Dog fighting group jailed after illegal bouts held

RSPCA officers found dogs had been chained to treadmills at a Essex house

Members of a dog-fighting ring have been jailed after illegal bouts were organised across Europe and some animals were forced to fight to the death.

Dogs had been chained to treadmills, kept in dirty conditions and were caged in isolation, Chelmsford Crown Court heard on Monday.

Members had organised bouts at a property in Takeley, Essex, as well as in the Republic of Ireland and France. Key evidence in the case came from a phone which belonged to Phillip Harris Ali, 67, of Manford Way, Chigwell, known in the dog fighting world as Dr Death.

He was jailed along with Stephen Albert Brown, 57, of Burrow Road, Chigwell, and Billy Leadley, 38, of Bambers Green, Takeley.

Phillip Ali, left, went out for a meal with Stephen Brown, right, and others after a fight

Dogs were not given clean water or proper bedding and were starved to be kept at "fighting weight", jurors heard.

They were also told animals suffered serious injuries, including broken legs, and endured brutal training regimes. Members of the group used makeshift medical kits to treat the injured animals instead of taking them to a qualified vet to avoid detection.

The RSPCA launched an investigation after an officer visited Ali's address near Hainault, in August 2021, and dogs were found in poor conditions.

Judge Jamie Sawyer said the gang showed "a shocking level of barbarism and callousness" for the dogs involved in the case.

He said the fights were "highly planned and without a care for the welfare of the animals in question".

The judge told the defendants: "Dogs were treated as a commodity by each of you. They were playing pieces in your game."

The dog fighting group built a bespoke arena for bouts during a trip to France

Evidence used in the case included videos of dogs and match reports detailing how the animals were set upon each other, sent via the encrypted messaging app Signal.

Ali was sentenced to five years in total for 10 offences under the Animal Welfare Act.

His "right-hand man" Brown was jailed for two years and six months after he was found guilty of five offences under the Animal Welfare Act.

He got illegal veterinary medication and equipment and was involved in training dogs and arranging fights.

Personal trainer Billy Leadley, 38, who had a dog fighting pit at his home in Bambers Green was jailed for a total of four years for 12 different offences.

His wife, hairdresser Amy Leadley, 39, who was not directly involved in the ring, was sentenced for various offences linked to keeping a premise for dog-fighting and not caring for the animals properly.

She was given an 18-month community order, 200 hours of unpaid work, and 25 days of rehabilitation activity.