Dogs 'sent to fight with wild animals' in Shropshire, court told

Samuel Boylett, 33, his father Charles Boylett, 69, both of Burtondale, in Brookside, Telford, and Mark Paddock, 45, of no fixed address, are standing trial at Telford Magistrates Court accused of a string of charges involving dog fighting.

All three deny three charges of being present at animal fights in 2014, while Samuel Boylett and Paddock also face accusations of causing unnecessary suffering to dogs and causing or attempting to cause animal fights to take place. They deny all charges.

Mr Paul Taylor, prosecuting, said a number of dogs with injuries were seized by police from Samuel Boylett's home in Burtondale, Brookside, in Telford, on March 28, 2014. He said the dogs found were seen by veterinary surgeon William Walker.

Mr Taylor said: "He concluded that the injuries were consistent with them fighting mammals." He said a mobile phone belonging to Samuel Boylett and a laptop were also seized and revealed evidence of earlier involvement with animal fighting.

Mr Taylor told the court that the phone was used to send and receive text messages about dogs and to set up animal fights, and photos were found that proved the dog fights happened and that the defendants had been present. He said that, in one of the images, Samuel Boylett was holding a dog which had an injury to its mouth.

Mr Taylor suggested that text messages also showed he had tried to avoid taking an injured dog to the vets. He told the court evidence suggested Samuel Boylett had been responsible for putting a dog down a hole to fight a wild mammal, such as a badger, underground. He said Samuel Boylett and Paddock had communicated with each other to set up dog fights.

Giving evidence, Constable Gerry Plant said he had found nine terrier and lurcher-type dogs – some injured – when he went to Samuel Boylett's home on March 28, 2014 following intelligence received from the RSPCA, and the animals were seized.

The trial continues.