Lethal canine combating ring run by ‘Doctor Death’ and his gang from suburban storage for money

To many it will have appeared like every other storage of a suburban home, however Billy and Amy Leadley’s home hid a horrific secret world of deadly dog fighting.

And from inside its partitions, self-styled “Doctor Death” Phillip Ali ran a barbaric worldwide contest ring the place hundreds of kilos could possibly be received because the animals had been ripped aside.

His dogs had been pumped stuffed with -steroids and painkillers to enhance their probabilities of victory as he educated them for his or her bloodthirsty battles, a courtroom heard.

Billy Leadley, 38, and 39-year-old Amy claimed they’d a birthing pit of their storage – however blood splatters from 5 completely different dogs proved they had been secretly utilizing it as an “arena” for the twisted spectacles.

The couple together with Ali, 68, and his 56-year-old confederate Stephen Brown had been discovered responsible of a string of fees in relation to the vicious canine fights, about which they circulated reviews after every one.

One bragged about an animal biting one other “in the throat” and “shaking hard”. Fitness coach Billy even refereed the fights whereas working underground kennels at his home in Bambers Green, Takeley, Essex, coaching the animals.

When vets from the RSPCA -examined the “filthy” set-up they discovered dogs lined in scars the place their flesh had been torn and punctured. Jurors heard how the pair hosted fights in a do-it-yourself pit with blood splatters throughout the partitions.

Prosecuting barrister Hazel Stevens advised Chelmsford crown courtroom: “Samples were taken and found to have come from at least five different dogs. The middle section of the garage contained a pit, 12ft x 8ft, carpeted with painted sides.”

In one match held in Leadley’s bloodied pit, the group watched on as a pitbull known as Bonnie was mauled to dying in a combat which went on for 25 minutes. The canine was left bleeding and badly injured with two entrance damaged legs. Her physique was by no means recovered.

As the animals had been educated up for his or her grisly encounters, Billy and hairdresser Amy shared loved-up selfies and footage of their two young sons on social media. But beneath the alias “Tony Stellios”, he additionally confirmed off his dogs to different fighters and shared breeding recommendation with them.

The gang operated throughout Essex but additionally travelled to Ireland and France in pursuit of their sick pastime. Ali led the UK arm of the outfit from his home in Chigwell, Essex, -organising fights together with his abroad counterparts.

Jurors heard how he orchestrated a number of matches together with two the place the shedding dogs had been left with damaged bones and bleeding extensively.

In a voice be aware performed to the courtroom, Ali claimed one canine, Olivia, wouldn’t have died had her handler lined her abdomen with an anti-sickness drug.

He stated: “I was telling the boy with Olivia, you’ve got to use a stomach liner, I told everyone to use -pepto-bismol no one listened. She lived all that time, then she is throwing up, she is s******g through the eye of an needle because her stomach has all gone ulcerated.”

Ali had already served 10 years behind bars for tried homicide after attacking a person on Christmas Day in 2005. But following his launch he launched into the underworld of merciless canine combating.

While these harmless animals suffered Ali profited to the tune of as much as £5,000 for successful a single match. In a bid to safe his prize money he advised Brown to beef up the dogs with steroids.

Officers looking out the -accomplice’s home discovered a number of “vet kits” with syringes, needles and surgical blades, IV fluids, pores and skin staples, veterinary medicine, two canine shock collars, books on canine combating, -pedigree and vet paperwork.

In a three-year probe, the RSPCA additionally found grotesque movies of dogs lined in blood and proof of others that had been shipped overseas to combat however by no means got here home.

The dogs fought by the group had been principally banned pitbulls and different bull breeds. RSPCA Special Ops Unit chief inspector Ian Muttitt stated the sick sport was the gang’s “hobby”.

He added: “These people don’t do it for money, some people go out and play golf on a weekend. These people go out and do this, it’s their passion.”

Photos confirmed the vile group having fun with booze-fuelled meals in Bordeaux celebrating simply hours after successful an “international show” in November 2021.

During the gang’s five-week trial, -prosecutors revealed the dogs got as much as 12 weeks to get in form for the horrific encounters, utilizing treadmills, weighted collars and “flirt poles” to assist situation them.

One of the dogs discovered at Ali’s home, named Dotti, was known as a “Grand Champion”, that means she had received at the very least 5 bloody encounters.

Messages recovered from his cell phone revealed he had helped organise for his Irish associates to reach at London -Stansted airport, 5 miles from the Leadley property.

Vets who examined animals from the Leadleys’ home found they’d “full thickness” puncture wounds – with blood-soaked fur shavings of their pens.

Billy claimed among the accidents had been sustained from foxes and rat bites. But a vet advised the courtroom that the accidents had been “classic scarring patterns from engaging in prolonged fights with other dogs”.

Judge Jamie Sawyer advised the gang he would “not exclude prison” when the are sentenced at Chelmsford crown courtroom in June.

The fees they had been discovered responsible of included retaining and/or coaching a canine to be used in a combat, inflicting a combat, retaining a -premises to be used in combating and participating in a combat. The -Leadleys additionally admitted failing to fulfill the wants of dogs.