Ex-Aylesbury couple to be sentenced over illegal puppy farm

A former couple who ran an illegal puppy farm which resulted in the deaths of several dogs in Buckinghamshire are due to be sentenced next week.

Hammad Javaid, and his ex-partner, Louise Lane, attended Amersham Crown Court on Thursday, September 7, where they are accused of numerous animal cruelty charges.

The offences, which took place in Bateman Drive, Aylesbury, included several counts of suffering unnecessarily, the docking of tails which involved newborn puppies, not ensuring the animals’ welfare, and failing to obtain a license when selling dogs.

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Javaid and Lane, who sat side-by-side behind a glass box alongside a security guard, were supported by their new partners and family members, with two of them receiving a stern warning from the judge.

The house (pictured in June 2015, six years before it was acquired by Javaid)

This came after one member of the public gallery had their phone ring out loud just seconds into the hearing.

The court heard how 24 bulldogs lived in the same house which was ‘covered in faeces, urine and maggots’.

Regular and constant 'barking, snarling, yapping, and howling' in the quiet Aylesbury neighbourhood led several members of the public to contact the police and the RSPCA.

The two organisations teamed up along with Buckinghamshire Council to carry out an investigation, but neither Javaid nor Lane lived at the Bateman Drive residence.

Still, the two would frequently visit the property which eventually led to the death of three newborn puppies and two female dogs.

Javaid and Lane were in a relationship until October 2021 - a month after they were apprehended. They have two children are are both expected to become parents with their new partners next year

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Distressing footage shown in the court revealed several dogs were left alone for long periods and that the animals would 'constantly fight each other’.

One video shows a dog lying dead in the back garden following a fight, while others were eating its carcass.

Another dog would later succumb to its injuries in a separate fight, with one of their bodies being disposed of by being put in a bin bag.

Additionally, several canines were kept in a kennel in the back garden.

In one of the videos the court witnessed, Javaid and Lane were seen trying to separate the fighting dogs by ‘swinging their legs’.

Buckinghamshire Council had warned Javaid, who had been selling puppies without a valid license between 2012 and 2020, that he needed to obtain such paperwork to which he responded by suggesting we would comply.

Several bulldog puppies were in the house in Aylesbury (stock photo) (Image: Pixabay)

However, this never materialised and all the remaining bulldogs were seized from the property in September 2021.

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Javaid admitted to his actions whilst Lane denied all wrongdoing and tried to distance herself away from the crimes.

However, text messages between the two parties revealed that they were selling puppies for around £5,000 each with the money ‘being put into a Rangy’.

This would later be revealed as a Range Rover that Lane drove to and from the property.

The defence claimed that as both Javaid and Lane had two children together, (aged seven and five), a suspended sentence 'would be encouraged'.

Lane gave birth to her third child in June this year with her new partner, whilst Javaid is due to become a father again for the third time by April

They also claimed that they were both ‘contributing to society in positive ways’, with Javaid running a family-owned ironing business, and Lane, who once received a conviction in 2014, having a job in catering.

She is due to go on maternity leave but plans to return to work.

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The judge said: “There is an awful lot to consider due to the amount of material that has been shown, and I’ll look at the facts presented as I have heard a lot about what you have done.

“What you two have done can be considered as dreadful and appalling offending, but I will not make a decision today.”

Javaid and Lane have both been granted bail and are due to be sentenced on Monday, September 11.