The “evil” owner of a rogue rescue centre where 41 dogs were found dead has been caged for five years.
A court sentenced a man to five years after a barbaric animal abuse case in which the bodies of multiple dogs and a cat were left to rot.
Oaveed Rahmam, 26, told victims that he was looking after the animals at a centre called Save A Paw in Crays Hill, Billericay, Essex. However, the truth was he left the animals to suffer and die without food or water in small pens or crates.
The police found 37 dead dogs when they first searched the rehoming centre, where dogs were left to roam among the dead bodies. Another four dead dogs were found when a shed was demolished later on.
A vet who accompanied police last May 13 said that she could smell rotting flesh as soon as she got out of her vehicle where it was 40 meters from Rahman’s property, reported the Mirror.
The sentencing judge said that remains of dogs were found in bins throughout the site with some “piled up like rubbish.” Basildon Crown Court heard from veterinary Surgeon, Amy Cooper who described seeing masses of bodies moving with maggots and rats.
There were 21 dogs alive on the property, but kept in pens or confined to small spaces. Tom Godfrey said that Ms Cooper reported in her statement: “I can honestly say what I smelt and saw was the most horrific thing I have ever seen. It was clear just from a general initial inspection that these animals were all suffering.”
Judge Richard Conley sentenced Rahman to five years in prison. He said that the fraud was “an act of betrayal of epic proportions that has devastated many lives”.
He added that Rahman had fooled decent and well-meaning pet owners by encouraging them to entrust their beloved animals into his care. “In fact many animals taken in by you… were subjected to prolonged barbaric mistreatment, cruelty and neglect. Some of them died directly as a result.”
Many of the dogs were severely underweight but did not have access to food with faeces piled up inside dirty pens or cages. Ms Cooper highlighted that the dogs kept in pens would have faced “mental turmoil” as there were open bags of food on the property that they couldn’t access.
Victims whose dogs were “rehomed” by Rahman and their supporters sobbed as Mr Godfrey told of the condition the animals were found in. After Rahman was sentenced, a victim in the court shouted at him through the video link: “F****** b*****d, I hope you rot in there you dirty b*****d.”
Three of the dogs were so sick they had to be put down and a poodle, later went blind. Rahman pleaded guilty earlier to cruelty against 21 dogs and a cat, and 11 counts of fraud by false representation.
Emma Thompson said she feels “extremely traumatised” by what happened to her dog. She planned to rehome him after the dalmatian pointer cross had shown signs of aggression, and she was pregnant.
“I often think about how confused, scared and sad Lennon must’ve felt being taken from the family he loved, transported to Essex and taken to a stranger,” she said in a victim impact statement read to the court by Mr Godfrey. “He would’ve smelt the death of other dogs at the property.”
Ms Thompson paid Rahman a £300 “surrender fee” and a further £200 as a charitable donation. Lennon was one of the dogs found dead during the first raid.
Tina Davis, another of Rahman’s victims, took her dog Chad, a pocket bully, to Save A Paw to be rehomed after he had a fight with her other dog. Chad is still among the missing dogs.
In her victim impact statement, she said: “I was devastated at the prospect of giving up my dog but knew it was required for Chad to have the best possible life. I torture myself, wondering how much he suffered.
He must’ve thought I didn’t love him to leave him at that wretched place… I question if I will ever forgive myself.”
Some of Rahman’s victims contacted him on his Facebook page for Save A Paw, which had good reviews, the court heard. He was occasionally paid a “surrender fee” and accepted “donations” to his organisation, which he told victims was a charity – despite this application for charitable status being refused.
Rahman took around £4,800 from his 11 victims, telling them it would be used to rehome dogs, provide a new kennel block or train dogs to behave around children and other animals.
He promised to keep in touch with people about how their dogs were doing. However, he often became difficult to contact and in some cases blocked the people who had taken their dogs to him.
“We’ll never truly know the extent of how far maybe offending or this behaviour has gone,” said Superintendent Leigh Norris of Essex Police.
He sentenced Rahman to five years’ imprisonment, with 38 months of that for animal cruelty. The animal cruelty sentence will run consecutively to the fraud counts, for which he was sentenced to 22 months for each count, to all run concurrently.
He was sentenced to three months’ imprisonment, to run concurrently, for owning the banned XL bully, and was banned from owning dogs and cats for life.
Rahman can apply for the ban to be lifted after 15 years. He was also sentenced to a deprivation order, meaning the dogs found at his property can be taken. Costs will be dealt with at a later date.
