CONVICTED (2016) | Stephen Thomas Parkes, born 29 September 1981 of Bloxwich Road, Walsall WS3 2XE – forced dogs to fight with foxes.
Parkes was arrested after police found a group of men and two dead foxes on waste ground in Goscote, Walsall, in November 2015. Two injured terriers were found in his vehicle.
Parkes was convicted of one case of causing unnecessary suffering to his two tri-coloured terrier dogs, Ted and Bully, on November 29, 2015.
He was also found guilty of fox hunting in contravention of the 2004 Hunting Act.
In court, it was revealed how police had spotted a Ford Mondeo car on wasteland on Goscote Lodge Crescent, Goscote, at around 5.30pm on November 29. Inside were two dogs who had blood around their muzzles.
The officers approached a group of around eight men who had torches and when they announced themselves as police they fled along with several dogs.
But Parkes and another man didn’t run and were both holding spades.
Two dead foxes were on the ground without their tails – a sign they had been cut off as a trophy.
In court, Parkes admitted he told police shortly after being caught: “Yeah, I will hold my hands up – I was fox hunting.” However, he later said he was being sarcastic.
He said he had taken the two dogs for a walk and had let them off the lead. Bully had gone missing so he sent down Ted to find her.
But both dogs wouldn’t come back up so he spent several hours digging for them.
In court, the unemployed father of two said: “I love those dogs. I would never take them home injured as I have two little daughters and they would be upset. I wouldn’t want them going to school telling their teachers. I was going to take them straight to the vets at Quinton.”
The dogs were taken to the vets where they were examined. Both had “multiple small wounds” to their muzzles and signs of an infection to their eyes.
A postmortem revealed both foxes had died of injuries consistent with dog bites.
It was also revealed Parkes had a conviction for interfering with a badger sett dating back to 2004.
Sentencing Parkes District Judge Neil Davison told him: “I simply don’t believe the account you have given in court. You deliberately sent those two dogs into the hole which resulted in the deaths of two foxes and injuries to Ted and Bully. From photographs shown in court you clearly have an interest in hunting.”
Speaking after the case RSPCA Inspector Bob Crutchley said: “We are happy with the sentence. This sends out a clear message that fox hunting using dogs will not be tolerated.
“Parkes had a history of hunting using dogs and we are pleased he has now been banned from keeping them.
“Fox hunting is quite rare in the Black Country and Birmingham areas but as can be seen by this case it does go on. Detecting it is the problem.”
A deprivation and disposal order for Ted and Bully was also ordered at court.
Sentencing | fined £210 and ordered to pay £270 in costs. Banned from keeping dogs for ONE year (expired October 2017).
Evil git …… how sick is setting dog’s on foxes ??? Depraved and clearly not wired up the right way .
Poor kids having such a horrid father
Yet again another Pathetic Sentence, handed out by the Court.
Bit Of Work The Scum Wants.
He wouldn’t have the energy to go out Hunting, or what ever else the Scum have been up to before he was caught.
These people are Mentally Disturbed and not safe around anything.
I am sure that my dad dug the dog the dog out of the earth after 5 hours from been missing. The RSPCA took the dog off him and had it put down . who is the mungrel?