Judge calls for RSPCA inspection at Shropshire kennels
The premises of a Shropshire dog breeder will be inspected by the RSPCA after apparent poor conditions were revealed during a crown court trial.
It follows comments from Judge Jonathan Gosling after a pensioner was convicted of stealing seven pedigree miniature dachshund puppies from a farm near Wem.
During the trial of 68-year-old dog keeper David Burdis at Shrewsbury Crown Court earlier this month, CCTV footage was seen by the jury showing the defendant removing the puppies from plastic boxes.
Judge Gosling raised the issue of the conditions seen on CCTV at The Old Crematorium at Sleap, run by Marcia Jones.
"Having seen the footage of the conditions the puppies were kept in, and heard evidence suggesting they were left unattended for long periods, the police should be requested to refer the matter to local RSPCA inspectors," he said.
A Crown Prosecution Service spokesman has confirmed that West Mercia Police had been notified of the judge's comments.
A spokeswoman for the RSPCA confirmed that local inspectors had been alerted about the judge's concerns about the conditions for animals at the premises.
During the brief trial Burdis had denied taking the pups from the farm but was found guilty by the jury and sentence was adjourned for reports.
The court heard Burdis, of Rigby Lane, Bromsgrove in Worcestershire, had taken the three-month old dachshund puppies on December 15, 2013.
He was captured by the CCTV system, along with another unnamed man, scooping up the puppies into his hoodie from two closed plastic boxes.
Burdis had claimed he and his friend were seen by the owner, who was watching off-camera, as they picked up the puppies to move them to a cleaner pen.
