‘Cruel’ puppy-breeding gang jailed after £300,000 by selling sick and dying dogs to unsuspecting Brits

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Crowell’s puppy farmer gang that made £300,000 selling sick and dying dogs has been jailed.

A gang of smugglers deceives unsuspecting Britons into buying sick animals using fake vaccination documents.

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Dogs abused in the process of raising a puppy in Milton Keynes Credit: SWNS

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An international dog smuggling gang has been jailed for 18 years for selling animals onlineCredit: SWNS

Police raided a travelers post in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, seizing 54 dogs.

Cocker spaniels, Schnauzers, Chihuahuas, Springer spaniels, Labradors, beagles and poodles were among the breeds kept in horrific conditions in small cages and in the back of trucks.

The pens were full of dangers, with spikes, sharp metal grids, and dangling wires.

The association said the three young puppies were kept in a cool, dark pen with dirty water and bedding that smelled of urine.

Some pets got bad infections and flatulence due to lack of food, while some were left in confined spaces they tried to chew through walls and floors.

pet horror

The dogs were shipped to Britain from Ireland and were full of disease when they were sold on Pets4Homes to unsuspecting customers.

But the dogs were so sick that some could not sell them, while others died after their new owners bought them.

Six members of the same family were among the 13 defendants who were imprisoned for a total of more than 18 years.

Members of the Cowley Traveler family admitted ownership of some of the dogs but claimed they did not know who owned some of the dogs.

The dogs were kept in poor conditions in truck enclosures and truck backs and were often riddled with health problems

RSPCA investigator Michelle Hare

Frontline officials Daniel Yeboah, 44, John, 49, Wendy O’Brien, 32, Rebecca Hall, 30, and Austin Pace, 32, placed a series of advertisements under pseudonyms online to flog the abused animals.

At Aylesbury Crown Court yesterday and Wednesday, 10 defendants pleaded guilty to fraud.

Nine also pleaded guilty to animal welfare-related offenses, while three others pleaded guilty to animal welfare-related charges.

Seven of them were sentenced to immediate prison terms totaling more than 18 years – the longest combined prison sentence the RSPCA investigation has ever seen.

heart pain

After the ruling, Michelle Hare, principal investigator for the RSPCA, said: “The dogs were kept in poor conditions in truck enclosures and truck backs.

“[They] Often riddled with health problems but sold to innocent families who hoped to add a dog to their homes, they were instead left with staggering vet bills, dogs with complex needs and, for some, the heartache of losing their puppy.”

The investigation began in November 2019 when the RSPCA and Trading Standards received a large number of complaints about the sale of puppies around the Milton Keynes area.

Investigators linked cases when CCTV footage showed John Cowley delivering the puppies in a truck after leaving the Willen Road Traveler location in Newport Pagnell, Pax.

Nine prisoners

During the site raid, officers found empty vaccination vials and needles, along with flea and worm products, and a stack of empty vaccination papers matching those given to victims when purchasing dogs.

The RSPCA said the images from advertisements posted online, including one for a Labrador puppy, matched the laundry room and utility space on site.

John Christopher Cowley, 25, was jailed for three and a half years while Joseph Coley Snr, 44, was sentenced to three years and nine months in prison.

Margaret Cowley, 46, was jailed for three years and nine months, and Michael Cowley, 41, was jailed for two years and three months.

Daniel Yeboah, 43, was jailed for three and a half years, while Annalize Cooley, 23, was given a 12-month prison sentence suspended for two years.

Joseph Cooley Jr., 44, received a community order for 24 months with 30 days of rehabilitation activity, plus 150 hours of unpaid work.

Mary Ward, 31, and Wendy O’Brien, 32, both from Milton Keynes, were given a suspended prison sentence and all six were denied 10 years of keeping dogs.

Rebecca Hall, 30, of Milton Keynes, was jailed for four months, suspended for two years and ordered to pay £750 compensation, while John Paul O’Brien, 49, and Austin Pace, 32, were each jailed for 13 months.

James Yeboah, 44, was given a nine-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, ordered to do 150 hours of unpaid work and £1,000 in costs and compensation.

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The gang earned thousands of pounds in a complex scam. Credit: Hyde News & Pictures

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Annalize Cawley was given a 12-month prison sentence, suspended for two yearsCredit: Hyde News & Images

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Joseph Cooley was sentenced to three years and nine months in prison Credit: Hyde News and sad photos this morning as the RSPCA tells the story of a dog tied to a rock and thrown into a river

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