CONVICTED (2011) | puppy dealers James Gordon Noon, born 17/01/1953, of Waterleat Court, Waterleat Road, Paignton TQ3 3EA and Hamish Noon, born 17/07/1983, of Soper House, Dart View Road, Galmpton, Brixham TQ5 0BQ
James and Hamish Noon callous puppy dealers based in Paignton, Devon
In February 2010 a total of 14 dogs and puppies were seized from the Noons’ then home in Blagdon Road by the RSPCA. A further 12 dogs were taken at a later date when conditions hadn’t improved.
James Noon bought and sold dogs via a website on which he boasted that he had 39 years of experience with the Doberman breed. He would go to Ireland to buy puppies which he would bring back into the UK and sell for between £650 and £1,000. He would arrange to meet buyers in locations such as car parks and motorway service stations.On one occasion police found nine puppies in his car.
The dogs were kept at Blagdon Road in conditions so disgusting that even hardened vets and RSPCA investigators found them distressing. Every floor and even mattresses within the “haphazard and untidy” property were covered in faecal matter, some of which was decomposing.
The dogs had limited access to fresh water and little veterinary care had been sought. Many of the animals were suffering from infections and/or covered in excrement.
Most distressingly, a dead dog was found decomposing on the stairs. A rescued Jack Russell puppy was severely underweight and in such poor condition that he had to be put to sleep.
Hamish Noon initially claimed that his involvement was limited to looking after his father and that he had no interest in the puppy farming business. However, in March 2011 he pleaded guilty to failing to protect two puppies and failing to provide a suitable environment for 23 dogs. He also admitted possessing cannabis with a street value of £35.
Sentencing: Hamish Noon was disqualified from keeping dogs for two years, given a six-month community order and ordered to pay £100. On 28.10.11 he appealed, unsuccessfully, against the sentence and his ban was increased to five years.
James Noon pleaded guilty to failing to protect a Jack Russell and Doberman puppy from suffering and failing to provide a suitable environment for 39 dogs. He was ordered to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work as part of a 12-month community order and pay £500 in costs. The ten-year ban on keeping animals was reduced to five years on appeal on 28.10.11.
This is depraved Colin Sherlock formerly of Third Avenue, Dawlish, and now living in Queensway, Newton Abbot. In 2010 self-confessed boozer and doper Sherlock and twisted teenage accomplices Alex Archer and Jamie Jones from Teignmouth subjected a helpless cat to mental and physical torture.
Sickening video footage showed Sherlock being goaded by Archer and Jones, as he put the cat, Roxy, into a series of appliances, beginning with a microwave oven, then a tumble dryer and finally a freezer. The terrified cat was then submerged in a bowl of dishwater.
The entire horrific incident was filmed on a mobile phone by one of the teenagers. That footage was shared with a number of others and was eventually reported to the police. Sherlock was recognised by the distinctive crescent-shaped tattoo on the left-hand side of his face and a prosecution followed.
In November 2010 Sherlock was sentenced to 126 days in jail and barred from owning any animals for ten years.
Archer and Jones were given 12-month rehabilitation orders including supervision orders. They also had to take part in the ‘make amends project’ and carry out work to benefit the RSPCA
Despite her ordeal at the hands of the three brain-dead thugs, Roxy survived and was surrendered to the RSPCA. We understand that she was so traumatised she could not be made available for rehoming for several months.
CONVICTED (2010) | Daphne Fairclough, born c. 1968, and son Shaun Malcolm Terence Fairclough, born 11 November 1987, both of 117 Lanchester Avenue, Gateshead NE9 7AN – starved their pet goat so badly the animal had to be put to sleep
Daphne and Shaun Fairclough pictured outside court
A pet goat belonging to mother and son Daphne and Shaun Fairclough was left to starve in January 2010 – the coldest winter for 30 years.
As Arctic conditions brought misery to Britain, the goat was left without food or water on West Farm, at Whickham Highway, in Gateshead.
A woman visiting her horse in a nearby field heard the dying animal’s cries and alerted the RSPCA.
But it was too late to save the goat, who had to be put down, Gateshead.
