CONVICTED (2023) | Scott Birt, born c. 2002, of Poinsettia Way, Newent GL18 1LB – caught on CCTV kicking and punching his pet dog.
Birt pleaded guilty to two animal welfare offences at Cheltenham Magistrates’ Court after being filmed inflicting “appalling and unnecessary violence” on the dog.
The thug was captured on CCTV while he was cycling with another man and the dog, named Hugo. Footage showed Hugo trailing behind, before Birt got off his bike.
Hugo cowers down in fear, before Birt kicks him in the side of his head, causing him to fall backwards. He then punches the dog before holding him down to deliver further punches and standing on his lead so he is unable to flee.
Hugo can now be rehomed following the conclusion of the RSPCA’s prosecution case against his vicious owner
Speaking after the conclusion of the case, RSPCA inspector Jack Alderson, who investigated for the animal welfare charity, said: “Birt inflicted appalling and totally unnecessary violence on Hugo.
“There is never an excuse for treating an animal in this way.”
Hugo went to a foster carer after being placed in the care of the RSPCA and will now be re-homed having been signed over in court.
Sentencing | 100 hours of unpaid work. Seven-year ban on keeping animals but can appeal after four years (expires October 2030).
CONVICTED (2022) | Stephen Phelps, born 1 November 1965, of Crawshay Place, Cinderford GL14 2EW – attacked his neighbour’s dachshund puppy, causing fatal injuries.
The attack happened following an incident earlier on the same night after which Stephen Phelps had been bailed for damaging another neighbour’s door.
A few hours after returning home he went into a neighbour’s flat and refused to leave – leading to a police siege during which he beat the puppy.
Gloucester Crown Court was told he was diabetic but had not been taking medication and had become delusional.
Prosecutor Alec Small said events began in the early hours of November 30, 2021, when police were called to the Crucible Road area of Cinderford following reports that a man armed with a knife and hammer had gone to a woman’s home, smashing glass in the door.
“Before the police arrived the man drove off but officers heading towards the incident spotted him driving in the opposite direction and gave chase,” said the prosecutor.
Phelps was eventually boxed in at traffic lights and police used a taser to arrest him. He was taken into custody but he was unable to be questioned due to his mental state and and returned home on bail.
“However, he was clearly agitated as he began to bang repeatedly on the shared wall with his neighbour, Susi Broadway,” the prosecutor said.
“This continued for some time, which made her dogs bark. At about 3.45am Mrs Broadway went outside to let her dog out and noticed that her neighbour’s window had been smashed.
“The banging continued when she went back inside. She decided to go to another neighbour who had also been woken up because of the noise of the banging and decided to go outside.
“Phelps then left his home and went outside, where there were now four neighbours trying to work out what was wrong with him. They said he looked like a zombie.
“Without warning he lashed out at his neighbours with a knife in his hand. The neighbours all retreated back to their own homes and called the police.
“After a short while Phelps reappeared from his home carrying a metal pole which he used to smash the windscreen of Mrs Broadway’s Mazda car.
“Phelps then entered Mrs Broadway’s home after she had gone outside to survey the damage to her car. She then began to fear for her dachshund puppies, which were eight weeks old.
“The police attended the address and they became involved in a standoff with Phelps for a number of hours which required the services of a trained negotiator to resolve the situation when he was removed from her property.
“When Mrs Broadway was allowed back into her home, she realised that one of the puppies had become unresponsive and it had to be euthanised by a local vet.”
The court was told that Phelps was taken to hospital where he had a number of unexplained injuries to his face. He was under police guard for 24 hours in the hospital, during which time he said: “I did it because they (the neighbours) did it to me the night before. I shot all the dogs and one did die.”
The prosecutor clarified that none of the dogs had in fact been shot, but one had been beaten and had to be put down.
Simon Kitchen, defending Phelps, said: “This was a self induced incident because he is a diabetic who was not looking after himself. He had become paranoid and delusional.
