Two puppy farmers who bred and sold sick dogs to families in Greater Manchester have been spared jail.
A court heard this week that Betty Burton, 35, and Jeff McDonagh, 38, conned unsuspecting members of the public out of an estimated £250,000 – with many of the dogs including Cavapoos, French Bulldogs, and Cocker Spaniels dying a short time after being sold.
It was revealed that out of the 42 puppies sold by the pair, fifteen tragically died, and all required veterinary treatment for different illnesses and health problems.
Following a trial at Shrewsbury Crown Court in February 2020, the pair from Telford, Shropshire, were found guilty of conspiracy to commit fraud, and they also pleaded guilty to animal welfare offences including causing unnecessary suffering to a certain animal, and failing to meet the needs of animals.
But both were spared jail for their evil crimes, with McDonagh said to be suffering from mental health issues.
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The RSPCA’s Special Operations Unit, which is a specialist team that investigates serious and organised animal crime, launched an investigation in 2017 after reports were received from people who had bought sick puppies in the Greater Manchester area.
The adverts for the puppies had all appeared on the Pets4Homes website.
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👩⚖️🐶 On Friday the 2nd of July, two people were sentenced for their involvement in defrauding the public out of money, failing to meet the needs of dogs and causing unnecessary suffering. Read the full story here and help us #CancelOutCruelty: https://t.co/1ThGcH5VAWpic.twitter.com/ZYSZrtULmH
— RSPCA (England & Wales) (@RSPCA_official) July 8, 2021
Kirsty Withnall – RSPCA SOU officer, who led the investigation – said: “All of the adverts suggested that the puppies were the offspring of a family pet, had been born in the home, and socialised with the family.
“We spoke to 11 people in connection with the first address – linked to Burton – that came to our attention [as] all of the buyers had been directed to a public phone box to call when they arrived to see the puppies.
“One person refused to buy the puppy when it didn’t resemble the dog she’d been sent a photo of, wasn’t with its mother and appeared scared and whimpering.
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“Others bought cockapoos, cavapoos, dachshunds and pomeranians.”
A second Manchester address was then used and officers spoke to six members of the public who had bought puppies from the property – which is linked to both Burton and McDonagh.
Of these six dogs, three died.
Then, from 25 October 2017, the operation expanded to a third Manchester property and five properties across Telford, which were again, all linked to Burton and McDonagh, with Beagles, French Bulldogs, Cavapoos, Dachshunds, Cocker Spaniels, and Cavaliers all sold.
The pair conned unsuspecting members of the public out of an estimated £250,000 / Credit: RSPCA
“These sellers were incredibly professional and clever,” Ms Withnall added.
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“They sold puppies from one address and moved onto the next before arousing suspicion. They used different names in adverts and on paperwork, different numbers and false postcodes which were either completely made up or were linked to local fast-food restaurants.
“Vaccination cards were falsified with Tippex so they could be re-used and buyers were misled about the source, breed, age and health of the puppies they were buying.”
The court heard that members of the public also raised concerns about a property in Telford.
A warrant was executed by West Mercia Police in November 2019, and 55 dogs and puppies were removed from the property on welfare grounds, with a further 26 puppies born in RSPCA care, bringing the total number of dogs to 81.
The court heard that the dogs were being kept in inappropriate, dirty conditions, with some being underweight and having health problems such as skin issues and untreated eye conditions.
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The court heard that the dogs were being kept in inappropriate and dirty conditions / Credit: RSPCA
Analysis of the online adverts from November 2015 to October 2018 showed that 22 different names were used to advertise 439 puppies, with a total sale value of more than £253,885.
McDonagh was sentenced to two years custody – suspended for 24 months – was also disqualified from owning dogs for life and cannot appeal the ban for five years, and must also undertake a community order including a mental health treatment requirement and 30 days rehabilitation requirement activity days.
Burton was sentenced to six months custody – suspended for 12 months – 30 rehabilitation activity requirements days, and ordered to pay a victim surcharge, as well as being banned from keeping animals for life and can not appeal her disqualification for two years.
The dogs were signed over to the RSPCA in December 2019 and have since all been rehomed.
Featured Image – RSPCA
News
30 years ago, the IRA detonated a 1,500kg lorry bomb on Corporation Street in the heart of Manchester – here’s the story
Georgina Pellant
Today marks three whole decades since an explosion from the inside of a lorry parked on Corporation Street shattered windows and destroyed buildings across the city centre.
Causing an evisceration that stretched for miles, when the 1,500 kilogram IRA bomb went off in 1996, it was the biggest detonation in Great Britain since the Second World War.
Following the explosion, the city fell silent – leaving rack, rubble and ruin in its wake. Famously, one red post box was left standing – today fitted with a memorial plaque in remembrance of the tragedy.
It seems scary to think that back then, most people could only stand there, watch on and worry.
