and £400 towards the prosecution costs.
District Judge Flint remarked that they had prioritised money over animal welfare and should be ashamed of the conditions in which they kept the dogs. . He held Buxton as most responsible and the chief protagonist, as it was his property and he clearly knew that he should have been licensed. The judge commented that if he had been found guilty after trial, he would have looked at sending him to prison.
CONVICTED (2024) | dog collector Judy Patricia Doolan, born 10 May 1959, of 12 East Ride, Brent Knoll, HighbridgeTA9 4EA – kept 16 badly neglected Romanian rescue dogs in an unattended property.
The 16 Romanian rescue dogs had reportedly been left unattended at Doolan’s home for several days while she lived elsewhere on a caravan site. Some were emaciated and had rotten teeth, dirty smelly coats, and overgrown nails.
Several were found to be extremely fear-aggressive and unsafe to handle through their lack of socialisation. Nine dogs had to be put down due to their poor state of health.
The court heard how in March 2023 RSPCA inspector Hayley Lawrence attended at Doolan’s home to investigate a report of concern about animals at the property. On looking through the letter box she could see that the property was very dirty inside with large amounts of faeces covering the floor area which she said “looked and smelled horrendous”.
Inspector Lawrence had concerns for Doolan’s wellbeing as well as for the dogs so she called her colleagues, police and a vet to attend. Dogs could be seen at the window but no food or water could be seen.
Police located Doolan at the caravan site and returned to the address where she brought the dogs out individually to the front door for them to be checked and recorded.
On examination, many of the dogs were found to have severe matting – the matts on one dog were found to weigh 2.15kg.
The vet describes observing that two rooms of the house had a large build up of faecal matter with the windows heavily soiled in faeces. Some of the dogs also had faecal soiling on their feet and coats.
In mitigation, it was said Ms Doolan had rescued dogs from Romania and had got out of her depth and had struggled with personal difficulties throughout her life.
Doolan plead guilty to two animal welfare offences. She had appealed against her sentence, which was originally imposed in October 2023.
The surviving dogs have been cared for by RSPCA and are thriving.
Speaking after the appeal hearing Inspector Lawrence said: “Our plea to all animal owners is to make sure they always receive care and treatment they need when they need it.
“Animals are completely reliant on their owners to ensure their needs are met and they are kept safe and healthy. Owning an animal is a privilege – and ensuring appropriate care is a key part of the responsibility we have towards them.”
Sentencing | fined £600. Ten-year ban on keeping dogs but may appeal after seven years.
CONVICTED (2024) | backyard breeder Simon Hobbs, born 19 September 1977, of 23 Davies Drive, Caerphilly CF83 3RG – kept neglected and malnourished dogs in inhumane conditions.
On 8 February 2024 Simon Hobbs pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to five dogs including a pregnant Belgian Malinois.
He was prosecuted following an investigation by Caerphilly Council’s Trading Standards team who executed a number of warrants, in June 2023.
Trading Standards and Gwent Police officers accompanied by a vet carried out a search of Hobbs’ home and found six dogs in the kitchen with three of them – French bulldogs – housed in a very small cage.
Conditions in the kitchen were cramped, overcrowded and uncomfortable with little room to play, toilet and feed.
The dogs shared one food tray and two bowls of water.
A pregnant Belgian Malinois was significantly underweight. She gave birth to eight puppies 10 days later.
An Akita was found in an outside lean-to wooden kennel in direct sunlight, with no soft bedding or enrichment. Temperatures recorded early in the day, exceeded 26 degrees, the maximum accepted temperature for dogs.
Three dogs were found with conditions which caused them unnecessary suffering due to a lack of veterinary intervention and management.
The dogs were removed and placed into the care of Hope Rescue with the Malinois and her litter in need of intensive care to ensure their survival.
Sara Rosser, Operations Manager of Hope Rescue Centre said, “We were pleased to be able to support the hard work of Caerphilly County Borough Council with this case. It was shocking to see so many dogs living in such awful conditions.