“Phelps has little recollection of being in his neighbour’s home. He may have stood on the puppy, but he believes that he didn’t intentionally do anything maliciously to it.
“Phelps had been on a Methadone prescription for 10 years and when he was remanded into custody he had to go cold turkey. He now feels much better having broken his addiction to Methadone.”
Phelps pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to a dachshund puppy, using violence that ultimately led to her death on December 1, 2021 and criminal damage by smashing a car’s windscreen.
He also admitted having a knife in Gloucester Road, Coleford on November 30 and having a bladed article and a metal bar in Cinderford on December 1, 2021.
Sentencing 23 August 2022 (details obtained from court) | non-custodial sentence. Community order. No ban.
CONVICTED (2021) | James Awdry, born 25 April 1981, previously of Jubilee Villa, Lydney Road, Bream and now Hill View, Bicknor Street, Coleford GL16 7PH – kept flea-infested dogs in filthy cages.
James Awdry, who is the son of puppy farmer and convicted animal abuser Jeremy Awdry, was prosecuted by Forest of Dean District Council following an inspection of the home he shares with his father in January 2020.
Council staff found a Labrador and a spaniels “housed in an old chiller unit at the rear of an open garage that was in a filthy and unhygienic condition, with no natural light and poor ventilation.”
Three other spaniels were found in small cages at the front of the property.
Awdry had pleaded not guilty at an earlier hearing in September 2020 to two charges of failing to provide for an animal’s needs and one charge of causing unnecessary suffering but later changed his pleas to guilty and was ordered to pay a total of £3,866 in fines and costs.
The prosecution was brought by the Forest of Dean District Council Street Warden Team with the assistance of the Counter Fraud Unit and the Council’s legal team.
“The Street Warden Team and Gloucestershire Constabulary attended the home address of Mr Awdry’s father on the 14th of January 2020 on the execution of a warrant. The Counter Fraud Unit and Street Warden Team then conducted an investigation into allegations under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.
“Two dogs, a spaniel and a black Labrador, were found housed in an old chiller unit at the rear of an open garage that was in a filthy and unhygienic condition, with no natural light and poor ventilation. Three other spaniels were also found in small cages at the front of the property.
“It was deemed by the Street Warden Team that the basic needs of the animals had not been provided for. The spaniel kept in the chiller unit was found to have an infestation of biting lice and a fungal infection in her ears, along with a patch of raw skin on her chest causing her unnecessary discomfort and suffering.
“Awdry had failed to provide a suitable environment for his dogs to live in and failed to protect them from suffering and disease.”
CONVICTED (2021) | Sarah Poppleton from the village of Drybrook, Forest of Dean – banned from keeping dogs for just two years despite neglecting her pet dog’s “urgent” health needs.
Sarah Poppleton failed to address her pet dog’s severe dental problems and allowed her to become overweight and infested with fleas.
Sarah Poppleton was prosecuted by Forest of Dean District Council after her border collie Tilly was found “crawling” with fleas, “critically” overweight and in desperate need of dental work.
Poppleton failed to attend court to answer charges under the Animal Welfare Act 2006, but the case was heard and proven in her absence.
She was sentenced on October 20, 2021.
Tilly was originally signed over by Poppleton to the Forest of Dean Dog Rescue, who later notified the district council’s Street Warden Team of the condition of the dog.
She was found to be in poor condition with “an overwhelming smell” coming from her mouth.
After receiving veterinary care, Tilly underwent urgent dental work, requiring 20 teeth to be extracted.
It later transpired that Poppleton was advised 12 months prior to the surrendering of Tilly that dental work was required, but “failed to take steps” to seek veterinary attention.
The council said this delay “would have caused suffering to the dog”.
Poppleton “did show remorse” at sentencing and explained at court that she had experienced changes in her personal circumstances, which had “significantly contributed” to her inability to care for the dog.
The prosecution was undertaken by Forest of Dean District Council’s Legal Services team, working with the Street Wardens Team and Counter Fraud Unit (CFU).
