Posted on Monday 9th September 2024
One of the puppies advertised
An illegal puppy seller from Rugeley has been sentenced to 21 months imprisonment, suspended for 24 months, and ordered to complete 200 hours unpaid work in the community, at Stafford Crown Court today.
Richard Butler, 57 from Springfield Farm, Rowley Park, Rugeley, pleaded guilty to 3 offences of fraud and one offence of making articles for use in fraud.
The Court heard that Butler had no licence to sell dogs and had been refused a licence due to the conditions an his farm and poor hygiene practices.
Staffordshire County Council’s Trading Standards service who prosecuted Butler, first visited the farm in May 2018 after a complaint from a member of the public.
Between October 2015 and May 2018, Butler sold in the region of 500 puppies for £500 each.
He cynically selected popular breeds of dogs and them represented himself as the owner of a parent of the dogs. He was lying, as in truth these were dogs that he had purchased from a variety of sources.
He would then sell the puppies online, making buyers believe they were family pets. He created false identities in order to make out he was not in business. He supplied false pedigree certificates, falsified vaccination documents and deliberately misled customers about the history of the puppies.
Many of the puppies he sold were suffering from genetic conditions and parvo virus and some of the puppies died within a short time of being sold.
Victoria Wilson, Cabinet Member with responsibility for Trading Standards at Staffordshire County Council, urged anyone with suspicions when buying a puppy to contact authorities.
Victoria said:
"Demand for fashionable breeds of puppies is always high, so it can be a very lucrative business.
“There are strict licensing rules in place for activities involving animals, which includes the selling of dogs. Our animal health team work hard to make sure that good animal welfare is upheld. Where this isn’t the case, or fraudulent activity is identified, the service will take the necessary action.”
In sentencing Butler, Her Honor Judge K Montgomery QC said Butler was greedy, selfish and unsympathetic, motivated by greed and had operated a sophisticated fraud sustained over a protracted period of time. She went on to say he had caused extreme distress and emotional harm to those who had bought puppies from him.
The court heard harrowing accounts from customers who had bought puppies and the suffering and emotional impact on families lives.
Further information or to report any concerns about animal welfare is available at Trading Standards Report It - Staffordshire County Council or call the confidential helpline on 01785 330356.