CONVICTED (2024) | farmer Aeneas Carragher, born c. 1964, of 85 Skerriff Road, Cullyhanna, Newry BT35 0JW, and animal transporter Wayne Smyth, born c. 1988, of Annvale Gardens, Keady, Armagh BT60 2RS – for the callous disregard for the suffering of a dying dairy cow.
Cruel farmer Aeneas Carragher
On Monday, March 11, 2024, Aeneas Carragher was convicted of one charge of causing an animal to be transported that was not fit for the journey. Carragher was fined £500 plus £15 offender levy.
Wayne Smyth was convicted of one charge of transporting an animal that was not fit for the journey. Smyth was fined £500 plus £15 offender levy.
The case arose on February 13, 2023, when a DAERA Official Veterinarian (OV), at an abattoir, examined an animal that was presented by Smyth on behalf of Carragher.
The cow was very thin and shivering. A lairage worker attempted to make the cow walk, but the animal immediately fell in the pen.
The OV carried out an ante-mortem examination of the recumbent cow. The animal was emaciated with prominent transverse and dorsal spinal processes, and the OV estimated that the animal had a body condition score of “1” or less.
The animal was humanely destroyed, where she lay, to avoid any further suffering.
The OV’s professional opinion was that this cow was too thin and weak to have been transported and was caused unnecessary suffering by this action.
CONVICTED (2023) | Jacqueline Forbes and Kial Leng, aka Kial Love, of 16 Struell Avenue Downpatrick BT30 6GP – for the callous mistreatment of a severely underweight Akita who had to be put to sleep
Kial Leng aka Kial Love, who is originally from Kingston upon Hull, and partner Jackie Ann Forbes subjected a dog they’d owned since he was a puppy to a miserable existence starved of food and affection
Forbes and Leng, who have four children, were convicted of failing to look after the unnamed male dog, who was said to be “living a miserable, pitiful existence” on a short chain in a faeces-riddled yard.
The pair were prosecuted under Section 4 & 9 of the Welfare of Animals Act (NI) 2011 for causing unnecessary suffering to a dog in their care.
It also included for failing to take reasonable steps to ensure the welfare needs of the animal was being met.
The unnamed Akita-type dog suffered appalling neglect in his short life
Forbes was also convicted of failing to comply with an improvement notice under Section 10 of the ‘Act’ by failing to seek veterinary advice and treatment for a dog in her care.
The pair had pleaded not guilty to the charges, but Judge Amanda Brady said she had no hesitation in convicting them.
Happier times: this little puppy’s future was to be one blighted by cruelty and severe neglect
The charges were brought by Newry Mourne and Down District Council under the provisions of the Welfare of Animals Act (Northern Ireland) 2011.
The couple were investigated after the local authority received a report of concern for the welfare of a dog on 24 January 2020.
A council Animal Welfare Officer visited four days later and found the dog chained at the front of the property.
The area was mucky and faeces were visible around the kennel.
The dog had a dull and dirty coat and was in poor body condition with his ribs, hip and spine visible.
Forbes was issued with an Improvement Notice in respect of the dog specifying that veterinary treatment should be sought.
The Council conducted a follow up visit on the 12 February 2020.
The Animal Welfare Officer obtained a search warrant and revisited the property accompanied by a veterinary surgeon.
Following assessment, the vet certified that the dog was to be removed from the property after his body condition was given a rating of just one out of five.
He was subsequently put to sleep after his condition failed to improve.
Addressing self-employed Leng during an earlier hearing Judge Brady told him: “This dog suffered and it is sad and abysmal and you don’t seem to think you have done anything wrong which concerns me greatly.”
Leng told the court that his partner and four young children were undergoing “serious trauma” when the dog became ill, stating the house they were renting had been flooded.
He said the dog had “fallen ill” but claimed he was eating and drinking, but failing to put on weight.
When cross-examined, Leng laughed at the description of the conditions as “horrific”.
He also denied the dog was kept tied up on a short lead, insisting it had become twisted.
Leng further disputed the prosecution assertion that a photograph showed the dog in dirty, wet conditions and with “a lot of dog faeces”.
Leng said he took the dog to a vet who was unable to determine what was causing the crossbreed animal to lose weight so rapidly.
He also told the court he was unable to return with a stool sample on February 6 as required in order to determine if the dog had an infectious disease.