Sentencing: ordered to pay a total of £707 in fines. Disqualified from keeping or looking after dogs for two years (expires October 2023).
CONVICTED (2021) | Anthony Williams aka Chang Williams, born 13 November 1990, of 4 The Stables, Southend Lane, Newent GL18 1JD – caught illegally hunting hares.
Tree-surgeon Williams, owner of Landscapes Plus Ltd (Facebook page here, website here, was caught illegally hunting for hares on Cotswold farmland on New Year’s Day 2021.
He was accompanied by two boys when he went hare coursing on a private estate near Cirencester.
“He entered the farm land in the Cotswolds during the hours of darkness while accompanied by the two boys,” said a Gloucestershire Police spokesperson.
“Williams then encouraged his lurcher-type dogs to hunt hares on the land, otherwise known as hare coursing.
“The crime was being watched by the gamekeeper of the private estate near Cirencester and he immediately called 999. Police officers quickly arrived and the man and two boys were arrested at the scene. Their vehicle and the dogs were also seized.
“The two boys were dealt with separately by a Youth Offending Team, but Mr Williams was summonsed to court for his actions.
“The court heard how Williams’ crime was premeditated. He had subjected numerous hares to cruelty and caused the land owner and gamekeeper distress.
“Williams was convicted of the offence under the 2004 Hunting Act and was ordered to pay a fine of £1713.00 within 28 days.”
CONVICTED (2021) | “Cruel, neglectful and greedy” puppy farmers Andrew Leigh Bateman, born 23 September 1980, partner Kelly Marie Busby, born 2 May 1988, both formerly of Cwmann, Lampeter, Wales but now at the Yarcombe Inn, Honiton, Devon EX14 9BD, and Jeremy Paul Awdry, born c. 1948, of Jubilee Villa, Lydney Road, Bream, Lydney GL15 6EN – for offences of cruelty and neglect of puppies they bred.
Cruel and greedy puppy farmers Kelly Busby, Andrew Bateman (red tie) and Jeremy Awdry are banned from keeping dogs indefinitely following a successful local authority prosecution
Puppy farmers Andrew Bateman, Kelly Busby and Jeremy Awdry have been banned from keeping dogs for life after a judge branded their shoddy breeding business an “exercise of cruelty and neglect, hallmarked by greed”.
Bateman and Busby, who had a breeding licence for West Wales but not Forest of Dean, advertised “home bred” puppies online, but the dogs they supplied were from Awdry’s puppy farm in Bream where the environment was one of filth, chaos and neglect.
Dogs were kept in cages which were exposed to the elements or dark and unlit while faeces were left to accumulate
Prosecutor Greg Gordon told the court “Adverts for puppies were placed on three websites; Gumtree, Pets4Homes and Freeads and these created a false impression – that the sellers were fully licensed and that the puppies were raised in a caring and friendly home and were in good health.
“However none of this was true. The conditions that the puppies were kept in were squalid and they were poorly looked after.
“They were not being brought up in caring environment and none of the defendants were licensed to sell puppies in the Forest of Dean.”
Following numerous complaints from members of the public, officers from Forest of Dean District Council visited the site and took photographs of the shocking conditions.
Officer found a black Labrador puppy of around three months inside a cage kept in an open-fronted garage. The cage had no bedding and was placed on the concrete floor. There was no food, an empty bowl and a large amount of faeces.
That puppy was seized by the officers and was re-homed after being signed over to the Council.
Another two dogs were kept in complete darkness in a garage and when the officers entered they were “overcome with the smell of urine.” The floor was filthy and the puppies had a little water but no bedding or food.
Adult dogs were found in open-air cages surrounded by chicken remains, pieces raw meat and large quantities of rubbish.
Jeremy Awdry
Mr Gordon described how potential purchasers arriving at Jubilee Villa “were greeted with a property that was in a sorry state. One of the witnesses stated that they should have turned away there and then as there was a vast amount of poo and wee on the floor in the kitchen where the puppies were.
