Dog Fights Are Cruel And Illegal. Three men who were part of a brutal international dog fighting ring busted in the RSPCA’s ‘Operation Ghoul’ investigation have been jailed – with a happy ending for some of the rescued pups.
Three men and one woman, all from Essex, were convicted of a string of offences in April, after a five-week jury trial. They all returned to Chelmsford Crown Court on Monday (3 June) for sentencing. Chigwell man Phillip Harris Ali, 67 – referred to in the dog fighting world as ‘Dr Death’ – was sentenced to five years in prison and banned from keeping dogs for 10 years, after he was found guilty of 10 charges under the Animal Welfare Act – including four of keeping or training a dog for use in a fight, and two of causing a fight.
Co-offender Billy Leadley, 38, of Green Street Kennels, who pleaded and was found guilty of a number of offences – including keeping a fighting premises and refereeing dog fights – has been jailed for four years and disqualified from keeping dogs for 10 years. His wife Amy Leadley, 39, who was found guilty of three offences and admitted to one more, also received a ten-year dog ban but avoided prison time. She was handed an 18-month community order, including 200 hours of unpaid work and a 25-day rehabilitation activity requirement.
Stephen Albert Brown, 57, was sentenced to two years and six months in prison and disqualified from keeping dogs for 10 years. He had earlier been found guilty of five offences, including three of keeping or training a dog for use in an animal fight.
All were ordered to pay a victim surcharge and the RSPCA’s court costs. A fifth man – 43-year-old Paul McClean of Merseyside – also appeared in court on Monday, and entered a guilty plea to one offence under the Dangerous Dogs Act. He was fined £100 and disqualified from keeping dogs for three years.
In a statement, RSPCA special operations unit Chief Inspector Ian Briggs said: “Dog fighting is a barbaric and horrific blood sport which has been illegal in this country for almost 190 years, yet there is a secretive and clandestine underworld where it continues to happen today.
Dog Fights Are Cruel And Illegal. Have fun in prison.
