David Parkes animal welfare conviction followed a two-day trial at Barnsley Magistrates' Court, where he was found guilty of three animal welfare offences after 84 dogs and two cats were taken from a house in South Yorkshire. The animals had been living in appalling conditions at Galley Hill, Tickhill, near Doncaster.
RSPCA officers first visited on 5 April after welfare concerns were reported about a dog seen at the property with an injured leg. They returned on 15 April, received no response, and then went back with police and a warrant on 17 April before the animals were removed the next day.
Kristy Ludlam at Galley Hill
Kristy Ludlam, writing in evidence to Barnsley Magistrates' Court, described springer spaniels crowding the property from the moment the kitchen door was opened. She said there were 20 to 25 springer spaniels in the kitchen, at least 20 piles of faeces on the floor, and approximately 33 springer spaniels on the stairs.
She also said: "The door into the kitchen was opened and we were met with 20 to 25 springer spaniels, some huddled in the corners, others running around." Ludlam added: "There were approximately 33 springer spaniels crowding the stairs, barking and staring at me."
Philip Brown on the warrant
Philip Brown said the conditions were so bad that one police officer had to leave the house to be sick because of the stench. The court heard the dogs had rapidly spiralled in number because none in the house had been neutered, and the family had tried unsuccessfully to give some of them away.
Most of the animals were rehomed by The RSPCA, which said all but one found new homes after the rescue. That left the case with a practical outcome as well as a legal one: the property was emptied, the animals were moved out, and the welfare case moved into sentencing.
Delphine Parkes and Sam Parkes
David Parkes denied owning or having responsibility for the animals, but the court still found him guilty of three animal welfare offences. Delphine Parkes and Sam Parkes had already pleaded guilty to the same three offences at an earlier hearing on 7 January.
All three defendants were due to be sentenced on 9 December at Doncaster Magistrates' Court. What sentence the court ultimately imposed on David Parkes, Delphine Parkes and Sam Parkes is not stated in the source.
