Investigating officer:
RSPCA Inspector Garry Palmer
Defendants:
Male 19, unemployed;
male 18, unemployed
Offences:
Animal Welfare Act 2006 s8
Pleas:
Guilty
Total convictions:
Two
Sentence:
Younger male disqualified from
keeping animals for 10 years;
12 weeks' imprisonment. Older
male disqualified from keeping
dogs for five years; 12 weeks'
imprisonment suspended for
12 months; 150 hours' unpaid
work; £500 costs.
Prosecuted by:
Freeman Johnson Solicitors
DURHAM
PERSONS
CONVICTED 83
TOTAL
CONVICTIONS 277
DORSET
PERSONS
CONVICTED 7
TOTAL
CONVICTIONS 26 DurhamGraphic footage showing a screaming fox being
mauled to death by dogs, encouraged by their
laughing owners, was uploaded onto YouTube.
The highly distressing footage
lasted four minutes and showed
four lurcher-type dogs attacking
a fox from all angles, in an activity
known as 'lamping'. The fox can
be heard crying out whilst the
men laugh, encourage and goad
the dogs. One man is heard saying
"It's ripping its eye out" and "I bet
you've never seen that before
boys". At one point one of the
men puts his foot on the fox's
neck whilst the dogs are pulled
away, the fox is released, then
the dogs are set onto it again and
finally kill it.
Police had to grapple with one
defendant to handcuff him as he
tried to access his mobile phone.
It was sent off for forensic
examination, which proved the
footage was recorded directly
onto the phone's SD card and
had not been downloaded as he
had claimed.
When interviewed, both
defendants denied any
involvement and later swore
throughout proceedings.
Investigating officer:
RSPCA Inspector
Graham Hammond
Defendant:
Male 32, unemployed
Offences:
Animal Welfare Act 2006 s4
and s8
Pleas:
Guilty
Total convictions:
16
Sentence:
Disqualified from
keeping birds for life;
18 weeks' imprisonment.
Prosecuted by:
Sampson Coward Solicitors
DorsetA man who organised cockfights and allowed his
children to watch was disqualified from keeping
birds for life.
Two mobile phones were seized
by police in connection with
another offence and analysed,
revealing videos of cockfighting
and 95 images of game birds and
fowl. Further videos, including
footage of his 'fighting bird' JB,
were also found on his laptop. In
one clip the man could be heard
describing how a bird's eye was
"almost out". The court heard
evidence of trading, rearing and
breeding, the involvement of
children and the suffering caused
to the birds.
In sentencing, the chair of the
bench said: "Protected animals
were caused considerable harm
and you were clearly obsessed…
you used these animals for
commercial gain and on numerous
occasions you arranged fights
involving young children in
[watching] the fights and
normalising this behaviour."
RSPCA Inspector Graham
Hammond said: "Why anybody
would see such an act of such
blatant and premeditated cruelty
as entertainment is beyond me,
and it is also against the law,
which has outlawed this barbaric
activity in England since 1835."
13
www.rspca.org.uk/prosecutions/annualreport