CONVICTED (2024) | Harry Locker, born 7 January 2000, of Nethergate Street in Hopton, near Diss IP22 2QZ – placed a live chicken into a cage containing ferrets and filmed as the bird was attacked and slowly killed.
Locker pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal, by causing a ferret to attack a white coloured chicken.
The RSPCA was alerted to the incident by a member of the public that the bird had been deliberately put in the cage with the ferrets.
The defendant was arrested and three videos were found on his phone showing his ferrets attacking and killing the chicken.
A vet who examined the videos said the suffering was caused directly by the person who placed the bird in with the ferrets and that based on the videos it appeared the bird took three minutes to die – during which time it was repeatedly attacked and bitten.
Speaking after the case RSPCA Inspector Caroline Richardson said: “The footage is very difficult to watch. Animals are sentient creatures who feel emotions and this poor bird was made to suffer for almost three minutes while it was attacked.
“I am pleased the defendant has been held to account for his actions. I hope this case sends out a clear message that deliberate cruelty of this kind is not ever acceptable.”
The ferrets were signed over to the RSPCA.
In mitigation the defendant said that he had mental health issues and that this was a foolish thing to have done.
Sentencing | 18 month community order with 200 hours of unpaid work and 15 rehabilitation activity requirement days; A total of £1,964 in costs and victim surcharge. Banned from keeping all animals, except for dogs, for five years (expires January 2029).
CONVICTED (2023) | Cameron Quilter, born c. 1998, of Golding Way, Stowmarket IP14 1XL – caught on camera kicking a puppy after tripping over her.
Shocking Ring doorbell footage, which was widely shared on social media at the time, showed bullyboy Quilter booting the seven-month-old whippet called Loki in anger, leaving her yelping in pain.
In court he admitted a charge of causing unnecessary suffering to a dog.
Quilter, who works as a warehouseman and part-time chef, was given a 12-month community order with 50 hours of unpaid work. He wasn’t banned from owning animals after useless presiding magistrate Graham Smith said the court was satisfied his act of animal cruelty had been a one-off – this despite the fact that Quilter admitted he needed help with his “anger issues”.
Visual examination of Loki by a police officer (i.e. not a vet) revealed no signs of distress or discomfort and there were no visible injuries. She will now remain with Quilter so let’s hope he manages to keep that temper in check.
Sentencing | 50 hours of unpaid work. No ban or deprivation order.
CONVICTED (2023) | Jamie Straugheir (aka Jamie-Lee Straugheir), born 17 March 2022, of Victoria Road, Darlington but with strong links to Ipswich and Felixstowe in Suffolk – bit the head off a live hamster.
Straugheir admitted biting the head off a domestic pet hamster on Christmas Eve 2022.
He also pleaded guilty to charges of failing to surrender to police and failing to appear in court when he was expected on February 6, 2023.
Sentencing | 26 weeks’ imprisonment. Disqualified from owning, keeping or participating in keeping pets for a period of 10 years but may apply for the order to be terminated as early as 2028.
CONVICTED (2022) | backyard breeder Justin Alexander Dyer, born 20 June 1979, of 26 Talbot Road, Sudbury CO10 1WE – for the neglect of several dogs kept in squalor at his filthy home.
Dyer, who traded under the name Boss Pups UK, was convicted of seven animal welfare act offences relating to neglect and cruelty and one offence of breeding and selling dogs without a licence.
A raid on Dyer’s home in February 2022 was led by Sgt Brian Calver from Suffolk Police’s Rural and Wildlife team and aided by vets, the RSPCA, and an environmental health officer from Babergh District Council.
The team discovered dogs being kept in abject squalor. Eight dogs were seized, including two puppies – the breeds of dogs were American bulldog crossbreeds and Shar Pei.
Dyer was arrested the same day on February 10 and later charged with the offences.
Sgt Calver said: ”This was a particularly unpleasant case, where a number of dogs were kept in the most appalling conditions, purely for selfish financial gain, with no consideration for their welfare. Dyer has shown no remorse and I hope he reflects upon the harm he’s caused whilst he serves his term of imprisonment.
“I sincerely hope this sends a strong message to others that think it’s acceptable to profit from dogs with no consideration for their welfare, or those that fail to look after their pets properly.”
Sentencing | 26 weeks in jail; ordered to pay around £6,200 in costs and compensation. 15-year ban on owning, keeping, or having anything to do with looking after animals. He was given an additional six-month jail sentence after breaching a suspended sentence for possession of a machete following an offence in 2021. This will run consecutively to the 26-week sentence and it equates to a year in custody.