The prosecution said the dog weighed 20kg compared to a normal weight of between 30kg and 50kgs, with Leng claiming the animal was a pup and that the higher weight was for a fully grown dog.
The lawyer said the the dog was in a very very poor state and had been kept in an unsuitable environment.
Sentencing | Forbes: £150 for each of the three charges and ordered to pay half of the council’s vet bill of £540, in addition to £150 legal costs. Leng: three months in custody, suspended for two years for each charge under Section 4 & 9 of the Welfare of Animals Act (NI) 2011, to run concurrently. Ordered to pay the council’s costs of £540 and £150 legal costs. No mention of a ban.
CONVICTED (2023) | Stephanie Denise McLoughlin, born 8 December 1969, formerly of Barcroft Park, Drumalane, Newry BT35 8ES and now Church Street, Banbridge BT32 4AA – kept eight dogs in such an appalling condition six of them had to be put to sleep.
McLoughlin, whose previous convictions include criminal damage and drink-driving, pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to dogs in her care and for failing to take reasonable steps to ensure the welfare needs of the animals were being met.
The charges were brought by Newry, Mourne and Down District Council under the provisions of the Welfare of Animals Act (Northern Ireland) 2011 after a report concerning the welfare of dogs kept at the property.
Six of Stephanie McLoughlin’s eight dogs were put to sleep on humane grounds
An Animal Welfare Officer visited the property on June 28, 2021 observing one terrier type dog at the rear and three terrier type dogs on the living room windowsill.
All animals appeared to be in poor condition displaying obvious chronic skin conditions.
McLoughlin became abusive, refused to allow the officer access, and proceeded to remove three dogs from the property. PSNI officers had to be called to assist and facilitate the investigation to continue.
Upon gaining entry to the property, the Council’s Animal Welfare Officer found extremely unhygienic conditions, floors littered with canine faecal matter, discarded waste materials, tin cans displaying evidence of canine bite marks and a strong smell of ammonia gas associated with canine urine and excrement.
The Council’s contracted vet assessed the animals and the environment they were being kept in and determined that all dogs were to be removed from the property.
The vet certified a total of eight dogs to be taken into the Council’s possession. The dogs required immediate veterinary attention.
Six dogs were found to be suffering from severe inflammatory parasitic skin disease which had been ongoing for a long period, the severity of which led to the dogs having to be humanely destroyed for their own welfare.
The remaining two dogs were able to be rehomed by the Council.
Sentencing | two-year conditional discharge; fined £250 and ordered to pay £176 legal costs and £15 offenders levy. 10-year disqualification order applicable to all animals.
CONVICTED (2022) | violent ‘gangster’ Jamie Gallogly, born c. 1994, of Main Street, Belleeks, Newry BT35 7PH – kept seven starving dogs in squalor.
Serial animal abuser Gallogly, who is a known associate of an ultra-violent organised crime gang led by the Dublin-based Shebani brothers, was found guilty of one animal welfare offence.
The case was brought by Newry, Mourne and Down District Council after its animal welfare department received a complaint concerning the welfare of dogs at Cortamlat Road, Newtownhamilton, Newry.
The dogs’ living accommodation was described as “extremely unhygienic”.
Outside pens were covered in faecal matter and urine. No clean or dry bedding and no fresh food or water were available.
The inside of the property was also heavily contaminated with dog faeces and urine resulting in a strong, heavy smell of urine throughout.
The officer said the chewing of doors and furniture indicated signs of the animals’ prolonged stress and presented ingestion hazards.
A vet assessed the environment and determined the dogs were suffering. They were therefore removed from the property by the animal welfare officers.
The court was also told Gallogly had been the subject of previous animal welfare investigations and repeatedly failed to provide and maintain a clean and safe environment for the animals.
Sentencing | ordered to pay a fine of £350 and costs totalling £7,072. Disqualified from keeping animals for five years (expires October 2027).
CONVICTED (2022) | dog transporter Aaron Phillips aka Pat Dale, born c. 1983, of Riverside Meadows, Ballynahinch BT24 9WN – caught with 44 dogs in cramped, filthy cages in his van.
Aaron Phillips. Picture: Facebook.
Professional dog transporter Aaron Phillips, who traded under the name AP Canine Transport, was prosecuted by the CPS in co-operation with animal welfare officers from Belfast City Council.
He pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to animals in relation to 44 dogs, including 28 puppies, found by police in two vehicles in Bordesley Lane, Redditch, on Tuesday December 8, 2020.
Phillips after he was arrested.
Phillips had transported the dogs, most of whom were from Northern Ireland, and stopped in Redditch to offload 16 of them.
He was accused of moving puppies under eight-weeks-old and which were not fit for the journey or in the company of their mother, according to court papers.
He was also charged with moving the pups in a way likely to cause injury or undue suffering and transporting 21 puppies/dogs without carrying documentation.
He was further charged with transporting a springer spaniel which was not fit for the journey and of moving dogs without authorisation from the competent authority.
The 44 dogs were in just 12 cages. The majority were not big enough for even one dog to travel in.
Some of the dogs were unable to stand up, sit or turn around and the floors of all cages were covered in a thin layer of sawdust which smelt of urine and faeces.
Phillips was initially arrested alongside three other men on suspicion of the theft of dogs alongside animal cruelty offences. Charges against the others were later dropped.
Police seized Phillips’ vehicle along with the dogs. A large sum of money was found in the vehicle.
Picture: Facebook.
Pcso Katie Hearnden Fellows said on the West Mercia Police neighbourhood alert system: “All the animals were seized under the Animal Welfare Act, and West Mercia took civil action against the owners of the dogs being transported.
“There were two civil court cases, whiUch saw West Mercia successfully retain all but two of the dogs seized.
“The remaining dogs were also rehomed through the Dogs Trust or with the help of foster carers within West Mercia Police, many of whom retained the dogs once court cases were concluded.”
Sentencing | eight-week prison sentence, suspended for 12-months. He was made to forfeit more than £20k cash found by police on his arrest under The Proceeds of Crime Act. Disqualified from transporting or arranging the transportation of any animal for three years.
Despite being banned from transporting or arranging the transportation of any animal until July 2025, Aaron Phillips continues to ply his pet transportation business on Facebook under the name KKC Couriers. He targets his services at unsavoury illegal bloodsports groups including Hare Coursing Crew. Screenshots below:
CONVICTED (2022) | Tadas Kundrotas, born c. 1989, of 78 Grahamville Estate, Kilkeel, Newry BT34 4DD – launched an 11-week old cocker spaniel puppy into the air as he was “in a bad mood”.
Lithuanian national Tadas Kundrotas was charged with two counts of criminal damage and one count each of common assault, disorderly behaviour and causing unnecessary suffering to an animal.
At approximately 6.30pm on 3 December 2021, police received a report of an ongoing assault at Royal Mews in Kilkeel.
On arriving, the defendant was located sitting in a car on a private driveway with a visible headwound and a bloodied face.
It was alleged by the victim that Kundrotas had called at the door of a neighbouring address and when this went unanswered he became irate, shouting in the street.
The victim’s 11-week-old cocker spaniel puppy got loose and ran towards the defendant. He picked the puppy up and launched her into the air, causing her to land heavily on the tarmac road, with the spaniel making her way back to the victim whimpering.
When the victim challenged the defendant about this, it is alleged he was pushed and punched on the left side of his face.
The victim retaliated and the defendant retreated back towards his car, where he lifted a wheel brace from the boot and threw it at a Citroen Berlingo van belonging to the victim, which caused damage to a rear light.
He was arrested for the offences and taken to Daisy Hill Hospital for his head injury, which was reported to have occurred while he was detained to the ground by the victim.
Whilst in hospital, the defendant became increasingly agitated at having to wait for treatment and began to shout and swear.
He was warned a number of times about his behaviour by both police and hospital staff but continued to behave in a disorderly manner, culminating in him punching a clock on the wall of the hospital and smashing it to pieces.
He was subsequently interviewed where he stated “everything was okay”, that he had gone to a friends’ house, saw that he wasn’t there and left before “it all started the way you said, the way it’s all written down.”
When asked why he was in Royal Mews, he explained his acquaintance lives there and claimed he doesn’t remember anything regarding the puppy.
The court heard the defendant was “in a bad mood that day” and that he now accepted assaulting the victim and going to retrieve the wheel brace from his car.
“As abhorrent as his behaviour was on this particular date, it appears to be out of character on his part,” a counsel for Kundrotas told the court.
