CONVICTED (2011) | barbaric wildlife criminals Wayne “Podge” Lumsdon, born 8 December 1987, of 53 Park Road, Lynemouth, Morpeth NE61 5XJ and Connor Charles Patterson, born 18 June 1987, formerly of The Hope, Whitfield, Hexham, but as of April 2020 residing at Little Kenny Farm, Lintrathen, Kirriemuir, Angus DD8 5JD – forced animals to fight to the death and posted the footage on the internet
Wayne Lumsdon (left) and Connor Patterson got their kicks from watching animals tearing each other apart
Wayne Lumsdon and Connor Patterson were jailed for offences relating to badgers, foxes, dogs, cats and cockerels. The pair were also banned from keeping animals for 15 and eight years respectively after boasting about their antics in text messages and keeping photos.
Lumsdon pleaded guilty to willfully killing a badger and two counts of causing an animal fight to take place.
Apprentice gamekeeper Patterson pleaded guilty to two counts of causing an animal fight to take place.
Lumsdon is banned from keeping animals until 2026
Magistrates were read a series of texts exchanged by the pair in which Lumsdon bragged of “killing a badger” with his and another dog – something he described as “mint”.
The court was then shown a video of the badger being attacked by the two dogs, then footage of cocks fighting and again men’s voices could be heard encouraging them.
Magistrates heard clothes seen in the video were later traced to Lumsdon and that a text message of his referred to spurs used in cock fighting.
2022 image of Wayne Lumsdon with partner Madison Armstrong
Further footage was shown to the court of a fox which had been snared being attacked by a dog. A stick was thrust into the fox’s mouth and a boot – which was later traced to Patterson – was shown on its neck. Again, men could be heard laughing and encouraging the dog with cries of “kill it”.
In the final bit of footage, a fox was shown in a cage with a dog. The animals are seen fighting with men’s voices encouraging them and hands shown holding the fox’s ears through the cage.
In interview, Patterson admitted he had been an apprentice gamekeeper and had a national diploma in countryside and game management. While studying for this, he had learnt how to use snares and traps.
On 25 March 2011 Wayne Lumsdon and Connor Patterson had their jail sentences cut because of a legal technicality. Judges at Newcastle Crown Court were forced to cut their prison sentences because the pair had not been given credit for pleading guilty at an earlier hearing. Patterson had his sentence reduced to 16 weeks. Lumsdon’s 26 weeks was cut to 21 by a judge at a separate hearing.
In November 2012 Connor Patterson was convicted of further cruelty to animals alongside wife Caroline Patterson (aka Caroline Jordan) after a search warrant was executed at their cottage in Whitfield by Northumbria Police and RSPCA inspectors. A total of 55 animals including dogs, rabbits, guinea pigs, turkeys, ducks and chickens were seized from the couple.
Connor Patterson and now ex-wife Caroline Patterson (now Caroline Jordan) outside court
The court heard animals had been left without a constant supply of fresh drinking water and some were underweight.
Dogs at the property were suffering from dental disease, while a turkey was left with an untreated lump in its ear.
Patterson was found to be in breach of his disqualification order although this and the cruelty charge were later overturned on appeal on the grounds that the animals were the responsibility of his wife.
Caroline Patterson was given a conditional discharge and was not banned from keeping animals.
#MostEvil | Paul Hinton, born 07/11/1975, as at 2018 of Borough Road, Darlington DL1 1SG – killed a stray dog by taping up his muzzle then subjecting him to a violent beating
Hinton tied up the mongrel before subjecting him to a prolonged beating, during which he kicked him in the head, spine, tail, leg and abdomen. He also taped the dog’s muzzle shut. The dog died of impaired breathing and a heart attack as a result of traumatic injury.
Despite the pre-meditated and sustained nature of Hinton’s violent attack on the defenceless animal, a charge of torture was withdrawn.
Hinton alleged that he bound the dog’s muzzle to protect his children, claiming that one of them had been bitten.
