Dog-fight hunter has sentence overturned
Animal welfare chiefs are furious after a“barbaric”urban hunter who arranged for dogs to fight badgers had his jail sentence quashed.
Two injured lurchers were rescued from Conran Connor’s Craigneuk home, but it’s feared another dog used in fights died.
Earlier this year a sheriff sent Connor to prison for 21 weeks.
But now the Sheriff Appeal Court in Edinburgh has overturned that sentence and ordered Connor, 21, of Gateside Road, to do 130 hours of unpaid community work instead.
The Scottish SPCA had welcomed the prison sentence, saying Connor had “engaged in depraved acts that showed his complete disregard for animal welfare”.
Responding to the appeal outcome, an undercover SSPCA inspector said: “We are disappointed Conran Connor’s custodial sentence has been revoked.
“It was one of the most harrowing cases of animal cruelty our team has dealt with.
“With widespread public support, the Scottish Parliament voted recently to introduce harsher sentences for serious animal welfare crimes because the current punishments do not act as a deterrent.
“We need the punishment to fit the crimes to help stamp out animal fighting once and for all.”
Connor admitted keeping dogs for fighting, causing them to fight badgers and asking another man to film the gruesome activity.
Jailing him, Sheriff Mhairi Mactaggart told Connor: “These offences are, on any objective view, cruel and barbaric in the extreme. They have no place in a civilised society.”
The sheriff banned him from contact with any animal for 15 years.
He was freed on bail immediately pending his appeal against the prison sentence.
Hamilton Sheriff Court heard that Scottish SPCA inspectors and police officers raided Connor’s home in May 2017.
They discovered mobile phone footage, text messages, hunting magazines and knives stained with badger blood.
Three dogs were seized.
Two of these, lurchers called Buck and Bolt, had injuries to their faces consistent with badger or fox fighting.
Connor told investigators he treated his dogs’ injuries with staples rather than take them to a vet because it was quicker.
A picture from Connor’s phone showed another lurcher, Darcy, with a serious injury to its face. Inspectors believed this dog later died.
Mobile phone pictures showed Connor at a badger sett near Motherwell.
In text messages to friends he referred to fights.
On one occasion he spoke of “my puppy taking a hammering in a fight last night” and later told of another dog being “smashed to bits” by a badger.
Connor also discussed with a pal how “dispatching” injured badgers with a knife was better than “letting dogs kill them”.
He spoke about shooting the creatures and when he heard about an injured badger told a pal: “I’ll go there to kill it after work.”
Defence agent Jackson Bateman had urged Sheriff Mactaggart to “stop short” of jailing Connor.
He pointed out that his client had no previous convictions and stressed the length of time – almost three years – that had elapsed since the offence.
The solicitor added: “He was only 18 at the time and comes from a family who viewed that sort of behaviour as acceptable.
“He has made efforts to remove himself from this sort of situation.
“Now he has a partner and a job.
“His employers are aware of this case and are sticking with him.”