Ipswich dogs raid: Man jailed and banned from owning animals

Police said the sentences handed to Stacy Humphrys (pictured) and Maria Lee reflected the conditions some of the dogs were found in

A man has been jailed and handed a lifetime ban from keeping animals after 83 dogs were seized by police.

Most of them were found at Stacy Humphrys' plot at the West Meadows travellers site, Ipswich, on 20 March.

Ipswich magistrates sentenced the 34-year-old, who was already banned from keeping animals, to 14 weeks in prison for breach of disqualification.

He was also given eight weeks' imprisonment for welfare offences, to be served concurrently.

Maria Lee, 47, also of West Meadows, was sentenced to 12 weeks' imprisonment, suspended for 12 months for welfare offences.

She was also given a five-year ban from keeping dogs.

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Suffolk Police spent almost 10 hours at the site, at junction 53 of the A14 in Ipswich.

The pair admitted the offences. Four other people who were arrested have been released and will face no further action.

Suffolk Police issued photographs of most of the dogs seized in the raid in a bid to find their owners

Suffolk Police spent almost 10 hours at the site, at junction 53 of the A14, near the Whitehouse Industrial Estate and the Anglia Retail Park

As part of the investigation, new homes were found for 66 dogs and 17 were returned to their owners.

Temporary Det Supt Nicky Wallace said it was an "extremely challenging" investigation due to the number of dogs involved and the "difficulties we faced in establishing ownership".

"The conditions that some of these dogs were found in were clearly unacceptable, and the sentences handed to Humphrys and Lee today reflect this," she said.

"Thankfully, these conditions are unique and rarely seen in Suffolk. I am grateful that, in conjunction with the RSPCA, many of the dogs now look forward to a new life in their forever homes."

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