“Another witness said they were uncomfortable with dogs being kept in small kennels. The puppies were constantly barking. A further witness was so shocked by the conditions that although she had only intended to buy one puppy she felt she had to return to buy the other puppy to get it out of those terrible conditions.”
The prosecutor said that there was a long list of complaints from purchasers as the puppies were often ill with diarrhoea and other medical issues when they took them home.
Mr Gordon added: “One puppy died shortly after being purchased from Awdry, while others racked up significant vet bills.
“Awdry promised the purchasers that they had four weeks’ vet insurance. This was never registered and Kennel Club registration paperwork proved to be false and inaccurate. Microchips were badly implanted into the puppies by Awdry.”
A veterinary expert described the site as “harbouring a range of pathogenic diseases that can cause significant illnesses in dogs and humans.”
The expert also criticised the “small, bland environment”, the lack of clean comfortable bedding or toys and the lack of “enrichment” with the consequence that the puppies could develop behavioural difficulties.
During interview, Awdry admitted that he dipped dogs in chemicals as he did with his sheep.
The court heard the three defendants had earned around £90,000 in four years from puppy farming.
Clive Rees, for Awdry, told the court : “The council officials visited the day after the roof had blown off the chicken shed which is why there were so many remains around.
“Awdry has spent £3,000 on building new kennels, but it appears this has been a waste of time if he is to be banned from keeping dogs in the future.
“He is remorseful, even if he hasn’t shown it to the officers.”
Andrew Bateman and Kelly Busby, who are both bankrupt, are now believed to be running a pub in Honiton, Devon
Christian Jowett, for Bateman, said: “He has now lost his business and is moving to England to seek employment. He has had to sell their legitimate puppies in West Wales to comply with the impending ban on owning dogs.”
Kate Williams, for Busby, said: “She feels she has let her family down over this situation. She has been hit hard financially as she has now lost her home and was made bankrupt last year. She also takes issue with some of the allegations made.”
The three defendants each admitted three offences of failing to meet an animal’s needs. Awdry also admitted three offences of selling a dog without a licence in breach of the Animal Welfare Act 2006.
Judge Ian Lawrie QC told them: “All three of you wanted to make money from this venture. None of you were concerned about the welfare of the animals. I am at a loss how you could have kept this up for such a lengthy period of time.
“You may not have set out to be cruel, but it was your ongoing neglect that was cruel. The dogs were in your care.
“This was a contrived exercise of cruelty and neglect hallmarked by greed. You each had different roles but were all negligent in the animals’ welfare as you were more concerned about making money.
“It is clear that when there were sales, the promised veterinary insurance was never registered.”
The prosecution was brought by officers in the Street Warden Team and the Counter Fraud Unit (CFU) with the assistance of the Forest of Dean council’s legal team.
PC Cath McDay from the rural crime team at Coleford Police station assisted in obtaining a warrant to inspect the premises.
Sentencing: 19-week custodial sentence suspended for two years; ordered to each pay £3,478 towards court costs and £2,901 compensation and a £115 victim surcharge.
Awdry also received a 7pm to 7am curfew order for six months; Bateman and Busby were ordered to complete 250 hours of unpaid work.
All three were banned from owning dogs indefinitely.
In March 2019 Jeremy Awdry received compensation after having dozens of his sheep seized by police and the local authority.
Around 55 of Awdry’s sheep were taken from two disputed locations in Bream under the Town Police Clauses Act 1847, which allows the impounding of sheep “at any time found at large in any street”.
However, a judge ruled the animals should not have been taken.
Ten years earlier Awdry was given a five-year Asbo (repeatedly breached), banning his flock from Bream, after his sheep were reportedly straying into gardens and damaging fences.
Following his conviction for dog cruelty and illegal breeding, several locals have alleged that Awdry also neglects his sheep.
One local said: “He has at least sixty free roaming sheep which has not, as far as I can see, been reported on. These sheep are not in the best condition, as you can imagine. He also has his own collies he uses to round them up etc. I don’t know if he still has the dogs, but if not it will make any kind of shepherding almost impossible.