“He is someone that’s been in this jurisdiction for five years, is in full time employment and has a perfect working record. In fact, he hasn’t even missed a day since he has been in Northern Ireland.”
District Judge Eamonn King, addressing the defendant via an interpreter said: “The best thing he can do is to stay in work for as long as he can.”
Sentencing | six months in custody in respect of each criminal damage charge, five months for disorderly behaviour and five months for causing unnecessary suffering to animals, all of which was suspended for two years. Compensation. No ban.
CONVICTED (2021) | Raquelle Vanessa Lyons, born 5 January 1991, of 7 Third Avenue, Newry BT35 6HD – for neglecting three dogs and a cat.
Lyons pleaded guilty to failing to take reasonable steps to ensure the welfare needs of a tabby cat and three Jack Russell dogs were being met.
A case was brought against Lyons by Newry, Mourne and Down District Council following a complaint received in July 2019 in relation to the welfare of dogs being kept at the location. The property was visited on July 4, 2019.
Raquelle Lyons neglected this cat as well as three dogs. All of the pets have recovered and been rehomed.
Despite numerous visits and several letters being sent to Lyons the officer was unable to gain access until August 29.
The animal welfare officer observed that the animals were being kept in poor conditions and requested a vet attend the location.
After conducting an assessment of the property, a vet determined the animals should be seized and taken into the possession of the council.
An application was made to Newry Magistrates Courts on October 2, 2019 to have the cat and three Jack Russell dogs rehomed and this was granted.
Newry, Mourne and Down District Council issued proceedings under the provisions of the Welfare of Animals Act (Northern Ireland) 2011.
Sentencing: ordered to pay a fine of £150 and costs of £237. She was banned from keeping animals for just three years (expires September 2024).
CONVICTED (2020) | Sabrina McClelland, age unknown, of Irvington Park, Kilkeel, Newry BT34 4LX – left two poorly dogs unattended for at least 48 hours
Sabrina McClelland abandoned two unwell dogs but only received a five-year ban
Newry, Mourne and Down District Council prosecuted mother-of-four Sabrina McClelland for animal cruelty after she left an injured female Rottweiler and neglected male shih-tzu alone and abandoned at her home.
The unnamed dogs were neglected and abandoned by their cruel owner
She pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to the dogs and for failing to take reasonable steps to ensure their welfare needs were being met.
On May 21, 2019 a council animal welfare officer visited the above address following a report that two dogs had been abandoned at the property.
On investigation they found a badly matted shih tzu type dog and a Rottweiler who was unable to weight bear on her front right leg. An Officer returned on May 23, 2019. The two dogs were still present, and the Rottweiler was very dull.
No one had entered the property for at least 48 hours to care for the dogs.
A search warrant was obtained and the two dogs were removed from the address.
Both dogs were examined by a veterinary surgeon who certified that they were suffering.
After further clinical investigations the vet determined that the Rottweiler should be put to sleep on welfare grounds. The little shih-tzu has since recovered and been rehomed.
Sentencing:£380 in fines and costs. Five-year disqualification order (expires October 2025).
CONVICTED (2018) | Harrison MacUillin (aka Harry McQuillan), born 26 July 1995, of Warrenpoint Road, Newry BT34 2PN – arranged to have a dog’s ears cropped, leaving her in pain.
Irresponsible MacUillin, who runs a company named Harry’s Valeting, was convicted on 21 May 2018 in Newry Magistrates Court of offences under Sections 4, 5 and 9 of the Welfare of Animals Act (NI) 2011.
Charges under the provisions of the Welfare of Animals Act (NI) 2011 were brought by Newry, Mourne and Down District Council against MacUillin, in relation to one dog in his care.
He was charged with the offence of causing unnecessary suffering to the dog, permitting another person to carry out a prohibited procedure on the dog by cropping the sensitive tissue of the dog’s ears and for failure to take reasonable steps to ensure the needs of the dog were being met including protecting the dog from pain, injury and suffering.
The Council received a complaint which alleged that a dog who had her ears cropped had been taken into the USPCA hospital in Newry after she had been found straying.
The animal was taken into the possession of Newry, Mourne and Down District Council by the Animal Welfare Officer and given appropriate veterinary treatment.
The dog was later successfully rehomed after she recovered from her injuries.
Sentencing: fined £600 and ordered to pay costs of £220. Five-year ban on owning animals (expires May 2023).