CONVICTED (2022) | gamekeeper Matthew Stroud, born c. 1976, of Keepers Cottage, Fengate, Weeting, Brandon IP27 0QF – illegally shot and poisoned birds of prey.
Stroud dosed dead pheasants with poison as bait to kill buzzards in woodlands near Weeting Heath and Breckland Forest, which are both protected sites.
Appearing at Norwich Magistrates Court he admitted shooting five buzzards and one goshawk, the poisoning of another buzzard, the laying of poison baits and illegal possession of poisons including strychnine.
He also became the first person convicted for the unauthorised release of game birds on a Special Protection Area (SPA).
Despite the gravity of his offences Stroud walked free from court with a paltry fine and a community sentence.
The court heard an investigation was launched when RSPB officers found a young pheasant dead in Belvedere Wood, Weeting, on August 19, 2021, that had been poisoned.
Police later also searched Stroud’s home where they found three dead buzzards that x-rays showed had been shot. Two pheasant carcasses with extremely high levels of strychnine and a poisoned common buzzard were found in Belvedere Wood, protected because of its internationally important population of stone curlews. His mobile phone was also found to contain photos of a dead goshawk and five dead buzzards.
Stroud, a self-employed gamekeeper at Fengate Farm, pleaded guilty to six counts of killing a common buzzard and of killing a northern goshawk, both protected species. He also admitted possessing four shotguns to kill wild birds, poison without a licence and storing poison incorrectly and releasing 3,400 pheasants into the wild contrary to the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.
Michael Horn, mitigating, said: “There has been a shoot in this area for over 300 years. In 2020 there were no shoots held for obvious reasons. The next year the defendant was, perhaps wrongfully and unlawfully, very keen to restart it.
“At the time these pheasants were being decimated by these buzzards. His livelihood was being decimated.”
Mark Thomas, head of RSPB Investigations UK, said: “It is difficult not to be disappointed with the outcome today considering the significance of the offences and combined efforts of the agencies involved.
“Laying poison baits out in the open is not only illegal but extremely dangerous and irresponsible.
“Baits like those being used at Fengate Farm present a deadly risk to any animal or person that might come across it. It is particularly troubling that this was happening on an SPA, a designated area where wildlife and nature should have the highest legal protection.”
PC Chris Shelley, Norfolk police rural crime officer, said: “This investigation is one of the biggest cases of its kind that we have dealt with in Norfolk. “Stroud’s actions were dangerous and inhumane – he shot and poisoned birds of prey as he saw fit, and at will, because it suited him to do so.
“He also used a highly dangerous poison – one that has been banned in the UK for the last 15 years – indiscriminately, which could have had a disastrous effect on other local wildlife and showed a scant disregard for the safety of others.”
In a statement the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC) said: “There is no space for illegality in the countryside, nor in the shooting community.
“BASC has a zero-tolerance approach to the illegal killing of birds of prey. Shooting’s contribution to conservation efforts and the rural economy is too great to allow the criminal actions of a tiny minority jeopardise the ongoing benefits.
“Positively, these cases are becoming rarer and population levels of most UK birds of prey are at record highs, much of this is down to the conservation efforts of shooting interests.”
Sentencing | 12-month community order with 200 hours of unpaid work; fined £692.
CONVICTED (2022) | Lowestoft couple Michael Ian Mark Driver, of Raglan Street and Bethany Alice Wildman (aka Bethany Bush) of High Street – mistreated four cats, leaving them unattended for days at a time.
The pair repeatedly left cats Sparkle, Marble, HJ and Shadow unattended and ignored advice despite warnings from the RSPCA.
The charity’s officers tried to engage with the pair, visiting their flat and placing seal tapes across the door to monitor if anyone was looking after the animals.
Tapes found the cats were left unattended on four occasions ranging from 24 hours to over 48 hours.
Photos and footage were taken through the letterbox to try and assess the cats’ conditions. On each occasion the cats could be heard meowing loudly and clawing at the door for food.
They were given pouches of cat food through the letterbox due to concerns that they were not being fed which they snatched from the officers’ hands.
The pair continued to ignore contact attempts from the RSPCA until at last contact was made with Driver who claimed a friend was feeding the cats.
Police managed to get Driver to meet with them and RSPCA inspector Amy Pellegrini, who led the investigation for the charity.
The court heard how conditions inside the property were poor with inspectors saying it was “dark and cold and there was mess everywhere”, with three “very soiled and dirty” litter trays.