Speaking after the case, RSPCA inspector Garry Palmer said: “What this dog went through is the stuff of nightmares. Thinking about that has caused many a sleepless night for me.
“The premeditated nature of what happened here makes it one of the most shocking cases I have ever dealt with. It was horrific.”
Sentencing: 10-week prison sentence. Life ban on keeping animals.
CONVICTED (2010) | Anthony Parker, born c. 1981, of 24 Holyrood Walk, Hartlepool TS25 3EY – killed a Syrian hamster in a microwave.
Sadistic animal abuser Anthony Parker was only banned from keeping animals for five years
The tiny hamster suffered a horrific death at the hands of her evil owner.
When police came to Parkers home in the early hours of February 23, 2010, he admitted putting his pet in the cooker after a drunken row with his girlfriend.
The court heard he told officers: “I didn’t mean to kill her. She was the best hamster I ever had. She was called Suzie.”
2019 photo of animal torturer Anthony Parker
Her body was found in a wheelie bin outside the house with burns to her mouth. A post-mortem determined that she had died from exposure to radiation.
In addition to a nine-week custodial sentence, Parker was banned from keeping animals for five years (expired 2015).
While Parker’s landlord, Housing Hartlepool, had threatened to take a hardline against the animal abuser by evicting him, in the end they merely “demoted” his tenancy.
CONVICTED (2009) | Marc Ian Young, born 07/02/1980, from 9 Hawthorne Terrace, Ferryhill DL17 9AX and Paul Nigel Brown, born 27/04/1953, of 18 Lorton Road, Redcar TS10 4LY – kept dozens of diseased and injured dogs in appalling conditions on a farm.
Marc Ian Young of Ferryhill, who together with his boss Paul Nigel Brown, was convicted of cruelty to 144 dogs
Young and Brown were together convicted of 16 animal cruelty offences after 144 dogs were found mangy and unfed at Bog Hall Farm, Mordon, near Sedgefield, County Durham.
Prosecutor John Ellwood told the court how an investigation by the RSPCA led to a raid on Brown’s Bog Hall Farm in the spring of 2008.
More than 144 cross-breeds, lurchers and terriers were found living in cages, animal stables and even in the back of unused vehicles.
Dirt and faeces were compacted on floors, and the animals had what little sustenance they could get when dried food was thrown on top of this.
Seven dogs had infected wounds, 26 had dental problems and 13 dogs were close to death through emaciation.
All the animals had the parasites living in their fur.
Horrifyingly, dead dogs were being burned on a rubbish heap, and inspectors found the charred remains of one animal during a visit.
Brown would also apparently sell the dogs when he could for commercial gain and was seen as the leader of the enterprise, with Young in his pay.
Some 35 of the dogs had to be put down following the discovery.
In all, the case cost the RSPCA approximately £29,000 in veterinary bills, £14,000 in legal fees and an estimated £15,000 to investigate.
Brown pleaded guilty to charges of animal cruelty between February 27 and April 24, 2008.
His offences ranged from failing to provide sufficient food and veterinary care to a “catch-all” charge of failing to provide adequate care, said prosecutor John Ellwood.
Young had denied 11 of the animal welfare charges against him, which included:
Failing to give 102 dogs a wholesome diet;
Failing to provide necessary care for 144 dogs with flea and lice infestation;
Failing to give veterinary care to 26 dogs suffering from severe dental disease;
Failing to treat infected wounds on eight dogs;
Failing to obtain veterinary treatment for a dog with a fractured leg.
Young told the court he was overwhelmed with the workload and was following the orders of his boss, Paul Nigel Brown, who was the farm’s tenant at the time.
Finding Young guilty on all charges, Judge Simon Hickey said: “Mr Young admitted he knew it was wrong to throw food on the filthy floor of the pens. He knew he was failing to provide adequate care for the animals. He was embarrassed by the finding of excrement and smell of urine.
