Essex gang convicted of training and fighting dogs across Europe
Four people have been convicted for their involvement with a dog fighting ring
Four people from Essex have been convicted for their involvement in dog fighting and training, which led to fights across Europe.
A jury convicted the group of a range of offences after a four-week trial at Chelmsford Crown Court.
Phillip Harris Ali, who is referred to in the dog fighting world as Dr Death, of Manford Way, Chigwell, Essex, was found guilty of 10 offences under the Animal Welfare Act 2006, including four offences of keeping and/or training a dog for use in a fight, and two of causing a fight.
Billy Leadley, who is also known as GSK or Green Street Kennels, of Bambers Green, Takeley, Essex, entered a guilty plea to one offence - of causing unnecessary suffering to a dog by failing to provide veterinary treatment for an injury to the dog’s tail - part-way through the trial.
The jury also found him guilty of a further nine offences under the Animal Welfare Act 2006; including keeping a premises for use in fighting, taking part in a fight by refereeing, and keeping and/or training a dog for use in a dog fight.
Billy’s wife, Amy Louise Leadley also of Bambers Green, Takeley, Essex, was found guilty of three offences, under the Animal Welfare Act 2006, including keeping a premises for use in fighting.
Stephen Albert Brown of Burrow Road, Chigwell, Essex, was found guilty of five offences, including three of keeping and/or training a dog for use in an animal fight.
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An investigation was launched
The RSPCA launched an investigation in 2021, when in August an officer visited Ali's home in Chigwell, as part of investigations into dog fighting in Essex and London.
Four dogs were seen at the property, with three kept outside, as well as a portable kennel and two dog running machines.
The officer's concerns were passed onto the RSPCA's Special Operations Unit.
Dogs and fighting paraphernalia seized
After gathering information and intelligence on Ali, the Metropolitan Police executed a warrant at his address in Chigwell on 14 March 2022, where two dogs were seized, Dotti and Oscar, as well as dog fighting paraphernalia, including a slat mill and four break sticks.
A DIY vet kit was also found.
A statement from Inspector Kirsty Withnall, who led the team, said in her statement: “I have seen the weighing unit, break sticks and flirt poles in dog fighting investigations before. The dogs will be weighed before a fight, the break sticks are to break the dogs apart when they are fighting and ‘locked on’, and the flirt poles are a training aid to get the dogs to jump up and strengthen their back legs.”
Referring to a vet kit that was seized from the property, Inspector Withnall said: “This was a substantial vet kit; it contained items such as two skin staplers, an IV kit for fluids, bandages, needles, steroids, antibiotics, painkillers and medication. I have seen homemade vet kits used by people that fight dogs before, this is because they will treat the dogs themselves rather than take the dogs to the vet and raise suspicion.”
Ali's phone also identified several WhatsApp voice notes, planning fights ahead and injuries dogs had already suffered.
Evidence was collected
Deleted dog fighting videos were found on Ali's phone, with the RSPCA describing the evidence as a 'goldmine'.
“The mobile phone was a goldmine of information and evidence."
Speaking outside of court following the verdicts, SOU investigator Chief Inspector Ian Muttitt - who gave evidence during the trial - said: “The mobile phone was a goldmine of information and evidence. It contained graphic videos and images pictured above of brutal dog fights, match reports following organised fights, information relating to some of the men’s travel plans and accommodation for specific fights, as well as messages between a number of the defendants planning fights, talking about training regimes, and discussing the injuries dogs had suffered.”
The team collated enough evidence which led to three further warrants, conducted by Essex Police and Merseyside Police, on 18 May 2022, at the Leadley's address in Takeley, Brown's address in Chigwell, and a third address in Merseyside.
Sixteen dogs were seized from the Leadley's address, including a number of bullbreeds, kept in poor conditions.
Scales found also led to the connection of two dogs.
Books about dog fighting, a slat mill and vet kit were also among the items seized at Brown's Chigwell address.
Dog fights taken place across Europe
Speaking outside of court following the verdicts, Chief Inspector Muttitt said: “The information on the phone linked most of the defendants together and we could see that they’d been involved in at least four dog fights; one held in Essex, at the Leadleys’; one in Ireland; and one in France, for which they flew into Bordeaux. The other fight was held at an unknown location in England.”
The fights began in October 2021, with the last in February 2022.
Investigators found plans for a March fight, but the warrants executed beforehand fortunately prevented the fight from taking place.