It was agreed the cats would be removed and a warning notice was issued advising the animals could not be returned to that flat until the environment was clean and the cats were fed.
The RSPCA offered to rehome the cats but this offer was declined and the cats were taken to the two new addresses by the couple after they moved into separate properties.
Driver moved into Victoria Arcade, in Great Yarmouth with Sparkle and Marble but the pets were later found abandoned in the property.
Meanwhile Wildman moved into a friend’s property with HJ and Shadow but she later returned the pair back to the flat in High Street, Lowestoft against the advice of the RSPCA.
Despite the previous advice issued, the RSPCA soon received another call after Christmas about the pets being left unattended.
The RSPCA were again able to prove the cats were not being attended to and described the conditions they were living in as “filthy”.
There were no signs of any food or water within Driver’s flat and inspector Pellegrini saw the cats were underweight and hungry.
The animals were seized by police and placed into RSPCA care.
Inspector Pellegrini said: “I believed the cats were starving due to the scratches at the door and the loud noises they were making.
“It was claimed the flat was being visited everyday but we were able to prove that this simply was not true.
“No-one was attending consistently each day and the behaviour of the cats was worrying.
“Each time the cats were fed through the letterbox they tried to take the pouches of cat food due to their desperation.”
Sentencing | fined £120 and ordered to pay £120 costs each, together with a £34 victim surcharge. Five year disqualification from keeping all animals.
CONVICTED (2022) | Dave Herring, born c. 1968, of Manor Road, Sudbury CO10 1PB – kicked a hedgehog with ‘considerable force’
Herring admitted causing unnecessary suffering to the hedgehog, by kicking the animal.
The incident was caught on camera and the footage was passed on to the RSPCA to investigate.
The video showed a man walking towards a house and putting something down in the porch area. He was then seen pulling the hedgehog from the porch area with his foot, and kicking it down the road.
In mitigation, the court heard the defendant was of previous good character, that he’d had a heart attack within the last year and had been under stress.
They said it was a one off incident and he had initially thought the hedgehog was a rat.
Speaking after the case RSPCA Inspector Caroline Richardson, said: “Having reviewed video footage it was clear the hedgehog was kicked with considerable force.
“The final kick can clearly be heard on the camera footage.
“The hedgehog rolls at speed several metres, out of sight.
“An expert vet who examined the footage said the hedgehog would have suffered unnecessarily during this time and the suffering would have extended beyond the time of the kicking if an injury was caused.
“They believed the suffering caused was due to pain and fear.
“This was an incident which showed a clear disregard for a wild animal.”
Sentencing | fined £277 and ordered to pay £300 costs and a victim surcharge of £34.
CONVICTED (2021) | serial animal abuser Stacy Humphrys and Maria Lee both of West Meadows travellers site, Ipswich IP1 5NU – kept 84 dogs in squalid conditions.
Serial animal abuser Stacy Humpheys
Serial animal abuser Stacy Humphrys and his ex-partner Maria Lee admitted a string of offences against animals.
A total of 84 dogs were seized in a 10-hour long operation at the traveller camp on March 20, 2021, with 67 of those found at the couple’s plot in filthy conditions.
West Meadows travellers site in Ipswich
During the two-hour sentencing hearing, Ashley Petchey, prosecuting, told the court of the appalling conditions the animals were found in, including puppies being left in filthy crates and having no access to food or water.
Suffolk Police issued photographs of most of the dogs seized in the raid in a bid to find their owners
A cocker spaniel had ‘cherry eye’, which occurs when a tear duct becomes inflamed. Because of the length of time the infection had been left, the dog’s eye had to be removed.
An entirely shaven German Shepherd was found standing on rotten hay in a distressed condition.
Humphrys was previously banned from keeping animals in September 2019 after causing unnecessary suffering and failing to meet the needs of a large number of dogs, poultry and a pony.
But Mr Petchey said Suffolk Police found selfies on his seized mobile showing him holding various dogs. He was identified as having bought three.
Humphrys pleaded guilty to two counts of breaching a disqualification from keeping animals and one count of failing to ensure the welfare of animals, namely 67 dogs, chickens, parrots, a finch and a cockatiel.
Maria Lee
Lee pleaded guilty to five counts of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal and one count of failing to ensure the welfare of animals, namely 67 dogs.
Steven Dyble, mitigating for Humphrys, told the court that despite the police raiding the site in expectation of finding an ‘Aladdin’s cave of stolen dogs’ there was ‘no evidence that any of the dogs from that site had been stolen’ and said it was not a commercial operation.
