A Kent man has been sentenced to a lifetime ban from keeping animals and a suspended prison sentence after pleading guilty to Animal Welfare Act offences.
In an RSPCA prosecution, Daniel King (senior) – DOB 26/01/1979 – from Ditton, Aylesford in Kent – was sentenced after causing unnecessary suffering to a lurcher and failing to meet the needs of five dogs and three puppies. The hearing was held at Medway Magistrates in Chatham on Wednesday 9 November.
As well as the disqualification from keeping animals (which he cannot appeal for ten years), King was also sentenced to 160 days’ imprisonment, suspended for two years; three hundred hours of unpaid work and was ordered to pay £800 costs and a £128 victims surcharge. He must also attend fifteen hours of RAR (rehabilitation activity requirement)
All the animals in his charge were confiscated and Mr King then agreed to sign the eight dogs over to the RSPCA.
The court heard that when visiting the accused’s property, RSPCA officers found kennels and a shed in the rear garden which contained 5 adult dogs and three approximately 8 week old Cavapoo type puppies living in unsanitary conditions.
Commenting after the sentencing, RSPCA Inspector Grace Harris-Bridge said: “This man’s five adult dogs and three puppies were living in dangerous, filthy and smelly conditions. Dog faeces had built up in the kennels, and there was no visible food or water in some of them and smashed glass in an outbuilding where a lurcher was kept.
“The pens housing the puppies were dark, dirty and smelly and had loose electric wires hanging from the ceiling along with torn plastic sheeting. There were bowls of food but no water. The entrance corridor to the pens was wet with urine. The door to the puppy pen had also been screwed shut so the only way of accessing the pen was to use a screwdriver or climb over the door.”
A local vet also visited the address and after seeing the conditions, he certified that all eight dogs should be removed on welfare grounds. Following examination of the dogs, the vet said that in his professional opinion, King had caused the tan lurcher to suffer unnecessarily by failing to investigate and address its emaciated body condition.
The vet also concluded that King had failed to take reasonable steps to meet the needs of the five dogs and three puppies in his care, including not implementing an effective worming/parasite control programme and not providing a suitable environment free from hazards, with a dry, clean resting place.
