Animal cruelty case connected to seizure of puppies dropped

THE Director of Public Prosecutions has dropped an animal cruelty case brought against two English brothers who had been charged over the discovery of dozens of puppies in a van in Dublin.

The 36 puppies, aged between three and six weeks, had been recovered and were taken into safety by gardai and officers from the Dublin Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

It followed searches on October 9th last, on the Old Malahide Road in the Coolock area in north Dublin.

The puppies included a number of Cocker and Springer Spaniels, Terrier, Beagle, and Labrador breeds along with several Jack Russells.

Two brothers from Manchester, who been arrested at the scene, were later charged under the Protection of Animals Act but will not stand trial, and no explanation was given yesterday at Dublin District Court where the charges were withdrawn on the instructions of the DPP.

Reuben Burton (32) and 21-year-old Rico Lee Burton, both from Stone Meadows, Carrington, Manchester, had been accused of cruelly ill treating the pups by keeping them in the rear of a vehicle “in cramped conditions with no food or water, no light or fresh air and had the pups lying in their own faeces causing unnecessary suffering”.

At a hearing at Dublin District Court in February, Judge Patricia McNamara had heard that it was alleged that they were found in their own faeces and showed signs of parasitic disease. In an outline of the prosecution’s evidence, she had also heard that some of the pups’ “hind claws had been amputated” and they had inflammation on their tail stumps.

In February, Judge McNamara had held that the case was too serious to be dealt with in the district court and should be sent to the Circuit Court which could impose a maximum two-year sentence and fines of about €13,000 for an animal cruelty offence.

The pair had been remanded on bail pending the preparation of a book of evidence and the case was listed again today when defence solicitor Tony Collier said that he had been contacted by the DPP’s office and informed “that this case was not proceeding”, and the State would be withdrawing the charges.

Neither men had to come to the hearing today and Mr Collier also said that the brothers “protest their innocence in relation to this matter”.

A court garda confirmed that the case was to be dropped but there was no explanation why, and Judge McNamara then ordered that the charges had been withdrawn.