The Faircloughs admitted animal cruelty charges.
Clive McKeag, prosecuting for the RSPCA, said the animal was found collapsed in a stable on a urine-covered concrete floor with her bones protruding.
An examination suggested she had been starved for a minimum of a week but more likely over a month.
“An RSPCA inspector said the animal had been living in conditions that were unacceptable,” said Mr McKeag.
Shaun Fairclough, who owned the goat, had asked his mother to go and see her but accepts he didn’t look after her properly.
Tom Iceton, defending, said both mother and son regret what happened. “Mrs Fairclough finds this very distressing and she is very remorseful,” he said.
“The goat belonged to Shaun and it was his responsibility to make sure it was properly cared for and looked after. Work shifts caused him some problems, his mother did the best she could but he should have made arrangements.”
Sentencing: both were given a 12-month supervised community order. The mother was ordered to complete 40 hours of unpaid work. She was banned from keeping animals, except cats and dogs, until 2015.
Her son was told complete 200 hours of unpaid work and banned from keeping or caring for any animal for 10 years (expired October 2020). He had to pay £250 costs.
Shaun Fairclough was convicted of further animal cruelty charges in relation to chickens he kept on an allotment. He was also found to have breached his existing ban on owning animals which only ended in October 2020.
Serial animal abuser Shaun Fairclough
The RSPCA was contacted in September 2019 with concerns for the welfare of a number of birds at an allotment in Haltwhistle. When rescuers arrived at the premises they discovered the bodies of five dead birds.
RSPCA Inspector Kirsty Keogh-Laws said: “When I arrived at the allotment I was told that a large number of birds had previously been kept there, and sadly I found the bodies of five dead chickens among the pens, that had been left to rot.
“I made enquiries to find out who was keeping the birds, which took some time, but I discovered that the birds were under the care of Shaun Fairclough which was a breach of an existing disqualification order.”
Fairclough pleaded guilty to having 20 chickens and six ducks including five silkie type chickens, while being disqualified from owning animals.
Conditions in which the bodies of the dead chickens were discovered
The court heard that he mistakenly thought his previous disqualification order had ended and suggested his friends were helping him to look after the chickens.
Fairclough was sentenced to an 18 month community order with 26 Rehabilitation Activity Requirement days and 150 hours of unpaid work. He was ordered to pay costs of £400 and a victim surcharge of £85 which is to be deducted at source.
A disqualification order was granted for a period of five years.
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.
#MostEvil | Amersham horse trader James John Gray (05/09/1963), wife Julie Cordelia Gray (24/05/1967) and daughters Jodie June Gray (12/09/1982) and Cordelia Gray (29/05/1988) and James Gray junior (23/01/1993) – left more than 100 horses, ponies and donkeys to starve among the rotting carcasses of other animals
Clockwise from top left: James Gray Sr, Julie Gray, Cordelia Gray, Jodie Gray, court protestors, James Gray Jr
In a case veterinary expert witness described as the worst case of animal cruelty they had ever seen, 31 equines were found dead at Spindle Farm, Chalk Lane, Hyde Heath, Amersham. Some 111 other horses, ponies and donkeys were rescued.
The massive rescue was co-ordinated by Thames Valley Police, Trading Standards and the RSPCA with help from the Horse Trust, the International League for the Protection of Horses (ILPH), Redwings Horse Sanctuary and the Blue Cross
James Gray Sr is banned for life from keeping equine animals
Hooves and body parts of horses that had been left to die were scattered around and a grotesque mound made up of bones and skulls was discovered.
The horror scene was uncovered when RSPCA inspectors were called to the farm, where a horse-trading business run by the Gray family was based.
James Gray Jr
There were 140 animals at the farm and many were left with little food or dry bedding, were crammed into pens and ankle-deep in their own faeces.
Jodie Gray, aka Jodie Keet, with son Tommy Gray
In total 115 animals, some severely emaciated, had to be rescued and removed from the farm during a huge operation in January 2009.
Robert Seabrook QC told the court how two RSPCA inspectors visiting the farm in January 2008 were confronted with a “grotesque and distressing state of affairs”.
