Man who tried to sell stolen puppies worth £8,000 is jailed

Michael Porter was rumbled after pictures of the animals were found on his iPhone.

He had originally denied handling the stolen puppies by assisting in their 'retention, removal, disposal or realisation.'

But at a pre-trial hearing at Warwick Crown Court, Porter, who was in custody after failing to turn up when his trial was first listed in July, changed his plea to guilty.

The 29-year-old, of Dunstall Hill, Wolverhampton, was jailed for nine months – with a consecutive one-month term for failing to surrender to his bail.

Mr Jonathan Veasey-Pugh, prosecuting, said two 12-week-old English bulldog puppies and a five-month-old blue brindle French bulldog were stolen during a burglary at Christine Wilkinson's home in Justins Avenue, Stratford.

The house was secure when she left on January 4, leaving the puppies and the mother of the English bulldogs with the run of the kitchen.

When she returned the next day, the kitchen door was open and there was no sign of the chipped and Kennel Club registered pups, even though they could not have got out of the garden.

One man, James Cooper, was arrested because an off-duty police officer had seen him, before the burglary was reported, riding a bike with container bags with three puppies in them.

And police inquiries led officers to Adey Road in Ashmore Park, Wednesfield, where Porter was arrested on January 15.

On his iPhone the police found pictures of the puppies, as well as an internet search history which showed Porter had been researching the value of them, said Mr Veasey-Pugh.

But they were never recovered, and Ms Wilkinson says her young daughter has been particularly distressed as a result, and their loss has caused her distress and financial hardship.

The court heard that Porter had a long list of previous convictions for offences including robbery and burglary, although his last conviction was in 2006.

He entered his guilty plea on the basis that he had no knowledge or involvement in the burglary, but had learned from an acquaintance that they were for sale and was offered around £200 if he could find a buyer.

He said he took pictures of the dogs on his phone which he sent out with a message offering them for sale, but never actually had custody or control of them.

And he added that he had not suspected anything untoward until his internet searches revealed their value, at which point he realised they must have been stolen, and did not know who they were sold to.

Mr Harry Owen, defending, said: "He is a man who has placed himself in a very serious position, given his previous convictions and the seriousness of this offence; but he is very much on the periphery of this.

"It is clear he was not involved in the original burglary and the dogs never came into his possession. He simple acted to try to arrange, for some financial gain, a meeting between two parties for a sale.

"When he found their value was very much more that he thought they were worth, he realised something was wrong – and from then on his role was dishonest."