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Case #12483 Rating: 2.3 out of 5
Dog-fighting
Birmingham, EN (UK)Incident Date: Sunday, Feb 5, 2006
Disposition: Convicted
Defendants/Suspects:
» Intikab Hussain
» Barkat Hussain
» Ummar Iftikar Ahmed
» Zahir Ahmed
» Sohail Hussain
» Zahoor Hussain
» Waqquas Mughal
Case Updates: 1 update(s) available
Seven men who took part in one of the most bloody, lengthy and gruelling dogfights ever witnessed were today given prison sentences ranging from four to six months. Six were also disqualified for five years from keeping dogs.
The two dogs who were fought at the premises in Alum Rock, Birmingham were so badly injured that one died at the scene and the other had to be put to sleep. One had 103 injuries, the other had 21.
The seven men were bailed last month as part of a 26-strong group who had come together to see the fight at a kitchen showroom in Alum Rock on 5 February 2006. A makeshift pit had been constructed using kitchen units and a treadmill. Carpet had been put down to stop the dogs slipping and buckets of bloody water and sponges, used to wash down the dogs, were found nearby.
In sentencing the men District Judge Khalid Qureshi, who had previously described the dogfight itself as a "sadistic event", said: "The fight was allowed to continue for one and a half hours. Had the police not forced entry then in my view the fight would have continued until one, or possibly both of the dogs had died in the pit.
"It is an abhorrent activity and could only be dealt with by custodial sentences*The victims were two animals placed in a pit to fight each other."
Intikab Hussain (29/1/76) from Sladefield Road, Ward End was sentenced to six months imprisonment for causing unnecessary suffering, six months imprisonment for assisting at a dog fight, and four months imprisonment for possessing a pit bull terrier. The sentences will run concurrently. He was also disqualified for five years from keeping any dog.
Barkat Hussain (10/10/64) from Unett Street, Smethwick was imprisoned for six months for causing unnecessary suffering, and given concurrent sentences of six months custody for assisting at a dog fight, and four months custody for possessing a pit bull terrier. He was also disqualified for five years from keeping any dog.
Ummar Iftikar Ahmed (20/5/81) from Phipson Road, Birmingham was sentenced to six months imprisonment for managing premises for a dog fight.
Zahir Ahmed (19/12/75) from Normandy Road, Perry Barr and Sohail Hussain (12/10/79) from Parkfield Road, Saltley, were each given four months in jail for possession of a pit bull terrier and disqualified for five years from keeping any dog.
Zahoor Hussain (5/7/67) from Foley Road, Ward End had previously pleaded guilty and shown remorse for attending and assisting at a dogfight and possession of a pit bull terrier. He was given four months in prison for causing unnecessary suffering, four months in prison for assisting at a fight, and three months for possession of a pit bull terrier. He was also disqualified for five years from keeping any dog. The sentences will run concurrently.
Waqquas Mughal (20/7/89) from Unett Street, Smethwick pleaded guilty to attending and assisting at the fight, possession of a pit bull terrier and causing the dogs unnecessary suffering. He was given three sentences of four months detention and training to run concurrently. He was also disqualified for five years from keeping any dog.
The district judge ordered the destruction of the surviving pit bull terriers.
Chief Inspector Ian Briggs of the RSPCA's Special Operations Unit, said: "Unfortunately the fact that this case has finally concluded does not fill us with joy as we have to remember the immense suffering that those two dogs were put through. We are pleased that the District Judge had taken this case seriously and made mention that his hands were tied when it came to sentencing.
"We cannot stress enough how barbaric and cruel this so-called 'sport' is. These individuals took two dogs into premises with the clear intention for them to rip each other apart. We can only hope that the sentences today act as a strong reminder to anyone thinking of fighting their animal that we will not be deterred from prosecuting.
"We would also urge anyone who has information on such activities to call us confidentially on our cruelty line - 0300 1234 999. The public are key to helping stop this grotesque activity once and for all."
Case UpdatesSeven men who took part in one of the largest and bloodiest dogfights ever uncovered in England were behind bars today after losing their appeals.
The men forced two pit bulls to fight to the death in an Alum Rock kitchen showroom.
The bloodbath, described as "one of the most barbaric dogfights the RSPCA has ever seen," lasted two hours until it was broken up by West Midlands Police.
One of the dogs died at the scene and the other had to be put to sleep because of its horrific injuries.
The seven men had their jail sentences for various offences ranging from causing unnecessary suffering, assisting in a dogfight to possessing a pit bull, upheld after a two-week appeal hearing at Birmingham Crown Court.
Intikab Hussain, 32, of Sladefield Road, Ward End and Barkat Hussain, 43, of Unett Street, Smethwick, were jailed for six months.
Ummar Iftikar Ahmed, 26, of Phipson Road, Sparkhill, dropped his appeal during the hearing and was jailed for five months.
Zahir Ahmed, 32, of Normandy Road, Perry Barr, Sohail Hussain, 28, of Parkfield Road, Saltley and Zahoor Hussain, 41, of Foley Road, Ward End, were each given four-month prison sentences.
Waqquas Mughal, 19, of Unett Street, Smethwick, was sentenced to a four-month detention and training order.
Six of the men were also banned from keeping dogs for five years.
The men were part of a 26-strong group who had come together for the fight which took place in a makeshift pit, constructed of kitchen units and a treadmill, in February 2006.
Carpet had been put down to provide the dogs with extra grip and buckets of bloody water and spongers, used to wash the dogs down, were found nearby.
The police discovered the dogfight in progress after a member of the public called Crimestoppers.
While RSPCA officers attended to the dying dogs, the police surrounded the building and arrested the defendants.
At previous hearings another 19 people were fined.
Chief Insp Ian Briggs, of the RSPCA, said: “These individuals went along that evening with the sole purpose of watching those two dogs suffer an immense amount of pain.
“Hopefully these custodial sentences will act as a strong reminder to anyone thinking of fighting their animal, or attending a dogfight, that we will not hesitate in prosecuting.” | Source: Birmingham Nail - Sept 27, 2008
Update posted on Sep 29, 2008 - 5:11PM |
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