Six men jailed after £300k worth of dogs advertised online under false pretences

Sky News

Updated 22 February 2024 at 11:05 am·1-min read

Six men have been jailed after £300k worth of dogs were advertised online under false pretences.

They had all previously pleaded guilty to a charge of fraud by false representation.

The six men and five women - who are members of the same family - pleaded guilty to an offence under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.

The investigation, led by the RSPCA's special operations unit, found that dogs had been imported from Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Ireland, with a number of health concerns.

This was despite the dogs being advertised as home-bred, healthy and well-socialised.

In mitigation, the court heard that the defendants' work had "dried up" during the pandemic.

The six men were handed prison sentences and disqualified from keeping dogs for 15 years.

The five women received community orders and were disqualified from keeping dogs for 10 years.

The defendants had advertised and sold at least 40 different breeds of dogs.

They included Cavalier King Charles spaniels, pugs, beagles and American pocket bullys.

The offences spanned a period from 1 January 2020 to 31 March 2021.

The six men were handed the following sentences:

Martin Joseph McDonagh, aged 42, jailed for three-and-a-half years
Francie Gabriel McDonagh, 35, jailed for three years and two months
Patrick Christopher McDonagh Jr, 22, jailed for 18 months
John Paul McDonagh, 33, jailed for three years
Patrick Christopher McDonagh Sr, 47, jailed for three-and-a-half years
Edward McDonagh, 28, jailed for 20 months

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