“The dogs needed vet treatment and specialist care – one of the dogs who especially touched and saddened us was the Malinois who we named Jinx.
“As well as being in an awful condition, she was pregnant. We were very concerned that she would not have the strength to give birth and care for her litter but thanks for the hard work of the Hope Rescue Team, all eight puppies survived, and Jinx is now thriving.
“We are delighted that most of the dogs have already found loving new homes.’
Sentencing | ordered to pay £8,388.73 in fines, costs and a surcharge. He was disqualified from keeping all animals for five years (expires February 2029).
CONVICTED (2024) | George Robert Watson, born 26 September 1972, of 17 Cedar Terrace, West Cornforth, Ferryhill DL17 9NG – left a stallion in pain with a deep head wound.
Watson, a traveller who generally goes by the name Robert Watson, admitted causing unnecessary suffering to a horse known as Delboy.
The animal was found with a headcollar so tightly fitted to his head that the metal clip had dug into his skin – causing a painful wound.
An RSPCA Inspector attended a field close to the A1 near Bishop Middleham, Ferryhill on 5 May 2023, after concerns were raised to the charity about the welfare of a horse.
The Inspector found a tethered piebald stallion cob horse, but immediately noticed the horse’s tight head collar buckle embedded around the left side of his face and jaw area.
The inspector said in a witness statement: “The clip on the left hand side of Delboy’s face had dug into the side of his cheek and caused a deep gash which was oozing puss.
“The whole left hand side of the pony’s face was extremely swollen, it was noticeable from a distance away.”
A specialist equine vet was called and after examining Delboy certified that he was suffering.
Durham Police placed him into the care of the RSPCA, where he was transported for veterinary treatment.
In their witness statement, the veterinary surgeon stated: “The soft tissues around the wound were swollen and tender, and the wound where the clip was embedded was painful and the horse did react to me removing the clip.
“These wounds could have been easily prevented by the owner not allowing such a tight headcollar – I believe it had most likely been in place for several weeks as a minimum.”
They added: “By failing to identify a tight headcollar which therefore caused painful wounds to the face, and by also failing to identify wounds that were present and immediately removing the headcollar and seeking veterinary attention to provide first aid and pain relief as a minimum, it is my professional opinion that this owner has caused unnecessary pain and suffering to this horse.”
In May 2023 Watson told his Facebook friends that Delboy had been stolen. In reality, the horse had been removed from him following weeks of neglect.
Watson signed Delboy over to the care of the RSPCA. He has since been cared for at an RSPCA establishment and has recovered well. When he is ready, the team will look to find him a loving new home.
In mitigation given for Watson, it was heard that a relationship break up and a foot injury were factors.
The investigating RSPCA Inspector said after sentencing: “I’m pleased we were able to get Delboy to safety and have his wounds treated.
“It’s so important that horse owners regularly check on their animals for signs of discomfort or poor health, especially when they are left wearing head collars or rugs for any length of time.
“I’m so pleased that Delboy has made such a good recovery from his wounds, and that he will now go on to be adopted into a loving new home.”
Sentencing | ordered to pay a £300 fine, a victim surcharge of £80 and costs of £725. Disqualified from owning horses for three years (expires February 2027).
CONVICTED (2024) | Gillian Moir, born August 1997, and Adrian Ogg, born c. 1979, of Ramana Farm, Barthol Chapel, Inverurie AB51 8TB – kept numerous malnourished animals in poor conditions.
Gillian Moir and Adrian Ogg were given a 10-year ban after SSPCA inspectors found dead and dying animals on their farm
Farm worker Adrian Ogg and his partner Gillian Moir admitted keeping small animals in “squalid” conditions while sheep, ponies and goats were discovered in an emaciated state.
The Scottish SPCA carried out an investigation into the couple after receiving a report of concern about the wellbeing of a pony named Leo.