“This was prolonged neglect over a period of eight weeks. There must have been commercial motivation.
“You have to face up to the consequences of these animals suffering.”
He told Young: “I don’t accept the defence of only doing what you were told to do.”
Speaking after the hearing, RSPCA inspector Lucy Hoehne said: “We are happy with the sentences and happy they won’t be able to keep dogs for a number of years.”
Sentencing:
Brown and Young were each sentenced to eight weeks in jail, suspended for 12-months.
They were both ordered to carry out 100 hours of community service and pay £260 costs.
Brown was banned from keeping dogs for 10 years (expired December 2019). Young was banned from keeping dogs for five years (expired December 2014).
CONVICTED (2009) | Gary David Adamson (26/01/1971) of Eaglescliffe, Stockton-on-Tees, Owen Anthony Batey (26/11/1968) from Middlesbrough, Christopher John Burgess (24/11/1966) from Mansfield, Kenneth Harold King (14/12/1973) from Newark, Jane Adamson aka Jane Barnes (22/12/1970) of Thornaby, Stockton-on-Tees, Claire Amanda Parker (15/12/1964) from Gainsborough, and Mohammed Nasir Farooq (16/09/1975) of Bordesley Green, Birmingham
, Clockwise from top left Claire Parker, Gary Adamson, Mohammed Farooq, Owen Batey
Members of one of the UK’s biggest dog-fighting gangs were caught as part of two major investigations into dog fighting by the RSPCA’s special operations unit named Operations Cannon and Castle.
Separate footage obtained by an undercover reporter working on a BBC Panorama investigation into organised dog fighting and a notorious gang, the Farmers’ Boys, also provided the RSPCA with vital video evidence to bring the gang to justice.
Video footage captured Adamson readying his dog for a fight
In a secretly recorded video shown in the programme, Gary Adamson proudly boasts that a dog named as Pablo suffered a “real good ragging” in a half-hour fight with Kenneth King’s dog Chief for £500 prize money. Adamson pulls up the nervous-looking dog by his collar at one point to show multiple white scars on his face, a ripped ear and some stapled wounds.
Gary Adamson – the self-described”Don King” of dog fighting
Adamson was caught on camera naming some of those who attended, while others were tracked down by the RSPCA.
The journalist secretly filmed Adamson’s now ex wife Jane Adamson (now Jane Barnes) at a dog fight.
Jane Adamson / Jane Barnes
When Jane Adamson was interviewed by police, she told officers: “I just did what I had to do.”
Searches were carried out at several premises, including the homes of the defendants. Equipment including several treadmills, training aids, home veterinary kits and prescription only drugs were all discovered by the RSPCA inspectors who investigated the case. Many of the individuals also had elaborate kennel set-ups at their home addresses, along with several pit bull type dogs that had scars from previous fights.
‘Fighting’ dog chained up at Gary Adamson’s home
During a search of Claire Parker’s home, RSPCA inspectors discovered a blood stained fighting pit constructed in the garage. This is believed to be the pit where the fight described by Adamson was held. The inspectors also found three pit bull type dogs, an elaborate set of kennels and treadmills used to train the animals at Parker’s premises.
Dog badly injured after being forced by Adamson’s evil gang to participate in a fight
Adamson boasted how he was the “Don King of dog fighting” and was a top breeder and trader of bull terriers.
Details of Charges and Sentencing
Claire Parker, aka Claire Page, denied all the charges but was found guilty of being present at a dog fight, keeping a premises for dog fighting and possessing three pit bull dogs. She was sentenced to 18 weeks in prison and banned from keeping animals for ten years (expired 2019).
Her late-husband John Parker was also due to stand trial on dog fighting charges, but he died before the hearing while in prison for other offences.
Gary Adamson
Gary Adamson of 9 Seymour Avenue, Eaglescliffe, Stockton-on-Tees TS16 0LD pleaded guilty to six charges in connection with illegal dog fighting and was given 23 weeks in prison. He was banned from keeping animals for life.
