Awful illegal puppy farm conditions revealed as owner locked up for 70 weeks
Kevin Bramwell kept dogs and raccoons in 30 degree temperatures with no water, food or ventilation, a court heard.
An illegal puppy farm owner who sold animals kept in "appalling" cramped and overheated conditions with no water has been jailed for 70 weeks.
WARNING: Readers may find some of the images below distressing
Kevin Bramwell hoodwinked customers into believing he was a private owner and that the animals came from a loving home, it was said.
The 62-year-old contractor received at least £48,805 over four-and-a-half years from the scam by placing adverts on legitimate websites claiming the dogs were Kennel Club (KC) registered and had pedigrees.
He gave the false impression that the animals were raised in excellent conditions, Stafford Crown Court heard.
One advert read: "Two beautiful girls left. Dad KC, ready to go to five star home."
But in reality the animals, or mongrels, were kept in old sheds and disused vans covered in faeces on an isolated plot of land in Power Station Road, Rugeley.
Their existence was discovered by chance after firefighters attended a waste fire at the site and alerted Cannock Chase Council.
30 dogs and two raccoons
Environmental Protection officers visited in July last year, "in the height of the very hot summer", and found 30 dogs and two raccoons kept in 30 degree temperatures with no water, food or ventilation, said Ms Eleanor Lake, prosecuting.
The animals - a mixture of lurchers, whippets and other breeds of varying ages - were suffering from lesions, ear infections and dental disease.
It was estimated that Bramwell sold at least 118 animals between January 2014 and July 2018, creating multiple identities and using different addresses to avoid the deceit being uncovered by the website.
The defendant brought potential customers to his home address when dogs were sold, always for cash, or visited their homes on the pretext that he was vetting them for suitability.
In his defence, Bramwell said he was suffering from stress after a throat operation and he had allowed the care of his animals to slip.
The defendant had kept dogs all his life and claimed to use them for ratting or rabbiting purposes or as pets, selling them on when he accumulated too many.
The court heard he did not consider what he was doing as a commercial operation and was surprised to be told the extent of it by the investigators.
Bramwell, of Leathermill Lane, Rugeley, pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation, operating a pet shop without a licence, operating an unlicensed breeding establishment and eight charges of animal cruelty.
In addition to the prison sentence, he was also disqualified from keeping any animals for 10 years.
Jude Jonathon Salmon described the conditions the animals were kept in as "appalling"
Mike Walker, Environmental Protection manager at Cannock Chase Council, welcomed the sentence, which he said "reflects the gravity of the situation we encountered."
