Brazen dog dealers badly neglected a bunch of animals they had been elevating at their unlicensed Scottish puppy farm.
Stephen and Hazel Hamilton didn’t get the dogs pressing veterinary therapy and saved them in cramped circumstances throughout the unlawful breeding operation.
The animals – saved in industrial kennels in several buildings – had been left with painful ear issues, continual dental illness, dermatitis and damaged nails.
They additionally didn’t take steps to ensure the wants of the dogs had been met and didn’t present them with what specialists say is “an acceptable setting”.
They failed to present the dogs satisfactory train and socialisation and failed to guard them from struggling. The couple, who’re initially from Ireland however moved to Scotland over 20 years in the past, utilized to East Ayrshire Council for a breeding licence in 2016.
The bid to have authorized industrial kennels at their property – New Intax farm, in Newmilns – was knocked again after a public outcry. Police Scotland, the Scottish Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and the Scottish Government’s Veterinary Advisor on Animal Welfare had been among the many objectors.
A petition containing 20,000 names of individuals opposing the bid was additionally submitted. But they carried on regardless and had been discovered working a significant breeding programme that introduced distress to animals.
Court proceedings had been launched towards the pair following an investigation by the Scottish Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
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Stephen, 53, and Hazel, 51, had been going through a complete of 15 costs and had been because of go on trial at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court over the claims final month. But they struck a take care of prosecutors to plead responsible to only three costs – and have sure abuse claims deleted.
They admitted one cost of inflicting an unspecified variety of dogs “pointless struggling” between November 2018 and November 2020, in breach of Section 19(2) of the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006.
They additionally pleaded responsible to a second cost of failing to satisfy the animals’ wants, in breach of Section 24 of the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006.
As a part of that plea claims they uncovered the animals to faeces and urine, failed to supply them with satisfactory bedding, resting areas and sanitary circumstances, and in addition uncared for quite a few cats, had been deleted from the cost.
And additionally they pleaded responsible to a 3rd cost which said they did “preserve a breeding institution for dogs apart from below the authority of a licence” in breach of Sections 1(1) and (3) of the Breeding of Dogs Act 1973. Yesterday, the pair returned to the dock to be sentenced over the offences.
Prosecutor Martina McGuigan requested for the case to be continued for 10 weeks to permit for Proceeds of Crime paperwork to be ready and served on the Hamiltons.
The Procurator Fiscal Depute stated: “This is a posh case, involving totally different businesses in cooperation.
“Given the amount of data, there’s a movement to proceed the case for 10 weeks to permit the Crown to provide a press release of data and disclosure of productions to every accused.”
Sheriff Nicky Patrick then adjourned sentencing and the Proceeds of Crime case till later this 12 months.
In 2004, Stephen Hamilton confronted costs of animal cruelty and importing dogs illegally after being allegedly caught driving a truck filled with 102 puppies. But he walked free from Kilmarnock Sheriff Court when the costs weren’t confirmed.
In 2002, the Record’s sister paper the Sunday Mail revealed that many Scots had reported shopping for pups that had fallen in poor health and even died simply days after being purchased from Stephen Hamilton’s Waterside Farm, close to Galston, Ayrshire.
A Scottish SPCA particular investigations officer stated: “These are high profile individuals in the puppy trade and this has been a complex and protracted investigation that has taken a considerable amount of time to get to court. These animals have suffered horrendous pain over a two-year period with little socialisation and human contact. This case is a real blow to the trade and we await the sentencing of these individuals.”
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