CONVICTED (2024) | Liam Talbot, born 1996, of 28 Rowan Road, Weaverham, Northwich CW8 3DU – forced dogs to fight foxes and badgers to the death.
Talbot pleaded guilty to two offences under the Animal Welfare Act.
He admitted making dogs fights with foxes and badgers, causing three dogs to fight with wild animals and taking and killing a badger.
He also admitted causing unnecessary suffering to a bull lurcher cross-type dog named Cid by failing to provide vet care and attention for an injury to his upper left canine tooth.
The animal fights were uncovered through Talbot’s social media posts, with Talbot uploading compilation videos of images to TikTok.
These videos were found as a result of investigations by The Naturewatch Foundation and were subsequently passed across to the police and RSPCA.
One video showed images of a person with a lamp at their waist, holding a black and white Lurcher-type dog by the collar with his left hand and a fox in his right hand.
The compilation video also shows images of a person holding up a fox whilst with a black and white Lurcher-type dog; while another person is shown holding a Lurcher-type dog on a lead in his right hand and a fox in his left hand. The fox has an injury to its hindquarters.
Another TikTok compilation videos show three dogs attacking a fox, two dogs attacking a badger, and other images of foxes and dogs.
A police warrant took place at Wolvesley Place in Winsford on February 22, 2023, during which two dogs belonging to Talbot were found.
Pepper, a nine-year-old female tan bull lurcher and Cid a nine-year-old male black bull lurcher, both had scarring to their faces and chests and were present in the digital evidence presented to the court.
A written statement from an expert veterinary surgeon said they had examined several videos that showed a ‘number of dogs in circumstances suggestive of those dogs being used for the purpose of hunting wild mammals’.
In his conclusions, he said Cid would have suffered as a consequence of an injury to the left upper canine tooth.
He said: “Once removed the tooth was described as being rotten, suggesting a timescale of at least 10 days, probably longer.”
After viewing video footage he said that both Pepper and Cid were “repeatedly placed in circumstances that exposed them to injury by fighting with wild mammals such as a fox and/or badger.
He added: “The skin scars found to be present on both of these dogs are consistent with injury via such a mechanism.”
Talbot pleaded guilty to:
- Sec 4 Animal Welfare Act, Causing Unnecessary Suffering, for Sid (Dog) (Tooth)
- Sec 8 Animal Welfare Act, animal fight (dogs/badgers and dogs/foxes)
- Sec 9 Animal Welfare Act for three dogs causing them to fight with wild animals)
- Protection Of Badgers Act Sec1 and 2 for taking and killing a badger.
Pepper and Cid were officially handed over to the RSPCA and will now be rehomed.
Speaking about the case, Chief inspector Ian Muttit, from the RSPCA’s Special Operations Unit (SOU), said: “Badger baiting has been illegal for more than 180 years, yet we still find people spending their time inflicting sickening pain, suffering and misery on animals in this way.
“It is also horrifying to see that perpetrators are then creating videos glorifying attacks on wildlife and flagrantly posting them on social media for others to view.
“We will continue to stand up for animals involved in wildlife persecution and for the dogs often caught up in these horrifying attacks.
“We would very much like to thank The Naturewatch Foundation for their initial investigations and also Cheshire Police.”
Sentencing | 16-week custodial, suspended for 18 months; community order with 25 hours of rehabilitation; six-month mental health treatment requirement; £500 costs, £154 victim surcharge. Disqualified from keeping all animals for three years (expires January 2027).
A nasty piece of work who should have been banned for life from owning animals.He’ll do it again,and his dope of a girlfriend will probably let him teach the kid to do it to.
I reported him to RSPCA years ago shame on them for not stepping in sooner.
He has been known and police have been informed many times .But the supposed rural crime team couldnt be bothered