He said a number of horses were discovered in “disgusting pens”, some were tethered individually and others were loose in the paddocks.
The most extraordinary aspect he said was that many horses were next to carcasses in varying states of decomposition and the smell of rotting flesh was “over-powering”.
He added: “A number of animals that were found had plainly been dead for a number of days and as it turns out, some for many months.”
Julie Gray
The court heard in one pen three severed hooves were found alongside the bodies of two other horses.
James Gray Sr was convicted of nine charges of causing unnecessary suffering to animals and two charges of failing to protect animals from pain, injury, suffering and disease.
His son James Gray Jr was convicted of identical charges although two were later overturned on appeal.
Gray’s wife, Julie, and daughters Cordelia and Jodie were found guilty of the two charges of failing to protect the animals.
No member of the family showed any sign of emotion as the judge passed sentence.
RSPCA inspector Kirsty Hampton described the conditions the horses were kept in as “grotesque”.
Speaking after the sentencing, Hampton said: “The RSPCA is pleased the district judge has recognised the extent of the cruelty, neglect and the suffering endured by the animals in this case.
“We see the disqualifications from keeping horses as an effective measure to prevent animals suffering in future.”
Sentencing: James Gray Sr was sentenced to six months in prison and banned from keeping horses, ponies and donkeys for life. He was also ordered to pay £400,000. Gray was given a further two months after absconding from court. Two of Gray’s convictions were overturned in 2010, but Gray was ordered to pay £600,000 towards the RSPCA’s legal costs and faced financial ruin. A later appeal against what Gray claimed were disproportionate legal costs was rejected.
James Gray Junior was given an 18-month supervision order. He was banned from keeping equines for 10 years with right of appeal after five (ban expired June 2019).
Julie, Jodie and Cordelia Gray were each given 150 hours of community service. They were also banned from keeping equines for 10 years, with the right of appeal after five (bans expired June 2019).
Julie Gray was ordered to pay £750 in costs, and Cordelia Gray and Jodie Gray £500 each.
James Gray and Cordelia Gray, 57 Narcot Road, Chalfont St Giles HP8 4DF Julie Cordelia Gray, 15 Weller Road, Amersham HP6 6LQ James Gray Jr, Chalk Hill Farm, Chalk Lane, Hyde Heath, Amersham HP6 5SA Jodie June Gray (also known as Jodie Keet), 14 Middle Meadow, Chalfont St Giles HP8 4QS
Update September 2021
The Bucks Free Press reported that James Gray was let off £200,000-worth of fines due to bankruptcy.
Gray was ordered to pay more than £1million in fines and court costs and has served jail time since he was convicted of multiple animal welfare offences in 2008.
He attempted to appeal the convictions at London’s High Court in 2013, but although two of his 11 original convictions were overturned, he was ultimately unsuccessful and had another £200,000 added to his legal bill.
In August 2021, Gray, of 57 Narcot Road in Chalfont St Giles, had £223,453-worth of fines written off.
Documents attached to the court listing state that the amount was remitted due to Gray being bankrupt, having served prison time, and the RSPCA refusing the money.
In 2014, Gray was hauled back before the courts and was jailed for four-and-a-half years after he fleeced pensioners out of thousands of pounds for cowboy building works.
In an attempt to raise funds to pay off his fines and court costs, Gray conned an 88-year-old former British Library academic out of £20,000 for work which experts valued at just £150.
He drained £18,000 out of another 80-year-old victim’s account, leaving him with just £300 after repeatedly demanding money from him. This victim died just months after the money was found to be missing.
Gray, who had done this work under the fake name ‘Joseph De Paula’, admitted two counts of fraud by false representation before he was sentenced at Swindon Crown Court.
#MostEvil | Christopher Dennis Collyer, born 12/09/1983, with a last-known address of Aldcliffe Court, Morecambe LA4 4TW – strung up an ‘unwanted’ springer spaniel by his lead and left him to slowly choke to death.
