Illegal puppy seller from Rugeley handed suspended jail sentence

Richard Butler, 57, from Springfield Farm in Rugeley, fraudulently advertised the puppies online. Credit: Staffordshire County Council

A man from Rugeley has been sentenced for fraudulently selling puppies to people across the UK.

Richard Butler, 57, from Springfield Farm in Rugeley, was handed a 21 month suspended sentence at Stafford Crown Court.

He pleaded guilty to three offences of fraud and one offence of making articles for use in fraud.

Butler's sentence was suspended for two years and he has been ordered to complete 200 hours of community service.

One of the adverts posted by Butler Credit: Staffordshire County Council

The court heard how Butler had been refused a license to sell dogs due to poor conditions and hygiene practices at his farm.

However, between October 2015 and May 2018 Butler sold around five hundred puppies for £500 each - With trading standards estimating his fraudulent activities earned him around a quarter of a million pounds.

Butler selected popular breeds of dogs to advertise and falsely claimed the puppies from from a little from his family dog.

In reality he had bought the dogs from a variety of sources, created fake pedigree certificates and fake vaccination records.

Many of the puppies Butler sold were suffering from genetic conditions and parvo virus - meaning some of the puppies died within a short time of being sold.

The court heard how many of the puppies Butler sold were suffering from genetic conditions and parvo virus. Credit: Staffordshire County Council

Staffordshire Country Council's Trading Standards team, who prosecuted Butler, first visited the farm in May 2018 following a complaint from a member of the public.

Victoria Wilson, Cabinet Member with responsibility for Trading Standards at Staffordshire County Council, urged anyone who has suspicions when buying a puppy to contact the authorities.

She said: "Demand for fashionable breeds of puppies is always high, so it can be a very lucrative business.

“There are strict licensing rules in place for activities involving animals, which includes the selling of dogs. Our animal health team work hard to make sure that good animal welfare is upheld. Where this isn’t the case, or fraudulent activity is identified, the service will take the necessary action.”

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know..