Mohammed Farooq of 43 Daniels Road, Birmingham B9 5XP was found guilty on two counts of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal and possessing training equipment for dog fighting and was jailed for the maximum 26 weeks. Banned from keeping all animals for life.
Owen Batey of 44 Cannock Road, Middlesbrough TS3 7NU was given 23 weeks in jail, having admitted setting two pit bulls on each other, being present at a dog-fight and owning a pit bull. He was disqualified from keeping animals for life.
Christopher Burgess of 44 Nursery Court, Nursery Street, Mansfield NG18 2AJ pleaded guilty to one charge of keeping a banned dog and received 160 hours’ community service.
Kenneth King of Island Cottage, High Street, East Markham, Newark NG22 0QJ admitted eight charges including taking part in dog fights. He was jailed for 23 weeks and banned from keeping animals for life.
Jane Adamson previously of Pacific Drive, Stockton on Tees (current address tbc) admitted one charge: causing unnecessary suffering to a pit bull terrier type dog named Pablo by failing to obtain veterinary attention in respect of injuries sustained in a fight. She was given an 18-month community order and told to pay £150 in costs. She was banned from keeping dogs for 10 years (expired 2019).
An unidentified 17-year-old youth was convicted of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal and keeping dog-fighting equipment. He was given a six-month referral order and a five-year ban from keeping or owning animals.
Several members of the gang appealed, but these were largely unsuccessful.
A fight broke out inside the court building during which Kenneth King received head injuries. Police had to use a taser to overpower Christopher Burgess.
Claire Parker was sentenced to four and a half years in jail after she crashed her BMW at 80mph and killed a devoted couple.
Lincoln Crown Court heard Parker was estimated to be driving her BMW at 80mph when she crossed over double white lines and moved out to pass two cars and a double decker bus before colliding with the couple’s vehicle.
CONVICTED (2009) | Daniel Grant Winspear, born 18/11/1990, of 44 Arncliffe Gardens, Hartlepool TS26 9JF – smashed a tortoise to pieces with a baseball bat
Drunken Daniel Winspear, who was aged 18 at date of conviction, carried out the attack on the defenceless creature – which is a protected species – at a house party.
Winspear was found in the conservatory in the early hours of May 23, 2008, with the bat in his hand and the dismembered tortoise next to him.
An RSPCA statement said: “This was an act of gruesome, sadistic cruelty and the magistrates sentence, including the disqualification, reflected not only the magistrates’ disapproval but society’s disapproval of such acts.”
Winspear had been invited to the party by a cousin who was already there. But on arrival he was “very drunk.”
John Ellwood, prosecuting for the RSPCA, said: “While at the house he took a small baseball bat and smashed a tortoise to death.”
The teenager who lived at the house then came into the conservatory and saw “the mess everywhere” and asked what had happened.
Mr Ellwood added: “Mr Winspear appeared to have the baseball bat in his hand and was smiling and accused one of the other boys of having done it.
“On further inquiries he admitted he had done it and was told to leave.
“The young man and his friends tried to clean up the mess and put the tortoise in the bin.
“Unfortunately they kept finding bits of the tortoise splattered about the conservatory and the smell was truly grim.”
The pet’s owners rushed back from their holiday in Blackpool after hearing about the sickening act, and they immediately called the RSPCA.
A vet from the charity said the tortoise had not died instantly but “suffered between the repetitive blows.”
In interview with RSPCA inspectors, Winspear said he was too drunk to remember doing it.
The chairman of the magistrates’ bench, Katie Brown, said: “The photos we saw made sickening viewing and you really should have faced up to what you did.
“You committed this while under the influence of alcohol which is indicative of the perils of alcohol abuse.”
Winspear was allowed to appeal against the ban on looking after animals after five years.
Sentence: 18-month community order with 250 hours of unpaid work; costs of £1,652.71 to cover RSPCA, vet and solicitor bills; banned from keeping animals for 10 years (expired March 2019).
