Stapleford man disqualified from keeping animals

Mr Craig Halls pleaded guilty to two offences of causing unnecessary suffering to dogs and to operating a commercial dog boarding kennels without a licence in Stapleford, Nottinghamshire, between March and August 2023. He was sentenced on Wednesday 31 July 2024 to:

• A 26-week custodial sentence, suspended for 18 months; and
• an indefinite disqualification order preventing him from owning, keeping, dealing and transporting any animals.

The defendant was also ordered to pay £500 costs to the RSPCA and a £1,000 contribution to the Council’s costs.

Nottinghamshire Police were made aware of a potential problem at Stapleford Luxury Boarding Kennels over the August Bank Holiday weekend in 2023 when it was reported that owners could not contact Mr Halls and could not collect their dogs. They attended site and found dogs being boarded in appalling conditions; they were locked into their kennels without food or water and hadn’t been checked on for days. Many of the dogs were in a poor state of health with matted fur and weight loss and were sitting amongst their own urine and faeces.  With the help of the RSPCA, PC Brough and PC Gledhill from Beeston Police successfully reunited the dogs with their owners. The RSPCA also removed Mr Halls’ own dogs due to neglect.

A joint investigation was undertaken under the Animal Welfare Act 2006. This resulted in Broxtowe Borough Council prosecuting Mr Halls for operating without a licence and the RSPCA prosecuting for animal neglect. Under the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018, anyone that operates a business:

• Selling animals,
• boarding cats,
• boarding dogs, either in kennels or home boarding,
• providing day care for dogs,
• hiring out horses
• breeding dogs, or
• training animals for exhibition

requires a licence from the local authority to undertake that activity.

Mr Halls had previously held a licence for Stapleford Luxury Boarding Kennels but this expired 30 June 2021.  Since that time he had not applied to renew the licence, despite reminders being sent.

Leader of the Council, Councillor Milan Radulovic MBE stated “The Court have issued a penalty which reflects the harm suffered by members of our community and their animals and this case highlights the importance of ensuring that the person you are leaving your dog with is suitably licensed. We are delighted that the hard work of the team at Broxtowe Borough Council, in partnership with the RSPCA and the Police has resulted in a conviction. We are continuously working to prevent illegal traders from boarding, selling and breeding dogs and other animals and urge people to be vigilant and report concerns”.

A list of establishments licensed for activities involving animals in Broxtowe Borough Councils’ area can be checked on our Ratings for Licensed Animal Activity Businesses webpage.

If you are concerned about an animal related business, you can speak to a member of Broxtowe Borough Council’s Environmental Health Animal Licensing Team on 0115 9173141.