Father of multiple children Collyer was found guilty of causing unnecessary suffering to Charlie by hanging him from a pipe inside a stone bunker in woods in Keighley, West Yorkshire, leaving him to strangle to death.
Dog killer Christopher Collyer’s victim Charlie
Nigel Monaghan, prosecuting for the RSPCA, told the court the vet who examined Charlie after his death confirmed his death would not have been ‘instantaneous’ and said he was also suffering from a chronic skin condition.
Ian and Mandy Collyer now of West Byland, Halifax. Mandy Collyer allegedly told her son to “get rid” of Charlie.
The court heard that Collyer had been given the dog by his parents, Mandy and Ian Collyer, who were moving house and could not take Charlie with them.
The dog was found hanging in a concrete bunker in Hainsworth Woods, Keighley, by a member of the public on June 10 2008.
A prosecution witness had previously placed Collyer there on June 7.
Mr Monaghan said: “This was appalling cruelty. It was a deliberate and what appears to have been a premeditated act by the defendant.
“What followed was what can only be described as a tissue of lies.
“In court he maintained his story that he had taken the dog for a walk, met a woman and given it to her.
“It is difficult to think of a worse example of animal cruelty given the degree of suffering he must have been subjected to.”
Collyer’s parents, Mandy Collyer and Ian Collyer of West Byland, Illingworth, Halifax HX2 9JU admitted causing unnecessary suffering to the animal by failing to provide veterinary care for Charlie’s skin condition.
Mandy Collyer
Speaking about the case, the RSPCA inspector who found Charlie said it was the worst case he had seen in 15 years.
#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.
Five men involved in an organised dogfighting enterprise were given prison sentences following a major RSPCA undercover operation.
The men received prison terms of between four and five months whilst others were handed suspended sentences, bans on possession of dogs and community service. Charges ranged from managing premises for dogfighting to possession of pitbull-type dogs, which are illegal under the Dangerous Dogs Act.
The Defendants
Adio Clarke, born c. 1985, of 112 Holly Road, Handsworth, Birmingham B20 2DA: Pleaded guilty to managing premises for dogfighting, possessing 11 pitbull-type dogs, and to causing unnecessary suffering to three of the dogs.
The court heard that when police raided Clarke’s home, they found 11 pit bull terriers, all suffering injuries apparently caused by dog fights.
One of the animals was found to have 157 separate injuries. Another dog had suffered a broken pelvis and another had had one ear almost severed.
Because the dogs were held illegally, Clarke was unable to take them to a vet to receive proper treatment. Instead, he had treated the injuries himself, often inadequately or ineptly.
When officers raided Clarke’s home in April 2006, they found six pit bulls chained up in the garden, more dogs inside the house and a video showing two young dogs attacking each other in a sparring bout.
Clarke received four months in prison, and was banned from keeping dogs for 10 years.
Assam Noshad Lone, age unknown, of 115 Brockhurst Road, Birmingham B36 8JE: Found guilty of possessing two pitbull-type dogs. Received four months prison (suspended for one year), £1200 costs, five-year ban on owning dogs, 120 hour community punishment order.
Amar Ali, born c. 1981, of 89 Edgebaston Road, Smethwick B66 4LF: Pleaded guilty to 12 charges of possession of pitbull-type dogs.
Amar Ali pictured during his court appearance.
The court heard that police found 16 dogs, including 12 pit bull terriers, and dog fighting paraphernalia when they targeted Ali’s home in 2006.
The garden of the property had been divided into three sections and was devoted to pit bulls, who were given their own kennels and runs.
The equipment seized included “flirt poles”, used to make the animals jump to strengthen their legs, and treadmill exercisers.
Medication normally only used by vets was found, along with special sticks designed to force a dog’s jaws apart.
Videos showing dog fighting in Pakistan and Croatia were also discovered by police, along with dog fighting magazines.
Ali received 20 weeks in prison, suspended for one year, 10-year ban on possession of dogs, and 150 hours community service. More on him here.
Mir Dawood, born c. 1979, of Anglesey Street, Lozells, Birmingham B19 pleaded guilty to owning one pitbull-type dog, and breaching a ban on possession of dogs.