“[Awdry] is not a nice character and is always in a battle with the police, council etc.
“The sheep have to be registered, and due to his bad husbandry and disregard he has registered them in his son’s name[James Awdry]. He’s as bad as his father.
“I just feel that his sheep are now a matter for concern. They are in lamb and need extra food etc, not just grass, which is in short supply this time of year.”
News and Updates
Address for Bateman and Busby as of 18 May 2021: 22 Norburton Burton Bradstock BRIDPORT Dorset DT6 4QL
They have taken over two fast-food kiosks in the West Bay area of Bridport: the West Bay and Ships Galley. Busby recently advertised for staff on Facebook:
UKACF FB post 27 April 2021
PuppyFarmersExposed | On the move and still at it. Now in Bridport, Dorset Andrew Bateman and Kelly Busby, previously of Cwmann, #Lampeter, Wales, were banned from keeping dogs for life in February 2021 after investigators uncovered a litany of animal cruelty and neglect by the money-grubbing pair and their notorious accomplice, Jeremy Awdry of Bream in Gloucestershire.
The financially and morally bankrupt couple have been on the move ever since, initially settling in Honiton, Devon, where they were to be the new tenants of the Yarcombe Inn. Following an outcry by locals that offer was withdrawn and they upped sticks again.
We have now heard from several different sources – all reliable – that they have taken over management of a fish & chip business in West Bay, Bridport, Dorset.
“Well at least they’re now earning an honest living!” we hear you cry. If only. Unfortunately there is an abundance of evidence to suggest that they have continued to source and sell puppies and their ‘respectable’ cash-based business will be no more than a useful front for their cruel and shoddy dealings.
We have heard that Bateman’s cruelty towards dogs went far beyond neglect and actually veered more towards the violent and sadistic. This man should not be allowed within 10 feet of a dog or any animal. He, and all others like him, must be put out of the pet-selling business for good.
Jeremy Awdry has finally been sent to prison after admitting breaching the order not to keep dogs.
Shortly after his conviction in February 2021, information was received that Awdry was still in possession of dogs at his premises and was in breach of the disqualification order. The matter was investigated by the officers from the street warden and counter fraud teams at Forest of Dean District Council.
On two separate occasions, Awdry was witnessed flouting that ban – by council officers and Gloucestershire Police.
He was seen to be either in control of dogs, or transporting them in his van, both of which constitute a breach of the banning order.
Appearing at Cheltenham Magistrates Court on February 1, 2022, Awdry pleaded guilty to two offences of breaching the disqualification imposed on him. He was sentenced to 25 weeks’ imprisonment: three weeks for each of the charges and 19 weeks imposed in relation to the suspended sentence. Full costs were also awarded to the council.
Forest of Dean District Council’s animal welfare member champion, Councillor Nicky Packer said: “Our street warden team does a fantastic job year round of ensuring that animals in our district are looked after properly, and that those who mistreat or cause harm to their animals are held accountable.
“Today’s verdict should stand as testament to this. A ban on keeping dogs means exactly that. If, as in this case, it isn’t followed, our street warden and counter fraud and enforcement team will enforce it.”
CONVICTED (2020) | Anthony (Tony) Curtis, born c. 1961, of Kerrin Farm, Kerrin Lane, Lydney GL15 6PL – a serial abuser of livestock
Anthony Curtis pleaded guilty to 25 animal welfare offences and was given a lifetime ban on keeping livestock. The ban will take effect from January 2021 to allow Curtis time to test his cattle for tuberculosis and pass on their ownership.
The charges were brought by Gloucestershire County Council’s trading standards service.
Cows were living in deep mud and being fed mouldy hay
Councillor Dave Norman, cabinet member responsible for trading standards, said: “In this case not only did the farmer fail to care properly for his livestock, but on several occasions he also showed little regard for the cleanliness and hygiene of animals which were intended for the human food chain.
“Members of the public are entitled to expect that locally produced food is farmed to a high standard of welfare and hygiene.
