Oaveed Rahman, 26, took almost £5,000 from his victims before leaving dozens of dogs and a cat with no food or water before they were found among carcasses of other animals
Dogs and cats were left to starve to death, with bodies ‘piled up like rubbish’, at a fake rehoming centre.
Oaveed Rahman, 26, claimed to be looking after the animals at a centre called Save A Paw in Crays Hill, Billericay, Essex, but actually left them to suffer. A vet who was called to the scene with police last May 13 said that as soon as she left her vehicle, which was parked about 40 metres away from Rahman’s property, she could smell rotting flesh.
Remains of dogs were found in bins and throughout the site, with some piled up “like rubbish”, the sentencing judge said. Basildon Crown Court heard that veterinary surgeon Amy Cooper saw masses of bodies riddled with maggots with rats around the kennels.
Some 21 dogs which were alive were kept in pens or confined to small spaces. Tom Godfrey, prosecuting, told the court that Ms Cooper said in a 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.”
Ensure our latest headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate or add us as your Preferred Source in your Google search settings.
Sentencing him to five years in prison, Judge Richard Conley said Rahman’s fraud was “an act of betrayal of epic proportions that has devastated many lives”. He said Rahman had convinced decent and well-meaning pet owners 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,” Judge Conley said. “Some of them died directly as a result.”
Faeces was found inside the pens and cages, and many of the dogs were severely underweight but did not have access to food, the court heard. Ms Cooper said the dogs kept in pens would have faced “mental turmoil” as there were open bags of food in the property which they could not access.
Victims whose dogs were “rehomed” by Rahman and their supporters in the packed public gallery sobbed as Mr Godfrey told of the condition the animals were found in. Later, 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 21 dogs were so unwell they had to be put down, and one poodle later went blind, the court heard. Rahman previously pleaded guilty to cruelty against 21 dogs and a cat, and 11 counts of fraud by false representation. Police found 37 dead dogs when they first searched the rehoming centre, where dogs were left to roam among the carcasses.
Four more dead dogs were found when a shed was demolished during a later visit. 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.
In her victim impact statement, read to the court, 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.”
Chad is still missing, the court heard. Some of Rahman’s victims contacted him on his Facebook page for Save A Paw, which had good reviews, the court heard. He was sometimes paid a “surrender fee” and also accepted “donations” to his organisation, which he told victims was a charity – but in fact an application for charitable status had been 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, the court heard, but 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 also 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.
