Vet faces sentence for keeping animals in 'filthy dungeon' at shop in Armley, Leeds
A vet and his assistant are due to be sentenced today for keeping animals in a 'filthy dungeon' at a surgery in Leeds.
Police discovered 22 dogs and eight cats – some of them in cages – in the basement and back room of Armley Vets after being called to investigate a domestic incident in February last year.
Four dogs and a cat had to be put down following the raid on the Town Street practice.
Vet Gary Samuel, 49, of Weston Road, Enfield, north London, and assistant Rochelle McEwan were found guilty of animal cruelty after a trial at Leeds Magistrates’ Court.
RSPCA inspector Nikki Cheetham said officers discovered some of the animals by accessing a trap door covered with carpet, while others were found shut in a separate room.
“The dogs were found living in cages in a pitch black dungeon,” she said.
Samuel and McEwan, 28, of Stonecliffe Close, Leeds, were convicted of six offences under the Animal Welfare Act.
They were due to appear at the magistrates’ court this afternoon.