Three year old animal neglect case is concluded in Longford Circuit Court

Three years ago Gardaí and ISPCA officials conducted a raid on a suspected puppy farm in Edgeworthstown with last week seeing the prosecution of eight people arising out of the search being concluded.

The matter came before Circuit Court Judge Kenneth Connolly when the late Judge Séamus Hughes made the decision to refuse jurisdiction.

The Circuit Court judge complimented the animal charity on their work at the “crazy scene” where over 40 animals were housed.

Kevin and Margaret Stokes, Lucy McDermott, Jonathan Wykes, Jane Ward, Margaret Stokes, Johanna Stokes and Chantel Stokes, all of Lisnanagh, Edgeworthstown, appeared before Longford Circuit Court and pleaded guilty to charges of animal cruelty and neglect.

Of the animals on the site 27 were removed by gardaí and ISPCA inspectors. Animals on the premises included Old English Bulldogs, American Bulldogs, German Shepherds, an Aikido, and a Great Dane.

Prosecution witness Sergeant Michael Hogan outlined details of the Garda visit to the Lisnanagh address on May 7, 2020. Officers called to the home of Kevin and Margaret Stokes to conduct a search of the premises following calls about the conditions animals were being held in.

Sgt Hogan said although most of the animals were in good condition themselves, they were kept in filthy circumstances and there were concerns about the absence of drinking water for the dogs. The officer told the court that there were over 40 animals on the premises, including cats, dogs and puppies, and a total of 27 were removed by the ISPCA.

Arising from the search charges were brought under the Welfare of Animals Act and in the following days and weeks there were “various interactions” regarding the ownership of the dogs. Only two of the dogs were licensed.

Sgt Hogan said the animals were cared for, but described the issues as being “too many dogs for too few people”. He told the presiding judge that the ISPCA had paid over €5,000 in veterinary fees and that boarding costs for the animals of €10 per animal per day amounted to over €42,000 in the three years since they were seized.

State prosecutor, Shane Geraghty BL, described a complex case which the DPP had directed for summary disposal, however the late Judge Hughes had refused jurisdiction.

Counsel for the defendants asked Sgt Hogan to confirm that there were “no indication of the trappings of wealth” at the home and that the parties consented to the forfeiture of the puppies impounded by the ISPCA.

Prosecution witness ISPCA Inspector Karen Lyons told the judge the animals have been in care for the last three years, and the costs accrued included vet's fees, kennelling and vaccination.

The witness recommended that as part of the sentencing a maximum of four dogs should be allowed to be kept on site and that all females should to be spayed.

Judge Connolly complemented the animal charity on their work. The judge described “a crazy scene to have 40 animals on site”, but said although it was a “significant matter” it could have been dealt with in the District Court.

The judge noted that if the matter had gone to trial it could have been a six week case, so the guilty pleas were a huge mitigation.

“The court is concerned by the unsanitary and undesirable conditions,” Judge Connoly said. “Dogs are valued in society and deserved to be respected and reared in sanitary conditions. If dogs are kept in unsavoury conditions, then they will be impounded.”

The judge said the offence did not warrant a custodial term, but stressed its seriousness. Judge Connelly indicated he would deal with the matter by way of Section 1.2 of the Probation Act if the parties paid €1,000 each to the ISPCA within six months.

The order restricting the number of dogs to be kept on the property was also imposed.