A man who showed a “disgusting lack of care” after his dog was seriously injured while badger baiting has been spared jail but banned from owning the animals for 10 years.
Liam Taylor’s male Bull Lurcher, called Brock, had his nostril partly ripped off, lost teeth and suffered facial and paw injuries during the illegal and cruel hunt.
Officers from the Scottish SPCA animal welfare charity visited Taylor’s home in Deyhill, Macduff, and found Brock suffering from injuries consistent with “pig digging” – the term often used for badger baiting.
At an earlier hearing, fiscal depute Karon Rollo told Banff Sheriff Court that Taylor had been treating the wounds with just salty water.
Brock, and one of Taylor’s other dogs, were taken into the care of the SSPCA and he finally agreed to hand over ownership of them during his court appearance yesterday.
‘Disgusting’ lack of care
An undercover inspector from the charity’s special investigations unit described Taylor’s lack of care as “disgusting”.
They said: “Badger baiting and animal fighting is a horrific crime, most often viewed as ‘sport’ by those to take part in it.
“The lack of care or regard Taylor showed for wild animals and for Brock is just disgusting.
“If Taylor had kept forcing Brock to fight, then who knows what would have been the outcome for him.”
The charity said the dog had “obvious and painful-looking” facial injuries, had lost part of his nostril, had puncture wounds and scars on his muzzle, head and neck, jaw injuries and a damaged front paw.
So far the kenneling costs alone have hit £11,500 while the charity has also stumped up £1,300 for Brock’s vet bills.
Sheriff Robert McDonald was due to sentence dad-of-one Taylor last month, however, agreed to give the civil engineer another chance to accept his crimes while warning him he was “one foot in the jail”.
The sheriff told defence agent Stuart Flowerdew that unless Taylor admitted that “what he regards as a sport is actually a crime that involved cruelty to animals” then it would be “difficult to keep him out of jail”.
Mr Flowerdew said his client had now engaged more suitably with social workers and was deemed at “low risk of reoffending”.
An ’emotional detachment’ with animals
“He understands that the court has the power to stop him owning animals and he understands why that would be appropriate,” Mr Flowerdew said.
“It seems that looking back he didn’t know what he was doing with his animals at the time.”
He suggested things had “escalated” and that Taylor had an “emotional detachment” with the animals.
“There seems to have been genuine reflections which have led to remorse about how these dogs suffered,” the defence agent added.
Further incriminating evidence shared with the court included text messages in which Taylor said he “hoped this dog makes it as a pig digger” and how Brock took “a fair bit of punishment from that pig at the weekend”.
Other messages mentioned the dog being “chewed close to the windpipe” while photos showed Brock bearing fresh wounds and smeared with blood.
DNA from a knife found in Taylor’s jacket found it had been in contact with roe deer and badger and a skin stapler found in his toolbox held Brock’s DNA.
Taylor admitted charges of causing unnecessary suffering and failing to get treatment for the animal, and of training or keeping an animal to fight another.
‘One foot in the jail’
Sheriff McDonald told him: “I found this offence quite shocking and I really had to think long and hard whether there was any alternative to a custodial sentence here, which is why I asked for a second report.
“It did appear to me that if there was no glimmer that you understood how serious and wrong this offending was there would be no alternative to me sending you to jail… but the report I have got back does suggest there’s some glimmer.”
He handed Taylor a community payback order comprising 240 hours of unpaid work and a one-year supervision requirement. He also banned him from owning dogs for the next decade.
‘A cruel illegal activity’
The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service’s head of wildlife and environmental crime unit, Fiona Caldwell, welcomed the sentence.
She said: “Dogfighting is a cruel illegal activity which causes terrible and unnecessary suffering to animals.
“I welcome today’s sentence and the granting of the order preventing Liam Taylor from keeping dogs for 10 years.
“We will continue to work to ensure those who participate in this barbaric practice are prosecuted and would encourage anyone who may have information on dog fighting to contact the police or the Scottish SPCA.”
Anyone with concerns about animal fighting can contact the SSPCA helpline in confidence on 03000 999 999.
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