‘Barbaric’ cruelty will cost you, says law chief

THE authorities will hunt down those responsible for “barbaric” animal cruelty such as that shown by Angus gamekeeper Rhys Davies, the Crown Office has pledged.

Davies was jailed for 210 days on Monday for neglecting a pack of dogs he had kept for hunting and fighting foxes and badgers.

The 28-year-old, who now lives in Wales, was also banned from being involved with animals for 15 years and fined £1,800 for firearms offences.

He was caught in a raid after sending pictures to a printer which showed his criminal activities.

SSPCA officers and police found 11 dogs in varying states of neglect – five found to have been used in fighting – and items consistent with his self-treatment of their wounds.

Unsecured weaponry and ammunition were also found in his rural cottage.

Davies’s phone clearly indicated he had been part of a dog-fighting ring.

Speaking after his sentencing at Forfar Sheriff Court, Karon Rollo, head of the wildlife and environmental crime unit at the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service of (COPFS), said: “Animal fighting is a cruel illegal activity which causes terrible and unnecessary suffering to animals.

“The evidence clearly shows the scope of the involvement Rhys Davies had with an organised group that took pleasure in killing wild animals in such a wicked and inhumane manner.

“The COPFS will continue to work to ensure those who participate in these barbaric practices are prosecuted and would encourage anyone who may have information on animal fighting to contact Police Scotland or the Scottish SPCA.”

Scottish SPCA chief superintendent Mike Flynn said: “All of the hallmarks of a person involved in animal fighting can be found in this case.

“This includes attempting to treat serious injuries without a vet, bragging to others about those injuries and trying to get ‘trophies’ such as photos as keepsakes of those fights.”