The pony, a 30-year-old Connemara gelding, was described as having a poor body condition and despite having a “bright demeanour” his eyes were yellow and jaundiced.
A vet determined that it would be difficult to pin the condition of the horse on one matter given the age of the animal but stated that “it is likely that the body condition had occurred over a period of time, likely three weeks if due to malnutrition, but possibly longer if an underlying condition was involved.”
They concluded that veterinary assistance should have been sought for the animal to check for the underlying cause of the poor body condition.
Two older sheep who were housed with Leo were also found to have bodies that were in poor condition, showing lethargy and struggling to stand up to be examined.
Each of the ewes’ front teeth were worn down to the gum line and both had to be euthanised.
A pygmy goat named Pepper was found dead at the farm.
A post-mortem was carried out and found that “a failure to seek veterinary treatment” and “failure to the poor body condition” of the animal resulted in his unnecessary suffering.
Investigators discovered two hutches partially covered with a blanket in a shed where most of their dogs were kept.
In the first hutch – which was described as “filthy” – they found the carcasses of three dead ferrets.
One live ferret with no access to food or water was found in the first hutch.
His condition was “weak, lethargic, extremely dehydrated” and he could not open either of his eyes, which were covered in pus and appeared to be infected.
He was taken to Donview Veterinary Centre where they tried to treat his condition, but the decision was taken to euthanise him on welfare grounds.
It was believed that the ferret would have died within the next 24 hours due to starvation and dehydration.
The vet’s opinion was that he had suffered for at least a week, though probably longer.
Within the second hutch they found the carcasses of two more ferrets.
Moir and Ogg each pleaded guilty to four charges of causing animals unnecessary suffering.
Moir’s lawyer told the court his client had become “overwhelmed” after taking in too many animals and struggled to effectively provide care for them.
He added that a lightning strike during a recent storm caused the pony to stop eating and that the sheep’s teeth were worn down due to their old age.
However, when it came to the condition of the ferrets, Mr Burnett conceded that they had been “forgotten about”.
“They had not been provided with food and water – that’s accepted,” he said.
Mr Burnett asked if a disqualification order was made, that it not include animals the couple breed and sell as part of their livelihood.
Ogg’s lawyer said her client had been working as a farm hand in Aberdeenshire for 20 years and “would not have been kept on to look after animals if he was not good at it”.
She added: “He accepts he has done wrong but a recent visit [from the SSPCA] appears to have shown some improvement.
“This is all he’s ever done and he would struggle to find other work.”
Sheriff Johnston told the pair that she believed it was necessary to make a disqualification order banning them from keeping certain animals.
“Your actions in failing to secure veterinary treatment caused these animals unnecessary suffering,” she said.
The sheriff described the condition the ferrets were found in as “frankly squalid” and had to be euthanised.
Sentencing | fined a combined total of £4,950. Banned from keeping animals for 10 years, excluding sheep, pigs, cats and dogs; disqualified from dealing in animals, except sheep and pigs.
CONVICTED (2024) | Simon Thomas, born 29 August 1982, of 1 Pembury Place, Hackney, London E5 8LX – caught on camera repeatedly beating an XL Bully with a shovel.
Horrific footage captured by a resident on Wednesday 8 November 2023 showed a man, later identified as Simon Thomas, repeatedly striking the young dog in the head with a large tool in a rear garden at a block of flats.
Volunteers from XL Bully Rescue and Foundation went to the animal’s aid. They were joined at the scene by police officers.
The dog, whom rescuers named Zeus, was taken by police to an animal hospital where he was treated for severe head injuries, bleed to the brain, smashed teeth and fractured ribs.
Thomas later handed himself into into a police station and was ultimately charged with animal cruelty.
Traumatised but friendly Zeus, who was only around 8 months old, was euthanised by police because of breed
Zeus, seemingly good-natured despite his ordeal, was initially held in police kennels pending their investigation, but was ultimately put to sleep because of his breed.
