Guilty, mum and daughter who ran £1.5m dog farm
A MOTHER and daughter ran an illegal £1.5million puppy farm advertising more than 190 litters, a court heard.
Lucinda and Victoria Rolph were ordered to pay back more than £600,000 after they were convicted of running an unlicensed dog breeding farm.
They had more than 190 litters of pedigree puppies for sale, selling some for as much as £1,500 each.
Experts say if all the dogs were sold as advertised, the pair’s lucrative business could have made £1.5million over five years.
The mother and daughter ran their illegal enterprise from a £600,000 farmhouse on the edge of South Downs National Park.
Suspicions were raised after requests from the council to purchase a £265 licence for their dog breeding operation were ignored.
Licensing chiefs from Winchester City Council visited their home in Upham, Hampshire, in July 2017.
They warned the Rolphs that they needed a licence for the commercial breeding of dogs.
But the court heard the pair continued to advertise dogs without a licence using other people’s names.
They came to the attention of licensing chiefs again in June 2018 after a miniature dachshund they sold for £1,300 died just weeks later of canine parvovirus, which can be prevented with vaccinations.
Now 52-year-old Lucinda Rolph has been ordered to pay £601,700 through a court confiscation order after pleading guilty to running an unlicensed dog breeding farm. She was also ordered to pay costs of £20,000.
Her 30-year-old daughter Victoria, who also pleaded guilty to running an unlicensed dog breeding farm with a lesser role, has been ordered to pay £14,950. The mother and daughter were also told to complete 60 hours of unpaid work. Southampton Crown Court heard the unlicensed business operated from 2013 to 2018.
In October 2018 the Government introduced new laws in England about the breeding and selling of puppies.
It means anyone who is breeding three or more litters of puppies in any 12-month period or anyone advertising a business of selling dogs needs a licence. The law covers a number of conditions covering the health and welfare of the animals that must be adhered to.
Inspectors must be satisfied that the size of the premises is suitable for the number of puppies kept there and that there are a sufficient number of people on hand to look after them.
The dogs should be fed a suitable diet, provided with adequate health care and have an up-to-date vaccination record.
Prosecutor Ethu Crorie said the pair put the dogs up for sale using the websites Pets4Homes and Preloved.
He said the Rolphs posted adverts using 18 online accounts under other people’s names – some of whom they knew and were unaware that their name was being used.
Mr Crorie added there were no records of sales or receipts and the pair did not have any tax records.
In mitigation, Jonathan Underhill said the Rolphs were adamant there had ‘never been any suggestion of mistreatment’ of the animals.
Mr Underhill told the court: ‘But for the licence the whole operation would have been legal.’
In sentencing, Judge Peter Henry said: ‘Lucinda Rolph was warned of the need for having a licence in 2015. They used fake names to hide the fact they were still selling adult dogs and puppies during this period.’
Axel Lagercrantz, the chief executive of website Pets4Homes, said he was ‘appalled when reading about this tragic case’.
He added: ‘At Pets4Homes, the safety of our 5million monthly users and the thousands of pets that find a new home is our highest priority.’
‘They used fake names’