Sheffield family fined for cruelty after pets are found in 'horrendous' conditions

Claire Wainwright, aged 40, of Prince of Wales Road, Sheffield, pleaded guilty to two animal cruelty offences relating to a shepherd puppy called Hugo and a rottweiler puppy named Winnie.

Tariq Ajmal, 20, also of Prince of Wales Road, Sheffield, pleaded guilty to one animal cruelty offence relating to four other dogs, Shotty, River and Vegas and Coco.

While Adam Ajmal, 20, of Swales Gardens, Sheffield, pleaded guilty to one animal cruelty offence relating to a dog called Shadow.

The trio appeared for sentencing at Sheffield Magistrates’ Court, where as well as receiving bans they were all handed 12-week curfew orders to stay indoors between the hours of 10pm to 6am from Sundays to Thursdays.

RSPCA inspector Leanne Booth attended the property at Prince of Wales Road with police who were executing a warrant on March 30 last year after concerns were raised about the animals.

Seven dogs and puppies, and a parrot, were found living in unsuitable conditions and the inspector spoke with Tariq Ajmal.

Inspector Booth said in a statement to the court she noted a strong smell of urine and faeces in the kitchen, where she found two puppies confined to a small wooden dog kennel placed with its door against a wall.

“The kennel was soaking wet and covered in faeces, while there was no bedding and nowhere dry for the puppies to lay down. Hugo’s coat was soaking wet with a mixture of urine and faeces dripping from him. It was difficult to hold him due to the smell,” said the inspector.

“Winnie was also wet and extremely smelly covered in the same unpleasant liquid as Hugo.”

There was also a small cage in the kitchen, housing a yellow parrot called Zara. Her cage was covered in faeces and old food and her drinking pot contained soiled water.

When the inspector heard the sound of barking from the garden, Tariq Ajmal led her to a fenced off area where the other dogs were running loose or tethered.

One of the dogs, a cane corso, needed to be restrained by the owner as she was attacking one of the tethered dogs, who was in pain.

“The dog had a small harness tightly fastened around her abdomen and to a chain on a metal ring on the floor, so her movements were severely restricted. She could not access water, she had no shelter or a comfortable rest area and she was limping in pain,” added the inspector.

“Another dog, Coco, had a choke chain around her neck attached to a very short chain, which meant the dog could only stand up in a crouched position. She had no access to water, shelter, or rest area. There was also a cane corso (Shadow), whose tail had been docked and ears cropped.

“The loose dogs in the garden had access to a large garage with three separate rooms which were in complete darkness with no natural light or ventilation. The floor was completely covered with faeces and there were no beds or bedding material, while there were maggots among the faeces and the smell within the garage was overpowering.”

All the animals were seized by the police and taken into the care of the RSPCA.

Wainwright told the inspector the dogs belonged to her two sons,Tariq and Adam Ajmal, and that she had helped care for the puppies, while the parrot was owned by the family as a whole.

A vet’s expert report concluded: “There are a number of huge concerns with the conditions these animals were kept in, most notably the poor sanitation in the garage and outside as well as on the young puppies’ fur.

“There was no suitable bedding or suitable-sized shelter and it is unacceptable to keep animals in conditions where there is no access to fresh water, while they are restrained and tethered for long periods with no bowls within reach. The suffering these animals faced was inexcusable and completely avoidable.”

In mitigation, the court was told Wainwright had suffered bereavement and physical illness at the time of the offence and it was said she had “too much on her plate” to be able to cope with the dogs.

For Tariq Ajmal, it was said he struggled after the loss of his father and he found it difficult to be at the house on a regular basis. Adam Ajmal was also badly affected by the death of his father and claimed he was not responsible for docking Shadow’s tail or cropping her ears and that he had “rescued the canine from abroad”.

All three defendants were ordered to pay costs of £300 and a victim surcharge of £95.

The dogs and the parrot have been cared for by the RSPCA and will be rehomed when they are ready for adoption - the dogs will need suitable and knowledgeable owners as they are large, powerful canines.

Speaking after the sentencing, inspector Booth said: “The conditions in the garage at this property were horrendous, there was not one part of the garage floor that was not covered by faeces. The dogs did not have any dry space to lay in at all.