In court Thomas pleaded not guilty, with his defence being based on claims that he was not identifiable in the video footage. He was convicted after a short trial, however.
His sentencing hearing was on 2 February 2024.
Despite public outrage over the sadistic cruelty inflicted on a helpless animal and a Lady Freethinker petition urging the British justice system to impose an appropriate sentence on Thomashe walked free with his sole punishment a contribution towards costs and a ONE-year ban on keeping dogs.
A Met Police spokesperson said: “After a viral video of a man beating a dog, Ace, with a shovel, Status Dogs Unit officers arrested and charged a male. He was remanded and pleaded not guilty.
“At trial the charge was altered to a Section 4 (2) person responsible for allowing suffering, as he claimed it wasn’t him hitting the dog. He admitted that the dog was his.”
Speaking about the case animal rescue volunteers said that the brutal attack on Zeus was one of the worst things they’d ever witnessed.
The group said that the abandonment and abuse of XL Bullies had skyrocketed off the back of the UK Government’s banning of the breed, which was announced by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in September 2023.
One volunteer said: “Because [XL Bullies] are on the banned list, people are getting rid of them and this is where they’re ending up. There are loads more like him out there.”
The group said the government’s pledge to ban the breed had immediately sparked a rise in the dogs being abandoned and abused, with some owners threatened they will be evicted if they do not get rid of their dogs.
They said that many had been given away for free leading to them ending up in the hands of “the wrong people”.
One volunteer, who said rescues like theirs were overwhelmed, broke into tears as she described some of the cases they had been dealing with. She said: “We seized one from police last Monday that had been chained up outside and beaten.
“Yesterday we had two cases where they were thrown out of a car and abandoned.”
Sadly it is growing increasingly difficult to find safe places for the dogs.
“We are full,” the rescuer said. “No kennels are taking them now. Where do these animals go?
“There are hundreds and hundreds of XL Bullies suffering, and being put to sleep, and being abandoned.
“If something does not happen now, we are going to be seeing much, much more of this. This is absolute animal brutality.”
On the rise in attacks by the breed, she said: “It is not the dogs, it is the owners.
“These are dogs that are being beaten, severely abused, and when we take them after two days they are a completely different dog.
“They show no aggression, they don’t want to harm anybody, they just want you to love them.”
Sentencing | contribution towards costs. 12-month ban on keeping dogs (expires February 2025).
CONVICTED (2024) | Jessica Paige Pugh, born 8 December 2002, of Arlingham Place, Worcester WR5 2SZ, her mother Kerry Ruth Pugh, born 17 March 1980, of Brook Cottage, Bosbury , Ledbury HR8 1PX, and Oliver Daelan Fairy, born 31 December 2002, of Tanhouse Lane, Malvern WR14 – for the starvation and neglect of two horses with one having to be put down.
The case involved two equines – Autumn and Totti – who were found to be in an emaciated bodily condition likely due to high worm burdens and lack of a suitable diet.
Oliver Fairy pleaded guilty to one Animal Welfare Act offence which concerned a grey mare named Totti in that he failed to meet her needs. Kerry and Jess Pugh pleaded guilty to one offence relating to chestnut mare Autumn in that they failed to meet her needs.
RSPCA inspector Suzanne Smith attended a stables in Ledbury on March 22, 2023, after the charity received a call concerning underweight horses.
In a written statement provided to the court, Inspector Smith said that a horse called Autumn “was wearing a rug, but despite the rug I could see she was extremely angular with the rug hanging on her like she was a coat hanger
“There was no food or water in the stable, there was no bedding, there was some faeces.”
The owner of the stables named the owners as Jess Pugh and Oliver Fairy.
Fairy told inspector Smith that the horse was Jess Pugh’s horse and he had spoken to a vet the night before as the horse had had ‘choke’, but he didn’t know when the horse had seen a vet prior to that.