CONVICTED (2008) | dog-fighting ring member Daniel Tate, born 6 December 1987, previously of Cresswell Road, Grangetown, Middlesbrough but at the time of conviction of George Street, Redcar TS10 2BN – set his illegal pit bull terrier on a smaller dog in a vicious “training session”.
Daniel Tate: dog fighter, pervert, lifelong loser.
Twisted Daniel Tate, also a registered sex offender, was sentenced to five months at a young offenders’ institution and banned from keeping animals for ten years after he pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to a dog and owning a banned animal.
Mobile phone footage of the fight was handed to Cleveland Police, who asked the RSPCA to investigate the case.
The court heard that Tate’s pit bull terrier-type dog, Chico, was filmed fighting a Staffordshire bull terrier-type dog that RSPCA inspectors believe had been stolen for the illegal confrontation.
John Ellwood, prosecuting for the RSPCA, said Tate had helped set up the fight between his pit bull Chico and a Staffordshire Bull Terrier in an alley at the back of King Street, South Bank, on January 7, 2007.
He said: “This case is presented on the basis that this was an arranged training session for the pit bull to teach it that it can fight and win.
“It’s fairly obvious there can only be one winner in this fight and that was the case. The pit bull quite quickly got the better of the Staffordshire.”
Still from the horrific footage showing an illegal pitbull being set on a small Staffy who is believed to have been stolen for baiting.
The short film showed the dogs being baited and encouraged to fight, with Tate’s dog viciously attacking the other animal.
Despite the efforts to trace the Staffordshire bull terrier the inspectors were unable to trace the attacked dog and have not been able to determine whether the animal was seriously injured or even killed.
Mr Ellwood said an onlooker to the baiting session had recorded the fight on a mobile phone and had forwarded the images to other people. One of those people had taken it to the police and officers recognised both Tate and his pit bull as being from the Grangetown area, the court heard yesterday.
Mr Ellwood said officers raided Tate’s former home in Cresswell Road where they found him hiding in a bathroom cupboard.
Daniel Tate was allowed to own animals again from 2018.
When a vet examined the pit bull in April 2007 – months after the fight was caught on camera – fresh wounds consistent with another fighting dog were found, said Mr Ellwood.
Tate pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to an animal by causing it to fight and being in possession of an illegal dog.
He also admitted failure to comply with his notification requirements as a registered sex offender after he received an 18 month community order for a conviction in March, 2007.
Inspector Alan Fisher, of the RSPCA’s special operations Unit, investigated the dog fight.
Speaking after the hearing, he said: “I’m very pleased the court viewed this matter so seriously and passed their sentence accordingly.
“Dog-fighting is an appalling and cruel practice.
“Animals are forced together in artificial circumstances and caused pain and suffering.
“The RSPCA will continue its efforts to stamp out this vile practice, and assistance from the public in reporting these matters is gratefully appreciated and welcome.”
The video footage led to Cleveland Police and the RSPCA carrying out a crackdown on illegal fighting dogs in the east Cleveland area, which saw seven suspected members of a dog-fighting ring arrested in March 2007.
The raids, which were the culmination of a ten-month surveillance operation, saw four heavily- built pit bull terrier-type dogs led into restraint cages by RSPCA officers.
Operation Bale is believed to have smashed a gang suspected of using dangerous dogs for social status and organising spectator battles in alley-gated arenas near homes.
Sentencing: Five months at a young offenders’ institution. Banned from keeping animals for ten years (expired 2018).
In May 2008 one of Tate’s accomplices, James Harland aka Jimbo Foster, a traveller from South Bank, Middlesbrough, was jailed for six months for his part in the baiting incident.
James Harland “tragically” died in 2016.
Harland was also disqualified from owning animals for ten years after pleading guilty to procuring a dog fight.