Dawood’s home was raided in the early hours of April 4, 2006 as part of a larger citywide police operation.
Officers found four kennels with runs in the back garden, in an area which had been gated off, one of which contained a pitbull terrier which was aged between one and three years.
Along with dog leads and food a treadmill was also found, used for exercising the dog, he said.
Dawood pleaded guilty on the basis that the animal belonged to his older brother, who lived with their mother.
He said Dawood was looking after the animal because their mother did not like dogs.
Dawood was banned in 2001 for ten years from keeping dogs when he was found in possession of a pitbull terrier, so was well aware of the danger the breed presented.
Dawood received four months in prison and disqualified from keeping dogs for 10 years.
Kamran Iqbal of Sandbourne Road, Alum Rock, Birmingham B8 3NT: Found guilty of possessing a pitbull-type dog and causing unnecessary suffering to that dog. Received five months in prison and a five-year ban on keeping dogs, plus forfeiture of that dog and associated equipment.
Mohammed Shazad, born c. 1982, of Holly Road, Handsworth, Birmingham B20 pleaded guilty to three charges owning pitbull-type dogs.
2019 police mugshot of Mohammed Shazad
Shazad, who went on to be jailed for 10 years in 2019 for cocaine dealing, received a four-month sentence for each offence, to run concurrently, a five-year disqualification for keeping dogs and forfeiture of all items seized.
Wasim Azam, born c. 1983 of 143 Bevington Road, Aston, Birmingham B6 6HS: Pleaded guilty to owning two pitbull-type dogs. Received four months in prison, disqualified from keeping dogs for five years, plus forfeiture of associated equipment.
Operation Lace was a major investigation into dogfighting in the Birmingham area conducted on 4 April 2006 by the RSPCA’s Special Operations Unit (SOU), West Midlands Police and RSPCA inspectors.
It followed the discovery of a dogfight in the Alum Road area of Birmingham in February 2006*.
During the operation 51 dogs (including 45 pitbull-type dogs) were seized and a number of items including treadmills (pictured below), a video, veterinary kits, breaking sticks and other dog fighting paraphernalia were taken away.
RSPCA Chief Inspector Mike Butcher of the SOU said: “This was a complete dogfighting enterprise – they had a venue, and they bred, sold and fought dogs. We’re delighted that the courts have recognised the severity of these offences and hope it gives a hard message to anyone else engaged in what is an appallingly cruel practice.
“This country banned dogfighting more than 150 years ago because it was barbaric, but still some people seem to get their kicks from seeing two animals rip each other to pieces. We shall fight on to ensure these people are stopped.
“We’d like to thank West Midlands Police for their help and co-operation in this case, and we will continue to work closely with all authorities to stop this abhorrent practice.”
#MostEvil | Bridget Louise Cole (aka Bridget Farley-Smith), born 17/11/1982, previously of Debden Green, Ely, Cambridgeshire but more recently (2019) of Whitemill Road, Chatteris PE16 6PG, and Peter John Grant, born 31/03/1986, of Station Road, Manea, March PE15 0HE – tortured a rabbit to death
Animal torturers Bridget Cole and Peter Grant
Charity worker Bridget Cole, who was also a cub scout leader, laughed as she dunked a rabbit named Lucky in a bucket of bleach and water and hit him repeatedly with a metal pole. The male lop was also burned with a cigarette lighter during a sick party.
Bridget Cole pictured in 2021
Accomplice Peter Grant, who was tried separately, finally ended the rabbit’s agony by bludgeoning him to death with a glass bottle.
Cole had denied the charge of cruelly ill-treating Lucky and claimed she had tried to save him from the actions of others, but this cut no ice with the court who also noticed her lack of remorse.
Grant in the meantime claimed he had nothing to do with putting the rabbit in bleach and said he had hit him with a bottle to “put him out of his misery”.
Sentencing: Cole – two-month suspended prison sentence; £1,500 costs. Banned from keeping any animal for 25 years (expires 2030).
Grant – 100 hours’ community service; £300 costs. Five-year ban (expired 2010).