Inspector Smith continued: “I went into the stable and removed the rug. As I suspected, the horse was extremely underweight with all bones exposed, a clear thigh gap between her buttock cheeks, the rib cage was fully visible with a shelf along the top where it met with the spinal processors.
“Whilst waiting for the vet, as Autumn had no food or water I asked if some could be provided and a slice of hay in a small haynet was hung in the stable and the small empty bucket which was in the stable was filled.”
A vet attended and remarked that Autumn was the thinnest horse he had ever seen. In his statement, he said the mare’s body condition was 0.5 out of five and that there was strong evidence “to support parasitism for the poor body condition of the horse.”
The Pughs also attended the stables on March 22, and a transfer of ownership form for Autumn was signed by Kerry Pugh, who said she was the owner and the passport was in her name.
The court heard that inspector Smith was also able to locate the contact details with regards to Totti, who had been on loan to Fairy but removed by her owner on 17 March.
The owner was called and it was requested that a vet attend to assess Totti. It was confirmed that she had been suffering with the vent finding an “above normal faecal worm egg count”.
The vet added that blood and faecal test results were consistent with a “high intestinal parasite burden” which could contribute to weight loss. However, the test results could also be present with other diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease.
The weight loss was described as “severe” and would have occurred over a long period of time. The current keeper was informed and treatment for parasites was recommended.
Totti was in good health and in excellent condition on arrival at the yard where Fairy kept her. Months later while in Fairy’s care her condition had deteriorated dramatically
Fairy accepted full responsibility for his failure to ensure Totti was provided with the correct vet assistance and nourishment.
He claimed his involvement with her was relatively limited, however. He said that another person was attending to the horses but accepted he had the overriding responsibility for her care.
In the RSPCA’s care Autumn received remedial farriery alongside a re-feeding programme. Although she regained weight her lameness problems didn’t resolve and the sad decision was made to put her to sleep.
Sentencing | Fairy was handed a £450 fine, victim surcharge of £180, and ordered to pay £200 costs. Kerry Pugh and Jessica Pugh were handed a £196 fine, a victim surcharge to pay of £78 and they were ordered to pay £200 costs. All three were disqualified from keeping equines for seven years (expires February 2031).
In October 2023 Kerry and Jess Pugh loaned out a cob called Lizzie.. On arrival at the loanee’s yard, she was described as being “overweight with a matted mane and tail”.
Lizzie was overweight and her mane and tail were severely matted when she first arrived at the loanee’s yard
The loanee continued: “I had to cut off her mane as it was too matted to brush out. I washed her as she was covered in scabs and dirt. She had to have six visits from a farrier before he was happy her feet were back to normal.
The loanee spent thousands of pounds in farrier and vet fees to restore
“The saddle they gave me was described by my saddle fitter as being only fit for the bin. It was causing Lizzie pain to be ridden in.
“She has now lost 150kg and is under supervision from me and my vet.
“As well as the usual costs of livery, hay, bedding, insurance, etc, I’ve had to pay for remedial farrier work, saddler appointments, dental treatment and vitamin balancers.
“This week alone I’ve had to spend £150 for the vet callout, microchip check and vaccinations
“I also had to buy new rugs (she came with two but both were broken) as well as new tack because neither her saddle nor bridle fit her”.
The Pughs apparently told the court that they had sold Lizzie in October 2023, when she remains on loan.
They have now asked the loanee to return her. The loanee has offered to buy her for £2,000 but the Pughs have demanded £5,000.
There are allegations that Kerry Pugh may transfer ownership of her horses to her boyfriend, Craig Cross. Cross is said to be terrified of horses so this would be an obvious and cynical attempt to skirt their court-ordered disqualification order.
The loanee is desperate to keep Lizzie who she describes as a “sweet horse who’s now been getting lots of love and care” and enjoying the companionship of two other horses.