In 2016 morbidly obese Harland died in his sleep at the age of 29. He was described by his fellow travellers as a “loveable rogue” with “a heart of gold”.
#MostEvil | Nicky Collinson, born 8 January 1986, of 28 Tynebank, Blaydon-on-Tyne NE21 4RW – kicked and punched a kitten that had wandered over to her.
2022 photo of Nicky Collinson. Source: Facebook.
Mobile phone footage showed Collinson and an unidentified 16-year-old female accomplice laughing as they repeatedly kick and punch the cat, chasing after him when he attempted to escape.
In October 2007 Collinson was banned from keeping animals for life. She was also given a 12-month supervision order, and a six-month night-time curfew.
The youth involved was disqualified from keeping any animal for five years and given a referral order.
Collinson later sold her story to Take a Break magazine. This is the text of that article.
The video began and I watched the screen as two young women walked along a dimly lit street. They heard a sound and turned to see a black and white kitten wandering up to them. Its tail swished and its ears pricked up to show it wanted affection.
It was a young, trusting animal and allowed itself to be picked up by one of the women. She cradled it in the crook of her left arm, glanced across at her companion and said: “Quick!” The other woman got out her mobile, aimed it at the kitten and began filming with the phone’s camera.
She said: “It’s ready.”
With that, the woman holding the kitten drew back her fist and punched the animal twice, as hard as she could. It slumped forwards as the women laughed loudly.
Next, she threw the animal into the air. As the kitten began to descend, she swung her foot and drop-kicked it as if it was a rugby ball.
The kitten spun sideways and landed on the road. When it tried to get up to escape, she kicked it again. That’s where the video ended.
I sat back in shock at what I’d seen because that woman torturing the kitten was me. I didn’t remember it because I’d been drunk. Now it was the following morning and I was sober. I’d stayed over at my friend’s house and she was showing me the video she’d taken. I could clearly see the cruelty I’d inflicted.
“It’s hilarious, don’t you think?” she said.
My face burned scarlet with shame. “No,” I said trembling. “You should have stopped me. I’m disgusting.”
I had turned to alcohol after my nan, who was also my best friend, had passed away. She’s suffered from emphysema, a degenerative lung disease, and in her final months, I’d cared for her. I loved her so much and when she died I felt lost. I became quiet and isolated. I was 16 and didn’t know how to deal with my grief. So I tried drinking. Getting drunk helped me stop thinking about my sadness.
My parents were worried and in the end Dad took me to the doctor, who said: “Nicola, your grandma’s death had a big impact on your life. It would be best if you started taking antidepressants.”
I agreed to take them. Although the medication numbed the pain, it didn’t address how or why I felt so bad. I continued to drink. The combination of drugs and alcohol made me feel detached from myself. I became moody and menacing.
My sister Jennifer said: “You’re nice when you’re sober, but I don’t know who you are when you’re drunk. You’re not the sister I love. You need to sort yourself out.”
“Whatever,” I shrugged. That night, when I kicked the kitten, I had been at a friend’s house and we had drunk a lot. I couldn’t remember anything about what happened.
When my friend showed me the clip on her mobile, I was beside myself. I didn’t even know if the kitten had survived.
“I’ve sent it to our friends,” she said.
“You’ve done what?” I said in horror.
“I thought it was funny,” she replied.
Our friends didn’t agree. One sent it to the RSPCA. Later that afternoon I had a visit from the police. They took me to the station where I was shown the video again and questioned. “Is that you kicking the kitten?” the officer asked.
Breaking down, I said: “Yes, it’s me. I’m so sorry. I was drunk and didn’t know what I was doing. I didn’t mean to hurt it.”
Despite my tearful pleas, I was charged with causing unnecessary suffering to an animal. The worst thing was, I loved animals. I had two dogs who I looked after on my own. We’d had Perry, a crossbreed Yorkshire terrier, for 17 years. I had also rescued a six-year-old Staffordshire bull terrier called Sparkle from a dogs’ home.
