LGSS Law on behalf of East Northamptonshire Council has successfully prosecuted illegal dog sellers in Northampton in what is England’s first prosecution by a local authority under the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) Regulations 2018.

Three defendants eventually pleaded guilty to selling dogs without a licence and were all sentenced to a 12-month community order with the requirement to complete 80 hours of unpaid work. They were disqualified from keeping or breeding dogs for five years and had to pay a £85 victim surcharge. In addition, the Council was awarded £9,000 towards its legal costs.

The court case comes after years of suspicious illegal activity on the Lilford Estate and sufficient evidence was eventually gathered by the officers at East Northamptonshire council.

Salma Kantharia (Head of Adult Social Care and Litigation) at LGSS Law said:
“The Council had its suspicions for a number of years and therefore this has been an excellent outcome for the Council. It’s is good to see the hard work of the officers in combination with those of LGSS Law has paid off. Importantly, prosecutions such as this will hopefully pave the way for much improved welfare standards of animals and Councils should feel more confident about the robust actions it can take.”

Contact: Ruksana Munir (Principal Lawyer – Criminal Litigation)
Email: ruksana.munir@lgsslaw.co.uk

October 2019