Hazlemere family sentenced for trying to sell sick puppies

Police officers attended a property in High Wycombe, on July 29, 2021, and discovered a mix of 17 cocker spaniels and Cavalier King Charles spaniels puppies kept in crates and a van without a mother present.

They contacted the RSPCA for help and Special Operations Unit (SOU) officer Kirsty Withnall went to assist.

One puppy suffered tissue damage to its neck due to how tight its cable tie was put on.

The vet removed the cable tie from the male cocker spaniel who was around eight-to-nine weeks old.

All of the dogs were seized by the authorities. 

Those who committed the crimes

Martin McDonagh, 46 and Mary McDonagh 43, and their children, Thomas McDonagh, 25 and Winifred McDonagh, 19, all of Beechlands, Hazlemere, appeared at Aylesbury Magistrates’ Court to face an offence under the Animal Welfare Act for failing to meet the needs of 17 puppies.

On June 10, 2022, Martin McDonagh was sentenced after pleading guilty to one offence of making false representations under The Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008.

He was handed a seven-month jail term and was disqualified from keeping dogs.

McDonagh was back before magistrates’ court on Monday, November 21 having previously pleaded guilty to one Section 4 offence under the Animal Welfare Act.

This was in relation to causing an injury to a male Cocker Spaniel-type puppy, by failing to remove a tight-fitting cable tie from the animal’s neck resulting in tissue damage.

McDonagh pleaded not guilty to an offence under Section 9 - along with the rest of his family - Mary, Thomas, and Winnie.

This joint offence was that they did not take such steps to ensure that the needs of a number of puppies were met to the extent required by good practice.

At the trial on Monday, November 21, all four defendants were found guilty of this offence.

On this day, Winnie McDonagh was sentenced and received a 12 conditional discharge and was disqualified from keeping all animals for two years.

Sentencing then continued for the other three defendants on Monday, January, 10.

Martin McDonagh was sentenced to a 12-month conditional discharge order, prosecution costs of £500, a victim surcharge cost of £22 and was disqualified from keeping all animals for 15 years.

Mary Donagh was sentenced to a £150 fine, and £500 prosecution costs and was disqualified from keeping all animals for 15 years.

Thomas Donagh was sentenced to 50 hours of unpaid work, £500 prosecution costs, a £100 fine and was disqualified from keeping all animals for 15 years apart from turtles.

It comes after police found adverts on Pets4Homes for cocker spaniels for sale at £1,300. The advert said the puppies were born to a ‘family pet’ and had been health-checked, vaccinated, and treated for fleas and worms.

The advert said the puppies had been ‘raised in a busy household’.

Evidence suggested that Martin McDonagh had been trying to fraudulently sell the puppies as home-bred, despite them being sourced from elsewhere, possibly illegally imported from Ireland.

The council told investigators that the property did not have a licence for breeding or selling. 

Speaking outside of court, RSPCA Inspector Withnall said: “These puppies had been taken away from their mothers and moved to a strange location where they mixed with other puppies of differing ages.

"They were being kept in completely unsuitable conditions and one had a cable tie tight around his throat and had to be rushed to vets to have it removed.

“We know from evidence gathering that Martin McDonagh had been trying to sell the puppies but when police arrived at the property he was not present and the rest of his family were in charge of the dogs, who were in very poor conditions.

“Thankfully all of the puppies were removed, placed into foster homes and have since been rehomed, and are doing really well with their new families.”