Back home in Gateshead, Tyne & Wear, I was plagued by images of me kicking the kitten. I’d think about it and cringe.
I told Dad: “I’m so ashamed of what I’ve done. I’m going to change.”
I meant it. I gave up alcohol and when friends called to invite me out, I refused. Instead, I spent time walking my dogs and playing with my nieces and nephews. Whenever I was tempted to have a drink, I forced myself to think back to what I’d done.
In time I heard that RSPCA inspectors had been unable to trace the kitten or its owners to find out if it had survived. Knowing it may have suffered an excruciating death from its injuries made me even more distressed.
Eventually, I appeared at Gosforth Magistrates Court. I pleaded guilty. Clive McKeag, who was prosecuting for the RSPCA, showed the video footage, recorded on the Cowgate estate in Newcastle.
He said: “This is what can only be described as a very wicked case. It was only a kitten and it came looking for affection.”
He described the attack, saying: “It was absolutely deliberate. There can be no suggestion it was accidental. What makes it worse is that someone was making a video on a camera phone. You can hear joking and laughing.”
The solicitor defending me, Kevin Kivlehan, said: “The girl that you see in the video is very different from the young lady you have before you today. She has suffered from emotional difficulties, anxiety and depression throughout her life until fairly recently. She has abused both drugs and alcohol and that has exacerbated the problem. She once rescued a Staffordshire bull terrier from a neglectful home using her own money. That is the true nature of Nicola Collinson.”
The presiding magistrate addressed me, saying:”Having looked at that video of what you did, we seriously considered custody. It is appalling that any human can do such a thing to another animal. It’s unthinkable and no excuses can be accepted. But we are going to ask for reports. We feel you’re desperately in need of help. Hopefully you’ll live to remember what you’ve done to that cat and never do anything like that again.”
I was sentenced to a 12-month community and supervision order and a six-month curfew from 7pm to 7am. I was also banned for life from keeping animals and ordered to pay costs of £420.
The story appeared in the newspapers and local residents commented. One wrote: “You’re the lowest of the low. I wouldn’t chuck a cup of water on you if you were on fire. In fact, why don’t you just drop dead?”
Another wrote: “Typical scum blaming drink….weren’t drunk enough to aim right TWICE, were you? Hope someone gives you the kicking you so deserve. You are trash.
While another said: “I was mortified when I read about the cat in the paper. It looked so calculated.. she shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near animals.”
The comments hurt but I deserved them. Perhaps I should have been kicked in the same way as I had tortured that kitten. I wish I could do more than just say sorry. But I’ll have to live with the fact that I’m an animal beater forever.
Update April 2022 | Breached Lifetime Ban
Newcastle Magistrates Court heard that on January 10, 2022 a chihuahua and a Jack Russell were found living at Collinson’s home after a housing officer tipped off the RSPCA.
Collinson told an RSPCA inspector that she had been caring for the Jack Russell, called Lucy, since her father’s death in November 2020, and that the chihuahua, known as Robbie, had been brought into the house by her partner in August 2021.
Collinson, who the court heard is unemployed and has four children, was dealt with in her absence after failing to attend the hearing to answer a charge of breaching her lifetime disqualification of keeping all animals, which was handed down at Gosforth Magistrates’ in January 2007.
Alex Bousfield, prosecuting for the RSPCA, told the court that since the dogs were found at her home Collinson had been co-operative with the RSPCA. Both Lucy and Robbie were found to be in perfect condition and have since been re-homed.
He said Collinson admitted she had been looking after Lucy for around 26 months, and Robbie for five months. No harm had been caused to either animal.
The presiding magistrate said that in Collinson’s absence she was satisfied that the defendant had been served notice to attend court and that having heard a summary of the evidence that she had kept two dogs she was disqualified from having.
She fined Collinson £120 with a £34 victim surcharge for the breach. The lifetime ban on keeping animals still stands.
