DWAYNE MULLAN SENTENCED IN ARMAGH FOR DOG THEFT AND HANDLING CRIME

Dwayne Michael Mullan, a convicted drug dealer, heroin user and lifelong criminal born circa 1987, of Dingwell Park, Lurgan, with connections to Dungannon and Belfast, was sentenced for stealing a woman's dogs to settle a drug debt.

Mullan, who has accumulated over 100 prior convictions, pleaded guilty to one count of handling stolen goods—specifically, the dogs.

The court heard that on December 12, 2020, police responded to a report from a third party who reported hearing windows smashing. When officers arrived, they found an injured woman in an intoxicated state, who told them that Mullan had threatened to steal her dog earlier that day due to a drug debt he claimed she owed.

She explained that Mullan had left but returned later with three others and entered her property without permission. Mullan reportedly said he was taking her TV "to pay off the debt" but would leave the dogs. An accomplice then carried the TV out of the house.

The injured woman then left her property and moved to a neighboring house. Shortly afterward, she heard her dogs barking and returned to find they had been taken from her backyard. Witnesses saw two men and two women removing the dogs and placing them into a jeep.

However, that witness declined to give a formal statement in court. On December 18, she provided a statement stating she had traced the sale of one of her dogs on social media; the buyer willingly returned the dog but refused to give further details, stating it was sold by the defendant.

Further information surfaced indicating Mullan had been texting a friend who had offered to sell one of the dogs for him, but the police were not given details about this. Police later arrested Mullan outside an address with another man.

During sentencing, District Judge Bernie Kelly questioned whether the dogs had been returned unharmed, which the defense confirmed was the case. Judge Kelly remarked, "You have no idea the stress that the animals were put under in the process of being physically removed from what would be their home."

The defense counsel, Fintan McAleer BL, clarified that the charge was related to handling stolen goods rather than direct involvement in removing the dogs. Judge Kelly responded, "If there were no handlers, there’d be no thieves." The defense argued that there was "substantial hearsay" and that witnesses were not particularly reliable, noting that Mullan had accepted his involvement early. Police also confirmed that the dogs appeared well-treated and did not show signs of suffering.

Before sentencing, Judge Kelly emphasized the severity of the crime: "This is a particularly offensive crime, to pick on animals who can’t defend themselves. These are live creatures and to take them as some sort of object is particularly heinous."

Mullan was sentenced to four months in prison.