“Our officers work hard to ensure that farmers maintain these standards and take action such as this where necessary.”
Trading standards officers first visited Kerrin Farm in February 2019 following reports Curtis was keeping animals in terrible conditions and failing to adequately dispose of animal carcasses.
Curtis was cautioned for similar offences in 2017.
Officers found roughly 30 ducks living in cold, damp and squalid conditions, littered with the carcasses of around 60 other birds. On a later visit, they discovered ducks were fed stale bread with lumps of plastic inside.
Further offences Curtis committed included:
Cattle were kept in a field littered with broken gates and timber with protruding nails.
Pigs, cattle and ducks did not have water or a dry lying area
Cattle were housed in deep muck and had to wade through liquid slurry to get to their feed, which was mouldy hay
Hen houses had not been cleared out for a long time; hens were fed in filthy troughs and were laying eggs in dirty nesting boxes
Officers also found the carcass of a calf which had not been covered
Curtis said his ill health left him unable to care for his stock.
A number of ducks and poultry were rehoused by the Animal and Plant Health Agency, who confirmed that Curtis had failed in his duty of care to the ducks.
Sentencing: conditional discharge; £185 towards costs. banned from keeping livestock for life.
CONVICTED (2018) | puppy farmer Leigh Hancock, born February 1984, of Old Dry Arch Cottages, Marstow, Ross-on-Wye HR9 6EQ – sold ‘conveyor belt’ Labrador, retriever and collie dogs from his puppy farm.
Leigh Hancock
Hancock admitted nine trading standards false description offences between June 2016 and March 2017 by placing 60 advertisements which implied the pups he was selling were from a family home,
The puppy farmer, formerly of Rodley Road, Lydney, Gloucester, was turning out “conveyor belt puppies” who were in poor condition when he sold them.
Kerri Greenhorn.
His partner, Kerri Greenhorn, born 21 March 1980, of Northwood Close, Cinderford GL14 2QS, was prosecuted alongside Hancock but the outcome of the case against her isn’t known.
A mother-of-four named Jodie Pitt was also prosecuted after she sold puppies on Hancock’s behalf.
The court heard Hancock “blitzed” social media with adverts for Golden Retriever and Labrador puppies that were purportedly the result of ‘accidental pregnancies’ but were in fact from the puppy farm he ran from an adapted shed in the back of his former home in Lydney.
Adult dogs found in Leigh Hancock’s back garden in an adapted shed
He would say the puppies were socialised with humans, children and other family pets when the reality was they were kept in cages in the shed.
Trading standards officers analysed a series of advertisements that Hancock placed under various pseudonyms.
Prosecutor Rosamund Rutter said: “A hundred adverts were associated with the defendant – and seven mobile numbers.”
Hancock used various email addresses including the name of one of his children on one email. This was ‘to avoid advertising platforms suspecting he was a trader rather than private seller.’
“When analysed it was noted they were worded in a strikingly similar manner, and contained similar grammatical errors,” the barrister said.
Ms Rutter told the judge of members of the public who were looking for family pets and were assured that was what they were buying.
She added that Hancock even told one couple he and his family were ‘heartbroken they had to give the puppy up.’
The offences dated between June 2016 and March 2017 but Ms Rutter told the court that the operation was running before then.
She described it as a “conveyor belt of puppies, in poor conditions”.
Hancock admitted placing 60 advertisements between July 2016 and March 2017 which implied the pups he was selling were from a family home.
He also admitted withdrawing £23,134.56 of ‘criminal property’ from his bank on March 29 2017 when authorities executed a search warrant at his address and he became aware they were there.
Recorder Ben Browne QC told the defendant the puppies were: “A very different proposition from what you advertised.”
“In each case the set up was to make it look like it was, but it was blatantly untrue.”
A confiscation order was made against Leigh Hancock for the £60,436.50 he made from the proceeds of his crimes.
Hancock will need to pay this back or face more jail time.
In court, Hancock’s lawyer, James Tucker, said the amount he owed was “a financial disaster for him”.