The bomb caused an estimated £700 million worth of damage to Manchester’s infrastructure and economy, and over a quarter of a century later, locals still tell the stories of where they were when it went off – and of the devastation it left behind.
Notably, one resident of the Cromford Court maisonettes on top of the Arndale – a 77-year-old RAF veteran suffering from the flu – didn’t even bother to get up when the telephone warning to evacuate hit, considering himself to have survived much worse feats during his time in military service.
Having been a rear gunner in a Lancaster in the war, he reportedly told police and authorities “he was buggered if he was going to let a small bomb affect him.”
In subsequent years, Danny O’Neill has become a part of an urban legend surrounding the bomb as his staggering story has been told time and time again.
Around 90 minutes prior to the detonation, the Provisional Irish Republican Army had telephoned in warnings – meaning that around 75,000 people were able to be evacuated from the area before the bomb went off from the back of a van.
However, the bomb squad were unable to defuse it in time, leading to over 200 injuries from people still left in the area.
Thankfully, despite those injuries, there were no fatalities, and many of those reported traumas came from the shattering of thousands of windows and other damage to buildings in which unsuspecting people were getting on with their days.
Several buildings near the explosion were damaged beyond repair and had to be demolished, while many more were closed for months for structural repairs, and this prompted the biggest regeneration of Manchester city centre ever – something that is still continuing to this day, arguably at a more rapid rate than ever.
The city lay dormant for days after the explosion, as people came to terms with what had happened and kept their distance. Many moved out of the centre for a period of time, while many more simply decided not to visit for fear of another incident.
It was a desolate place, eerily quiet, and in need of some serious TLC.
According to Home Office statistics, an estimated 400 businesses within half a mile (0.8 km) of the 1996 blast were affected, 40% of which did not recover.
Credit: Manchester Libraries
Market Street – near the explosion and at that time the second-busiest shopping street in the UK – was considered by some a “fearful” place, and one that was to be “avoided like the plague”.
The prospect of pulling Manchester’s bustling city centre out of its darkest depression was not casually approached by those in charge.
It was acknowledged as a mammoth task from the get-go, but Greater Manchester has never let anything get in its way. Despite how steep the hill is that we’re standing at the base of, we always manage to reach the peak, ready to go again.
Manchester City Council green-light new venue at Medlock Square, with Mamma Mia! The Party to open the immersive space
Danny Jones
The smash-hit ‘Mamma Mia: The Party’ is set to land in Manchester next year as the maiden event of another brand-new space set to open as part of the upcoming Medlock Square development.
Etihad Campus has seen a lot of moving pieces over the past few years, be it the building of Co-op Live, the ongoing expansion of Man City’s home ground, the soon-to-launch hotel attached to the stadium and now Medlock.
But those in control of the land are content with stopping there; this looks to be just the start of a whole new evolution for the East Manchester area, with an as yet untitled new immersive arts, experience and events venue also set to join the new slate of projects.
You see another glimpse of the purpose-built mini arena, of sorts, down below.
With plans having now been approved by the City Council, the ‘immersive’ space will be situated between the Etihad, Co-op Live and Medlock Square itself, holding up to 600 guests per performance.
Currently set to open in late 2027, following the rest of the square’s launch window being fully rolled out, we still don’t know the name of this next addition, but the structure itself will dovetail with the surrounding buildings and areas as part of seasonal activations, live shows and sports screenings, as well as pop-ups, brand collaborations and more.
Looping back, the interactive, multimedia extravaganza that is ‘Mamma Mia! The Party’ will finally be making its Manc debut as part of the 10th anniversary of the all-singing, all-dancing and even all-dining in-demand production.
As per an official press release from the Medlock Square media team, the show will combine “live music, theatre, food and storytelling” and “offer visitors an unforgettable night out.”
The original UK production at The O2 in London has now surpassed more than 1,500 performances, with a total of 700k guests attending these shows in 110 countries across the globe. Safe to say it’s rather popular.
As for Medlock Square and the surrounding Etihad Campus, Manchester City supporters have also been given another look at the soon-to-open, immersive hotel tie-in experience.
With a skywalk, rooftop bar, a new MCFC shop and various other bits set to spill out onto Medlock Square, it all feels like a period of wholesale changes over in the blue half of the city – especially with the football club bidding farewell to their manager Pep Guardiola after more than a decade.
Following the new and improved North Stand being named after him in the first of many tributes, the City Football Group (CFG) are also set to commission a statue in his honour over the coming months.
Meanwhile, Medlock Square is also due to open later this year, although an official completion date has not been confirmed.
You can stay up to date with all the latest on Mamma Mia! The Part’s Manchester shows right HERE.
Not forgetting a brand-new women’s football facility, too, there is so much stuff going on over at the Etihad that it can be hard to keep track, but here’s the latest look at some of the rooms set to feature in the hotel of the same name.
The Manc -
9th July 2021 
