Illegal puppy farming gang jailed after making £500,000 from selling sick dogs

28 January 2024 , 15:05

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One of the puppies that were recovered during an RSPCA raid (Image: RSPCA / SWNS)

Members of a puppy farming gang have been jailed after pocketing more than £500,000 from selling sick dogs to unsuspecting customers.

Wally David Beaney, Louise Smith, Maria Smith and Charlotte Lauren Byron were all handed prison sentences for duping the public and showing "cruelty and neglectful behaviour" that led to deaths. A fifth member, Debbie Lorraine Lampard, was given a conditional discharge after admitting one charge.

It was said the gang "reaped considerable financial benefit by repeatedly breeding dogs, all the while failing to provide [...] appropriate medical care." A joint police and RSPCA probed was launched after people who purchased the sick dogs raised the alarm.

The dogs were recovered from Kent in 2021 (RSPCA / SWNS)

The puppy farming gang pocketed more than £500,000 from selling sick dogs to unsuspecting customers (RSPCA / SWNS)

Some of the puppies had been poorly with parvo virus - a highly contagious and often fatal illness - and had died within days of being taken to their new home. Three raids were then carried out at properties in Kent in September 2021, where more than 30 dogs were found.

A vet described the puppies' living conditions as "dark and smelly" and three puppies needed urgent veterinary attention. A number of adult dogs were discovered in the gardens of the properties, including two pregnant dogs who had parasites and dental diseases.

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Phones were also seized during the warrants, containing enquiries from people who had got in touch enquiring about purchasing puppies. RSPCA inspector Vikki Dawe said: "These dogs were all being kept in horrible conditions with very poor care which did not remotely reflect the expectations of buyers who saw the adverts placed for them."

Over 30 puppies were recovered from three properties in Kent (RSPCA / SWNS)

Woolwich Crown Court heard that, in one instance, three Golden Retriever puppies, all purchased from Byron's address in Kent in July 2021, died within four days of being purchased. A vet who examined the case said in a statement, which was presented to court: "This suggests that the seller knew a litter mate was sick at the time of their sale."

Yet the other puppy purchasers were not notified, either at purchase that a litter mate was unwell or that a litter mate became unwell. The vet said: "It is my opinion that the seller failed to protect the three pups discussed in this report by not sharing with the new owners that he had detected signs of disease in another litter mate."

All five defendants were sentenced on January 25. Beaney, 39, of Meopham, Kent, was sentenced to four and a half years immediate custody and a ten-year ban on keeping dogs. He pleaded guilty to four offences under the Animal Welfare Act 2006, as well as one charge of conspiracy to commit fraud.

The alarm was raised by customers who purchased the sick dogs (RSPCA / SWNS)

RSPCA staff recovering some of the puppies (RSPCA / SWNS)

Louise Smith, 63, of Meopham, Kent, was sentenced to two years and four months custody, and disqualified from keeping dogs for five years. She pleaded guilty to one offence under the Animal Welfare Act 2006, as well as one charge of conspiracy to commit fraud.

Maria Smith, 35, of Meopham, Kent, was sentenced to two years and four months custody, and disqualified from keeping dogs for five years. She pleaded guilty to two offences under Animal Welfare Act 2006, as well as one charge of conspiracy to commit fraud.

Byron, 36, of Meopham, Kent, was sentenced to two years and three months custody. She pleaded guilty to one charge of conspiracy to commit fraud.

Lampard, 60, of Vigo, Kent, was sentenced to an 18-month conditional discharge, after pleading guilty to selling puppies without a licence. Sergeant Darren Walshaw, of Kent Police's Rural Task Force, said: "Those convicted reaped considerable financial benefit by repeatedly breeding dogs, all the while failing to provide the animals and their puppies with appropriate medical care, such as worming medication and inoculations. They demonstrated cruelty and neglectful behaviour that ultimately led to numerous animals losing their lives unnecessarily."

Adam Dutton