Leaders of dog fighting ring are jailed after animals made to brawl to the death

Homeowners Billy, 38, and Amy Leadley, 39 – and accomplice Stephen Brown, 56 – were also today jailed at Chelmsford Crown Court for their roles.He was sentenced to two years and six months in prison and disqualified from keeping dogs for 10 years.

Phillip Harris Ali (left) and Stephen Brown (right) were jailed today
Phillip Harris Ali (left) and Stephen Brown (right) were jailed todayCredit: PA
Billy Leadley and wife Amy have also been jailed
Billy Leadley and wife Amy have also been jailed
Barbaric photos showed the dogs being kept in cages
Barbaric photos showed the dogs being kept in cages
A horror image of two of the dogs fighting
A horror image of two of the dogs fighting
A dog pit in France, taken from Ali’s phone
A dog pit in France, taken from Ali’s phoneCredit: PA

Also found were items used for training fighting dogs including treadmills, break sticks and flirt poles.Two dogs were later seized from the address by police, before a search found a vet kit containing steroids, antibiotics, an IV kit for fluids and skin staplers.All were ordered to pay a victim surcharge and the RSPCA’s court costs were all awarded from central funds.Billy Leadley, known as GSK or Green Street Kennels, of Takeley, Essex, admitted causing unnecessary suffering to a dog by failing to provide veterinary treatment for an injury to the dog’s tail and was found guilty of a further nine offences.

Read more news

“It’s only right that when we have evidence of the people who breed and train dogs for this life, individuals who own and handle dogs in the fighting ring, and those responsible for organising, hosting and refereeing the fights face justice in the courtroom.One fight lasting 25 minutes saw a pitbull named Bonnie mauled to death, but her body was never recovered.A phone seized at the address, belonging to Ali, revealed WhatsApp and secure messaging apps planning fights, discussing training, debriefs after fights and tips on how to treat injuries.RSPCA Chief Inspector Ian Briggs said: “Dog fighting is a barbaric and horrific bloodsport which has been illegal in this country for almost 190 years; yet there is a secretive and clandestine underworld where it continues to happen today.

Most read in The Sun

“Our officers support the RSPCA across the county in tackling violent animal abuse, and it is right these two men [and others] faced justice for their actions.”She was also disqualified from keeping dogs for 10 years.

The UK’s best places to walk your dog

The officer reported seeing treadmills and scarring on the dogs’ faces before reporting the gang.The court earlier heard how the RSPCA launched a probe into dog fighting in the Essex and London areas following a visit to Ali’d home in August 2021.The ringleaders caused the dogs to suffer “unimaginable pain, suffering, fear and distress” in the name of “entertainment”.Four of the dogs sadly had to be put to sleep, for health and welfare issues or due to their dangerous behaviour, but the others have all been undergoing specialist rehabilitation and training with teams across the country.She was sentenced to an 18-month community order including 200 hours of unpaid work and a 25-day rehabilitation activity requirement.PC Kerry Rowson, of Essex Police, added: “The brutal crimes committed by Ali and Brown were cruel, calculated and entirely for their own profit.THE ringleaders of a “barbaric” of fighting network led by “Dr Death” have been jailed after animals were forced to fight to the death.Ali was today jailed for five years and disqualified from keeping dogs for 10 years after he was found guilty of 10 animal cruelty offences last month.”Sadly, some of the dogs in this case suffered severe injuries and were never found but a mobile phone recovered as part of the investigation included match reports that detailed awful and fatal injuries suffered by some of the dogs involved.”The vile gang, led by Phillip Ali, made the dogs train on treadmills and fed them steroids in a bid to win sick bouts at his Essex home.Sixteen dogs were seized from the Leadleys’ address including a large number of bullbreeds thought to have been used for fighting.In her witness statement, lead RSPCA investigator Inspector Kirsty Withnall described the area as “dark, dingy and filthy” with a strong smell of urine and faeces.”It has become a hobby, passion and source of entertainment for the people involved, but the reality is that the dogs involved suffer unimaginable pain, suffering, fear and distress.He added: “They enjoyed the build-up to a fight and the excitement of the bloody brawls, as well as trying to patch their injured and dying dogs back together after the event.”This gang dedicated their lives to breeding, preparing and training what they believed were champion fighting dogs.At the Leadleys’ property, inspectors also discovered a 12ft x 8ft dog fighting pit in the garage area.Brown was found guilty of five offences, including three of keeping and/or training a dog for use in an animal fight.The phone and other evidence led to the Leadleys’ address in Takeley, near Bishops Stortford in Essex, and at Brown’s address in Chigwell.A total of 19 dogs were seized by police and taken into the RSPCA’s care as part of Operation Ghoul.He was sentenced to four years in prison and disqualified from keeping dogs for 10 years.

READ MORE SUN STORIES

His wife Amy was was found guilty of three offences, including keeping a premises for use in fighting.Many of the dogs were being kept in poor conditions in dirty pens in a garage.

Three dogs being kept in kennels in the garden of Phillip Harris Ali
Three dogs being kept in kennels in the garden of Phillip Harris AliCredit: PA

Leave a Comment