Pair sentenced for illegal cropping of dogs' ears

Lyla was one of the dogs whose ears were cropped

A man has been jailed and a woman has received a suspended prison term for their part in a "barbaric" and illegal operation to crop dogs' ears.

Thomas Taaffe, 29, and Charlotte Baily, 29, both of Causeley Gardens, Stoke-on-Trent, admitted multiple animal cruelty offences, after ear-cropping of dogs, where the tips are cut off, was made illegal in 2006.

Both were sentenced at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court, where Taaffe was jailed for 12 months, and Bailey was given a 16-month sentence that was suspended for two years.

They were each given a lifetime ban, preventing them from keeping animals, and Bailey was also ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work and 30 rehabilitation requirement days.

The RSPCA prosecution came after an investigation, sparked by an undercover report by BBC Panorama.

Judge Robert Smith said Bailey had only avoided immediate imprisonment as she was the primary caregiver to the pair's three young children.

He told Bailey: "You deserve every single day of a prison sentence, but your young children do not deserve to be separated from both parents."

'Sickening and inhumane'

Mr Smith commended the RSPCA for their "thorough and detailed" investigation, and the BBC Panorama journalists for their work.

Unlike other acts of criminality, he said, the dogs the pair mutilated were unable to speak out about the pain and suffering they had endured.

Addressing Taaffe, he said: "You showed a lack of empathy towards the animals.

"You are not really remorseful for what you did. You demonstrate very little empathy. You are only remorseful for being caught and the punishment you will receive."

He told the pair they had run a "sophisticated criminal enterprise," and had "lied through your teeth" about fraudulent paperwork relating to the dogs.

He described their behaviour as "wholly sickening and inhumane," and said it was wholly unacceptable in civilised society.