Grisly videos of a depraved gamekeeper spurring on his dogs to attack badgers and foxes during bloody fights posted to social media have been obtained by The Press and Journal.
The footage, which makes for grim viewing, was used as evidence to convict 23-year-old Ryan Martin whose defence lawyer described him as “immature”.
Martin was slapped with a five-year ban on keeping or working with dogs and was spared jail in favour of having to carry out 175 hours of unpaid work.
As he appeared in the dock at Aberdeen Sheriff Court, it was suggested that Martin didn’t feel what he was doing was wrong because he considered badgers and foxes to be “vermin”.
He’d landed in the dock to answer for his barbaric behaviour after being targetted by the secretive Special Investigations Unit (SIU) of the Scottish animal anti-cruelty charity, the SSPCA.
Intelligence that the man from Marykirk, Aberdeenshire, had been using his dogs to fight with badgers and other wildlife was received by the SIU in January last year.
The authorities were then assisted by the police during a raid on Martin’s home on February 9 2022, when his mobile phone was seized.
Three of his dogs, two Lurchers and a Deerhound/Greyhound, were discovered with fresh wounds and historical injuries caused by illegal fighting with wildlife.
The dogs – called Boss, Storm, and Beau – were also confiscated during the investigation.
A digital forensic examination of Martin’s device uncovered disturbing video content of the animal fights that the twisted gamekeeper had captured on camera and posted to his TikTok and Snapchat accounts.
WATCH – Aberdeenshire dad Ryan Martin’s animal cruelty involving his dogs:
At the start of one video posted to TikTok, Martin is heard saying: “Hold on to your f****** hats. What you’re about to see isn’t 100% legal”.
Another video around a minute long, posted on Snapchat, included Martin’s voice in the background encouraging the dogs.
Fiscal depute Clair Stewart told the court: “The video then shows Storm with the top of a badger’s head in her mouth whilst Beau and Boss are biting and attacking the badger all over its body and legs.
“The badger’s head and body are heavily blood-stained. A dog can be heard squealing and the badger can be seen to have a hold of Storm’s snout and lower jaw within its mouth.
As the vile video footage continues, Storm is seen “gripping the badger’s head in her mouth” while Beau and Boss bite at the badger, which is “twisting and wriggling on the roadway”.
Evidence against Ryan Martin included injuries to the cruel gamekeeper’s dogs
Ms Stewart added: “Storm’s face is buried into the chest of the badger, which appears to have a grip of her by her face.
“The accused can still be heard shouting encouragement to the dogs. The video ends with Beau and Storm within the rear of a vehicle with bleeding and fresh injuries to their noses.
“The accused can be heard to say, ‘Look at her, man. Go on, dogs. Piggies. Wayhay’.”
Badgers are commonly referred to as pigs by badger baiters.
More incriminating evidence included another TikTok video that featured Storm standing in a field with blood on her coat around her chest, face and head.
It showed Storm and an unidentified Lurcher dog attacking a live badger before a fox “appears to have Storm by the collar”.
Martin, of Balmanno Cottages, Marykirk, pled guilty to causing dogs to fight with badgers and foxes on various occasions.
His dogs have been rehomed by the SSPCA after Martin signed over ownership of his abused pets.
He will not be allowed to work with or keep dogs for the next five years.
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READ MORE: The court case that exposed the dark side of an Aberdeenshire dad convicted for animal cruelty
Cruel gamekeeper dad’s bloody videos of dogs fighting foxes and badgers
