On February 3rd and 4th this year three individuals appeared at Thameside Magistrates Court charged with wildlife offences following a joint investigation by Cheshire Police’s Rural Crime Team and the Special Operations Unit of Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. (See our report here).

Grant Leigh Snr, 52, of Marler Road, Hyde, appeared in court along with his son, Grant Leigh Jnr, 30, and Leigh Jnr’s girlfriend, Paris Jade Carding, 28, both of Fawley Grove, Wythenshawe. Leigh Jnr changed his plea to guilty and admitted seven offences at the start of the trial. Magistrates heard evidence in respect of Leigh Snr and Carding, convicting them of two and five offences respectively.

On the 9th of March all three appeared again for sentence. District Judge Begley said it was animal cruelty at its worst, involving injury, death, weapons and the presence of children who were encouraged to inflict injury to the animals. He said it was the most abhorrent of ‘family days’ out.

Grant Leigh Junior 30 was sentenced to a total of 26 weeks in prison (the maximum that could be imposed), ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £128 and disqualified from keeping all animals for life. As he is already in prison for another matter this sentence will be consecutive.

Grant Leigh Senior was sentenced to 12 weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months, ordered to complete a 15-day rehabilitation activity requirement, ordered to pay costs of £1,000, a victim surcharge of £128 and disqualified from keeping all animals for life.

Paris Carding  was sentenced to a total of 22 weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months, was given a 16 week curfew, ordered to pay costs of £1,000, a victim surcharge of £128, and disqualified from keeping all animals for 25 years. The judge said how a mother of young child has been present at this ‘horror show is beggars belief’. The long term impact on the children was immeasurable. He said she was the one person who could have asserted some influence and prevented children from seeing what happened and said to her ‘shame on you’. He said that the extent of her culpability was obvious and to video what happened was a trophy perverse in the extreme.

The dogs involved have been re-homed by the RSPCA.

This was an excellent example of joint working by the RSPCA’s Special Operations Unit and the police and all involved should be commended for their efforts in bringing these disgusting individuals to justice.

This is the second case we have covered recently where children have been involved at the scene. Sadly this is not at all unusual. Intelligence suggests that younger children are now being actively involved in urban hunting and particularly badger baiting ensuring that a new generation of individuals will arise to carry on this sadistic ‘sport’. The fact that Paris Carding was a primary school teaching assistant for six years until 2021 and that the child taken on the ‘family day out’ was two years old is something that even the most hardened of us find difficult to comprehend.