CONVICTED (2007) | animal hoarder Lee Howard, born 12 August 1966, of Shinwell Crescent, Middlesbrough TS6 6LJ – let nearly 30 animals die of thirst and starvation at a County Durham stables.
Lee Howard was charged after the RSPCA discovered animal remains at Bank Top Stables in Trimdon, County Durham, in May 2005.
Magistrates heard that 13 horses and ponies, 11 hens, four dogs, and a rabbit died of dehydration and starvation over a period of several weeks after being locked up at the stables. Three dogs survived by eating the remains of the dead animals.
In March 2006 Howard was sentenced to six months in jail and banned from keeping animals for the rest of his life.
Just a few months later Howard was back in court after it was discovered he was keeping 11 dogs and 16 birds at a house in Delarden Road, Pallister Park, Middlesbrough.
The animals were kept in squalid conditions, with the dogs running around in piles of faeces and pools of urine. Six of them had problems with their paws and one had an ear infection.
Howard was given a further six-month jail term for breaching his ban.
Sentencing: two custodial terms and a lifetime ban on keeping animals.
Lee Howard, who has used the name Lee Howard-Smith, was handed a suspended prison sentence after being caught breaching his ban. Several animals and birds were found living in squalor at his home. Howard, who since his original convictions has gone on to obtain multiple training certificates in animal care, was also working as a paid pet-sitter. He was caught out after a customer found his name and photograph on an animal cruelty website.
His address at the time of conviction was Scott Road, Kettering, North Northamptonshire.
CONVICTED (2007) | David ‘Dave’ Smith, born c. 1949, of Adam and Eve Cottage, Northdene Avenue, Seaham SR7 7BH – killed thousands of ex-racing greyhounds with a bolt gun and buried them at his home
Dave Smith from Seaham is said to have killed thousands of former racing greyhounds with a bolt gun. Despite this, he was never charged with animal cruelty.
The prosecution of Dave Smith was brought by the Environment Agency after police ruled that the ‘Seaham Slaughterer’ as he came to be known would not face criminal charges in relation to the destruction of the dogs.
It had been claimed that Smith had shot about 10,000 dogs, but magistrates were told the figure was nowhere near that. It was conceded that he had put down two dogs a week for two years at a cost of £10 a time.
The shocking footage shows Smith returning moments later with the bodies of the same two dogs in a wheelbarrow
While Smith was questioned by police, it was confirmed the bolt gun used to kill the retired greyhounds was held legitimately.
There are unconfirmed reports that Smith also disposed of dogs for the police and local authority.
Enquiries by the RSPCA concluded that there was no indication animal cruelty laws had been broken.
A spokeswoman for the charity said if used properly a bolt gun was a humane method of killing dogs and there had been no evidence that Smith had killed the greyhounds inhumanely.
Following a six-month investigation, the Environment Agency prosecuted him under legislation used to restrict the dumping of waste.
Smith admitted a single charge under the Pollution Prevention and Control (England and Wales) Regulations that, on 12 July 2006 he disposed of waste – the bodies of deceased dogs – on land without a permit.
Greyhound protection group Greyhound Action (now defunct) held a protest outside the court and said it was disgraceful that the dog racing industry itself was not in the dock.
Sentencing: £2,000 fine for environmental breaches
Dave Smith still runs a building supplies business Dave Smith Builders Merchants & DIY (website here) based in Lord Street, Seaham SR7 7JH. At the time of his prosecution, many local people came forward to support Smith, claiming that he was only meeting a demand from the greyhound industry.
In June 2019 a documentary on animal cruelty within the greyhound industry by Irish TV channel RTE entitled RTÉ Investigates: Greyhounds Running for Their Lives highlighted the Smith case and made the shocking discovery that many Irish knackeries, including Larry Earle Ltd of Camolin, Co. Wexford, and John Styles & Son Ltd in Kyletalesha Townland, Co. Laois , will willingly provide a similar service today.
We collate data on animal cruelty convictions in the UK