CONVICTED (2024) | backyard breeder and wildlife persecutor William Scott, born c. 1962 of 24 Elliot Crescent, Calderwood, East Kilbride G74 3ET – for cruelty to a snake and five ferrets over a two-month period.
Scott, who is originally from Prestonpans, East Lothian, admitted failing to provide adequate food, water and living conditions for the pets.
Scottish SPCA animal welfare inspectors found the snake to be emaciated and suffering from infected lesions.
One of the ferrets was also significantly underweight and had a skin condition associated with dehydration.
Scott’s solicitor described his client as a “lifelong dog breeder” and “some kind of authority on hunting type dogs”.
He added that Scott’s own living conditions at the time were “very poor due to his poor mental and physical health”.
He was found guilty of causing unnecessary suffering to his ferrets and snake, by failing to provide a suitably safe and clean environment for them to live in. His not guilty plea of causing unnecessary suffering to a lurcher-type dog was accepted by the court.
He was ordered to pay a total of £420 and banned from owning and keeping ferrets and snakes only. Sheriff Colin Dunipace rejected the prosecution’s request to have him disqualified from keeping dogs.
Speaking about their investigation, a Scottish SPCA inspector said: “On August 31, 2022, we received a call in relation to a property in Elliot Crescent in East Kilbride from a local authority environmental health officer.
“The caller noted a strong unpleasant smell emanating from the property and a large build-up of flies around the door of the property.
“They also reported that the ferret hutch was in poor condition, and the ferret himself was shaking.
“We attended the property the same day and upon entering the communal garden, we found a ferret within his hutch in extremely poor body condition.
“He was wobbly on his feet and was visibly shaking. The hutch itself was in very poor condition, with a large build-up of faeces, no bedding and lack of all other necessary provisions.
“Two water bottles were present but both were empty. A food bowl with old, congealed, soggy food was present but was clearly not fit for consumption.
“Concerns for the ferret were such that we made the decision to remove him immediately in order to obtain emergency veterinary treatment.
“The ferret was examined by a veterinary surgeon who confirmed he was in an emaciated body condition and was extremely dehydrated.
“The ferret required immediate hospitalisation, for fluids and rehydration therapy.
“A veterinary assessment confirmed that the ferret had been caused unnecessary suffering. The ferret remained hospitalised for approximately 48 hours before coming to one of our centres to recover.
“On gaining entry to the property the living conditions were of immediate concern.
“There was a significant build-up of rubbish, household items, and dirt and grime throughout.
“There was an obvious strong unpleasant smell, and flies swarmed throughout the property.
“A small metal cage within the living room housed four polecat-type ferrets.
“The cage was dirty, and completely inadequate in size for the animals within. There was water provided and the ferrets appeared to be in good body condition.
“In the room obstructed by hazards, a vivarium containing an adult female dwarf hog island boa constrictor type snake was found.
“The vivarium glass had a buildup of dirt and within the vivarium, there was a lot of shredded skin and a significant amount of faeces and urine.
“There was no water present and the snake herself appeared lethargic, and lean in body condition.
“Due to concerns for the body condition of the snake, arrangements were made for her to attend an exotic specialist vet immediately for assessment.
“It was noted she was thin and mildly dehydrated. She has lesions on her ventral scales and an infection on her tail.
“Her movements and reflexes were weak and she was cold to the touch.
“The vet concluded that the snake had been caused unnecessary suffering for months due to a combination of unhygienic conditions, starvation, untreated conditions and lack of veterinary care.
“The snake was prescribed a specific course of antibiotics and provided specialist care advice for her recovery. She was transported to one of our centres for ongoing care.
“We are pleased that Scott received this ban but we would have preferred the ban to include all animals and not just ferrets and snakes.
“Some of the ferrets have since been rehomed and the others are waiting to be rehomed.”
A lurcher dog, Astor, was also taken from Scott by the inspectors and rehomed pending the outcome of the court case.
Sentencing | fined £420. Banned from keeping or owning snakes and ferrets for five years (expires February 2029).
