Council prosecution sees unlicensed dog breeder jailed

An illegal dog breeder and dealer has been jailed and banned from breeding, owning, or keeping animals for ten years following a successful prosecution by East Suffolk Council.

Jamie Wilkinson of Foxglove End, Leiston, was sentenced at Suffolk Magistrates' Court late last month (28 April) for the unlicensed breeding and sale of dogs, along with a number of other offences, including fly-tipping.

The prosecution was brought under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 by East Suffolk Council. The council had also previously applied to the court for a disposal order to seize a bulldog from the address, as an animal in distress, in September 2021.

Wilkinson appeared for sentencing in custody, having been recalled to prison for breaching the terms of his licensed release from a previous sentence a fortnight earlier.

Fiona Quinn, Head of Environmental Services and Port Health at East Suffolk Council said: "East Suffolk Council takes seriously any reported breach of the Animal Welfare Act. We will investigate reports of unregulated activity and, where appropriate, seek prosecution."

Quinn added: "The prosecution and conviction of Mr Wilkinson is testament to how seriously the Council takes the offences of littering and fly-tipping and that offenders will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law."

Wilkinson also received a two-week concurrent jail sentence for breaching sections 33(1)(a), (60) and (8) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 by failing to pay a fine imposed by East Suffolk Council for fly-tipping.

Magistrates took into account Wilkinson's early admission of guilt but agreed with the recommendation of a pre-sentence report by the probation service for an immediate custodial term.

He was jailed for 20 weeks for the animal welfare offences, with an additional six-week consecutive term and a further two-week concurrent sentences for offences, including failing to provide a specimen for testing when required. He faced no separate penalty for further separate offences of criminal damage and obstructing a police constable in the execution of their duties.

Adam Carey