“This represents the selling of the family home,” he said. “Having got himself onto the property ladder he has now been reduced back down to ground level. The agreed figure has gone far beyond what he could refinance his property for. He has only a modest income as a gardener.”
Judge Ian Lawrie QC issued a confiscation order to Hancock giving him three months to sell his home and hand over the proceeds, warning him that if he defaulted on the payment by November 24, 2020 he would be jailed for two years.
A £1,800 fine imposed at an earlier hearing would be reduced to to £450 but Hancock was also ordered to pay a £140 victim surcharge.
CONVICTED (2018) | Jodie Pitt, born 12 May 1980, of Purton Place, Lydney GL15 5BD – sold puppies for puppy farms, lying to customers they were home-bred.
Mother of four and puppy farm ring member Jodie Pitt misled people into thinking they were buying puppies that had been reared in a family environment, when in reality she was selling puppies for puppy farmers.
Cheltenham Magistrates’ Court heard that the dogs had actually been bred on a commercial basis, but Pitt sold them from her home in the town as if they had been used to being around families and children.
That led to Pitt being prosecuted by Gloucestershire County Council’s trading standards department. It initially charged her with six offences of breaching trading regulations aimed at protecting consumers
Three of those charges were dropped, with Pitt pleading guilty to the other three.
Magistrates fined her £120 and ordered her to pay £800 costs and a victim surcharge of £30.
Prosecuting, Sarah Farooqi said people had bought puppies from Pitt thinking they were pets raised by her and her family but she had hidden the fact that they had been bred specifically for sale.
Adverts had been placed online by her, with one saying: “All pups have been raised in a family home and have been handled daily by my own children.”
The prosecutor said one couple bought a Golden Retriever puppy from her for £600 in August 2016 but were unhappy to find soon after that she needed treatment at the vets. They contacted Pitt and she initially agreed to help pay the £400 vets’ bill but then failed to respond to their further inquiries about her doing so.
Miss Farooqi said: “They said they would not have bought the dog if they had known it had been bred for the purpose of sale only.”
She added that another woman bought a puppy from Pitt for £700, having answered her advertisement that said the animal had been microchipped. When the buyer asked to see the puppy’s parents, Pitt said that was not possible because they were working dogs who were out at that time.
Miss Farooqi said Pitt claimed to have sold puppies on behalf of Leigh Hancock and Kerri Greenhorn and not to have known that she was doing anything wrong. Hancock and Greenhorn, who have strong links to the Awdry family (father Jeremy and offspring James and Ruth Awdry plus Ruth’s partner Gary Overthrow, as well as Andrew Bateman and Kelly Busby). were prosecuted separately.
Sentencing: £950 in fine, costs and victim surcharge. She was not banned from keeping animals as she faced no cruelty charges.
CONVICTED (2017) | Corey Martin Jones, born 18/02/1996, and Layla-May Allsopp, born 21/07/1998 , both of Albert Road, Cinderford GL14 2HS – convicted of cruelty towards an elderly Staffy
Dog abusers Corey Jones and Layla-May Allsop pictured September 2022.
Allsopp and Jones, who are parents, admitted failing to meet the needs of 12-year-old Max when they appeared before magistrates.
Senior dog Max was neglected and starved by his owners
When Max was first discovered by the RSPCA he was significantly underweight at 15.7kg.
Following a visit to a vet, Allsopp and Jones were asked to ensure that he was seen and weighed regularly, and if he failed to put on weight then the weight loss should be explored.
Layla-May Allsop, now Layla Jones, pictured September 2021.Corey Jones, pictured 2022
The pair failed to return to the vet after ignoring several reminders to attend.
Max was emaciated when rescued
RSPCA inspector Suzi Smith said: “Max is now 20Kg and back to full health despite his age. This was simply by providing food.”
Max was signed over to the RSPCA at the court hearing.
Sentencing: eight-week custodial sentence, suspended for one year; £50 court costs each. Banned from keeping animals for just two years (expired 2019).
