The 'cruel' Stoke-on-Trent criminal who cropped dogs ears for £450 in 'vile' acts - Stoke-on-Trent Live
Alex Johnson pictured in 2019.Three cruel criminals have been banned from keeping animals for their roles in illegally cropping dogs' ears in Stoke-on-Trent. Alexander Johnson - who described himself as an 'icon in the dog world' - Holly Dunn and Amanda Whitehouse all played a part in the 'evil' trade.Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard Aaron Lee Wareham - who has since died - had boasted about selling mutilated puppies through his businesses ‘Balaclava Bullies’ and ‘High Grade Bullz’.Mr Wareham recruited Johnson to carry out the procedures for £450, while Dunn and Whitehouse had dogs with cropped ears. The three co-defendants described Mr Wareham as the 'ringleader' of the operation as they were sentenced for animal cruelty offences. Mr Wareham passed away before entering a plea to the charges.Johnson, 35, of Elmsmere Road, Abbey Hulton, was sentenced to 12 months in prison while Dunn, 29, of Dentdale Close, Longton, and Whitehouse, 56, of Barry Avenue, Bucknall, were handed suspended sentences of 23 weeks and nine weeks respectively.The RSPCA prosecution came after an investigation was sparked by an undercover report by BBC Panorama, which unearthed incidents of ear cropping despite the practice being made illegal in the UK in 2006.Hazel Stevens, prosecuting on behalf of the RSPCA, said: “This act has been illegal for nearly 20 years and there is no breed of dog that’s permissible to crop. This cropping is done because it’s thought to make the animal look more fearsome, to increase the financial value and for kudos for breeders who do this.“These are status dogs meant to look mean and aggressive, it’s like tattooing a baby for the sake of aesthetics. The pregnant dogs were moved to different addresses to give birth. Johnson sees himself as an icon in the dog world and doesn’t see the problem with cropped ears. He enjoys fame in the media.”Johnson pleaded guilty to causing a prohibited procedure to be carried out on a protected animal and breaching a lifetime disqualification order by keeping a dog. He has been sentenced to 12 months imprisonment and a lifetime disqualification order for keeping and owning animals.David Farley, mitigating for Johnson, told the court that Mr Wareham had recruited his client to crop the ears of pups whilst he was on licence after serving prison time for the very same offence. The court heard Johnson was not a trained veterinarian, neither does he have any qualifications or know what the long-lasting health effects could be for the pups.Mr Farley said: “He did provide anaesthetic and pain relief. Mr Johnson never intended to cause cruelty to any animals. This was an unnatural procedure and something he regrets doing, but he managed to carry out the procedure without infection or harming the dog’s general wellbeing. Other than the condition on the photos we’ve seen, he seems to have done it with some skill despite the lack of training.”The court heard that mental health worker Dunn was asked whether she wanted her bully pup to have cropped ears to which Dunn text ‘No it’s fine’, displaying her lack of care for the animal after turning down the opportunity to refuse the procedure. The court heard the single mum then lied to authorities claiming that her puppy had been imported with cropped ears, and that she was unaware of the procedure taking place.Fake documentation in Romanian and Serbian languages were created to explain that the dogs were imported and had to have their ears cropped due to being in fights outside the UK. Falsified passports for the dogs were also created.Dunn pleaded guilty to one charge of causing a prohibited procedure to be carried out on a protected animal and one charge of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal. She was handed 23 weeks imprisonment suspended for 12 months, 100 hours of unpaid work and a lifetime bam for owning and keeping animals. She must also pay £1,000 costs.Anis Ali, mitigating for Dunn, said: “Whatever the scale for the commercial enterprise, it remains her role was extremely limited and was borne out of misguided loyalty by individuals associated with those cruelly instrumented shears. She was convicted of her own confession.”Whitehouse pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal. She was given a nine-week prison sentence suspended for 12 months, 60 hours of unpaid work, and a 10-year disqualification for owning or keeping animals. She must also pay £500 towards costs.The court heard Whitehouse was the only defendant to admit wrongdoing at the first opportunity and had shown genuine remorse. She is the aunt of another defendant Thomas Taaffe, and was promised she could keep pregnant bully bitch Lila if she was a fosterer for the cropped-ear pups.Sentencing the trio, Judge Robert Smith said: “On January 23 2023 BBC Panorama aired with the title ‘Dogs, Dealers and Organised Crime’. It showed the late Mr Wareham, and after it aired there were complaints to the RSPCA, who I commend for their tremendous and detailed operation.“The investigation revealed the alleged activities were just the tip of the iceberg. Ms Dunn you had a dog’s ears cropped whilst it was with you. A criminal enterprise was being done. Ms Dunn and Ms Whitehouse, you played a part in that and you Mr Johnson, were the ear cropper - a significant role.“Mr Johnson, you say you’re an icon in the dog world, and you told a pack of lies to the police interviewer, saying you’d never done it before when in fact you had been imprisoned for the same offence. You had complete and utter disregard for the puppy named Rain, whose ears are scarred for life after your mutilation.“Even when performed properly by a vet using anaesthesia, that does not make up for long-lasting pain after removing half a puppy's ears. Text messages showed, Ms Whitehead, you knew full well Lila had had her ears cropped and you showed disregard for Lila’s welfare. You pleaded guilty - the only one who had the courage to plead guilty, which in my judgement shows genuine remorse.“In this case this was more a small business of criminality. Unlike others where victims have a voice, the dogs mutilated in this case cannot speak; they have no words, they cannot write a victim impact statement and they cannot tell the effect of their quality of life with cropped ears. It can make a dog distrust their owner when they arrange a visitation for such a procedure.“This is a vile trade and in my view, anyone involved should go to prison. These offences are absolutely abhorrent to any right thinking individual, and I would be failing my public duty if I didn't send to prison the very people who take part in this awful and cruel procedure.”Charlotte Bailey, 29, of Causeley Gardens, Bucknall, and Thomas Taffe, 29, also of Causeley Gardens, Bucknall, both pleaded guilty to multiple animal cruelty offences and will be sentenced on September 4.Get all the latest news from court here
