Man jailed for dog fighting offences

27 April 2019, 09:22 | Updated: 27 April 2019, 09:26

A man who kept three dogs for fighting has been jailed for seven months.

Sean Ward was also banned from keeping dogs for 20 years when he was sentenced at Greenock Sheriff Court.

The 27-year-old, from Port Glasgow in Inverclyde, was snared when a woman spotted him with an injured Jack Russell terrier, near Bishopton, Renfrewshire, in April last year.

The dog was limping and had cuts and blood on its limbs and chest and a severe injury to its face, prosecutors said.

The woman, who was concerned for the dog and suspected it had been in a fight, decided to film the animal.

Scottish SPCA inspectors later raided Ward's home, along with police, and they seized a number of items, including a mobile phone.

They later found a Patterdale Terrier with scars on her face.

The dog was taken to a Scottish SPCA facility where she was examined by a vet and found to have injuries consistent with face-to-face fighting with a badger, the Crown Office said after the hearing.

According to prosecutors, Ward admitted keeping three dogs for animal fighting and he also pleaded guilty to possessing and sharing videos of animal fights.

In one video, dogs are being urged to attack a helpless deer.

Sara Shaw, head of the wildlife and environmental crime unit at the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (Copfs), said: "Dog fighting is a cruel and wholly illegal act and I welcome today's sentence and the granting of the order preventing Sean Ward from keeping dogs for 20 years.

"These dogs were caused terrible and unnecessary suffering with numerous wounds and scars.

"Copfs will continue to work to ensure those who participate in this barbaric practice are prosecuted and would encourage anyone who may have information on dog fighting to contact the police or Scottish SPCA."