He said his client, who had been in a lengthy relationship with Lee until it had broken down when he was in prison, had been acting as a carer to his sick ex, and the dogs were actually hers.
Mr Dyble added, a majority of the dogs were kept in a satisfactory condition and only a small number of the animals needed further veterinary care.
Frank O’Toole, who represented Lee, said she didn’t set out to deliberately harm the animals and was a ‘well intentioned but incompetent carer’ who had found it hard to say no to more dogs.
“She has come to the painful realisation that she has caused unnecessary suffering and she is deeply remorseful and ashamed,” he said. “She remains genuinely heartbroken at the loss of all the dogs which have been taken from her.”
As well as being jailed in 2019, Humphrys was jailed for 28 months in 2014 for causing a public nuisance by allowing his horses to stray onto the A14. One ran into the path of traffic and caused the death of a 23-year-old Thomas Allen, from Soham near Newmarket, who was driving home for Christmas in 2012.
Four other people who were arrested alongside Humphrys and Lee are to face no further action.
New homes were found for 66 dogs and 17 were returned to their owners.
Temporary Det Supt Nicky Wallace of Suffolk Police said it was an “extremely challenging” investigation due to the number of dogs involved and the “difficulties we faced in establishing ownership”.
“The conditions that some of these dogs were found in were clearly unacceptable, and the sentences handed to Humphrys and Lee today reflect this,” she said.
Sentencing: Humphrys was jailed for 14 weeks and ordered to pay £233 in costs and charges. He was banned from keeping dogs for life.
Lee was given a 12-week suspended sentence, and ordered to pay the same amount. She was banned from keeping dogs for five years (expires September 2026).
In a private criminal prosecution brought by charity Animal Protection Services Palmer was charged with licensing offences under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.
It follows an incident where Palmer was alleged to have stolen two dogs from a charity, Phoenix Rehoming, that she volunteered for. It was later revealed that Palmer bred the dogs in her possession.
The two dogs involved are now safe in the care of the charity and will be rehomed.
Palmer pleaded guilty to operating a business of breeding and selling dogs without a license.
She was sentenced to a conditional discharge and made to pay a £230 contribution towards the prosecutions costs.
The case was brought by Animal Protection Services as a private criminal prosecution, utilising powers contained within section 6(1) of the Prosecution of Offences Act 1985. It is believed to be the first private prosecution for the unlicensed sales of puppies and one of a handful of prosecutions ever to be taken under the legislation.
The conviction has been recorded on the Police National Computer (PNC).
Sentencing: conditional discharge; ordered to pay £230 towards costs.
CONVICTED (2020) | Venezia Marie Strudwick, born 13 November 1994, of Lucas Road, Sudbury CO10 2WR – filmed kicking a dog in the ribs and dragging her by the lead.
Jana was kicked in the ribs by her owner, Venezia Sudwick, who has now been banned from keeping animals until December 2023
The RSPCA was contacted on February 8, 2020, by a witness who had recorded Strudwick roughly handling her dog, a black German Shepherd called Jana, and kicking her in the side.
The video showed Strudwick shouting and swearing at the dog, before yanking her on the lead as she put a rubbish bag in the bin.
A few moments later, Strudwick kicked the dog in the abdomen area with the side of her foot, causing her to yelp.
After being questioned by RSPCA inspector Nicky Thorne, Strudwick became “very aggressive” and denied kicking Jana, who appeared “subdued” and carried her head and tail low.
A different RSPCA inspector and police officers arrived at the address on February 13 and seized Jana, who was placed under the care of the welfare charity.
At a check-up, vets found Jana had suffered inflammation around her throat.
Strudwick pleaded not guilty to one offence under the Animal Welfare Act, but she was found guilty and banned from keeping animals, with the exception of fish, for three years.
Magistrates warned Strudwick she was lucky to avoid a prison sentence.
Jana has remained in the care of the RSPCA since February, where she is waiting to be rehomed with owners with no other pets who can continue her positive training.
Inspector Thorne added: “I am so pleased that we were able to help Jana and that she can now live the rest of her life without fear.
“This case demonstrates how important it is to understand your pet’s behaviour and how your actions can actually magnify any perceived problems rather than solve them.
“It is never acceptable to physically abuse your dog.”
Sentencing | ordered to pay a total of £735. Banned from keeping animals apart from fish for just three years (expired December 2023). Deprivation order for Jana.
