Stephen Hamilton and his spouse Hazel at the moment are awaiting sentencing.
Stephen Hamilton and his spouse Hazel at the moment are awaiting sentencing at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court for inflicting “unnecessary suffering” to animals at their farm in East Ayrshire.
The convictions come 20 years after Stephen Hamilton confronted costs of animal cruelty and importing dogs illegally after allegedly being caught driving a truck with 102 puppies.
However, he walked free from Kilmarnock Sheriff Court on that event when the fees weren’t confirmed.
In 2002, the Sunday Mail revealed many Scots had reported shopping for pups that had fallen sick and even died simply days after being purchased from Stephen Hamilton’s Waterside Farm close to Galston, Ayrshire.
This time, Hamilton and his spouse pleaded responsible to a few costs after initially being charged with 15 offences.
Stephen Hamilton had utilized to East Ayrshire Council for a canine breeding licence, however that was rejected following objections from animal welfare teams and Police Scotland.
Despite this, Hamilton and his spouse openly ploughed on with their plan at their New Intax Farm close to Galston.
A petition containing 20,000 names opposing the bid was additionally submitted. But they carried on regardless and had been discovered operating a significant breeding programme that introduced distress to animals.
The court docket was instructed this week Stephen and Hazel Hamilton didn’t get their dogs pressing veterinary therapy and stored them in cramped situations through the operation.
The animals — stored in industrial kennels in several buildings — had been left with painful ear issues, continual dental illness, dermatitis and damaged nails.
They didn’t take steps to verify the wants of the dogs had been met and didn’t present them with what specialists say is “a suitable environment”.
The pair failed to offer the dogs satisfactory train and socialisation and failed to guard them from struggling.
Court proceedings had been launched towards them following an investigation by the Scottish Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
Stephen (53) and Hazel (51) had been dealing with 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 simply three costs and have sure abuse claims eliminated.
They admitted one cost of inflicting an unspecified variety of dogs “unnecessary suffering” 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.
They additionally pleaded responsible to a 3rd cost which mentioned they did “keep a breeding establishment for dogs other than under the authority of a licence” in breach of Sections 1(1) and (3) of the Breeding of Dogs Act 1973.
The pair returned to the dock this week to be sentenced over the offences, however 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.
