A man has been jailed for multiple counts of appalling animal cruelty towards a fox and his own dogs. The presiding judge described the gross neglect as both “criminal and utterly shocking.”
Man sentenced for ‘utterly shocking’ animal cruelty
Dane Crawford, a 30-year-old resident of Howgill Avenue, Lancaster, stood trial at Preston Crown Court for sentencing on Monday, Feb. 5, along with his girlfriend, Shelby Wallis, aged 23. They had previously pled guilty to four offenses under the Animal Welfare Act. The charges included failure to treat the injuries of their two Lurchers — one of whom suffered from a severely fractured leg — and illicitly cropping the ears of their two Bull breeds, Drey and Shakira. In addition, Crawford conceded to inflicting unnecessary pain upon a fox by inciting his dogs to attack it in a garage.
Upon receiving complaints of puppies undergoing ear cropping, the RSPCA began an investigation leading to a warrant served on a Lancaster property in February 2022. The initial searches found dogs present but no solid evidence of the offenses. However, the investigation turned when the authorities discovered two mobile phones with disturbing footage of dogs mauling wildlife.
Another warrant issued on Nov. 1, 2022, led to Crawford’s arrest. Authorities found more dogs with untreated injuries and placed a total of five dogs into RSPCA care. Among the content recovered from the phones were horrifying scenes of foxes released in confined spaces and dogs provoked to attack them. Crawford was recognizable in this footage because of his footwear, according to RSPCA Inspector Will Lamping, who headed the investigation.
As a result of his actions, Crawford received a 30-month prison sentence, an order to pay £3,500 towards costs, and an indefinite ban from owning animals — as per the Lancashire Telegraph. Furthermore, Wallis received a suspended three-month prison sentence, a requirement to complete 200 hours of unpaid work, an order to pay £2,500 towards costs, and a ban from owning animals for 10 years.
