BARRY MAN JAILED FOR SAVAGE ANIMAL CRUELTY AND ILLEGAL HUNTING
A dog owner named Mason Paines, 24, of Barry, has been involved in serious animal cruelty offences including uploading videos to social media showing his dogs violently attacking wild animals such as badgers and a fox.The videos, which depicted illegal hunting and cruelty, were brought to the attention of authorities when a member of the Naturewatch Foundation came across them on November 11, 2023.
Paines also sent disturbing texts bragging about these acts and showed videos of his dogs fighting with badgers discovered on his mobile phone.
Further evidence included messages via WhatsApp showing a badger being attacked and crying in pain, with one message reading: "I'm gutted I missed that." During an interview, Paines admitted that he used his dogs to hunt rats and rabbits, and that on one occasion, they caught a badger and a fox, claiming it was "out of his control." He justified his filming the incidents by claiming he was "in shock" and avoided intervening to prevent injury to himself.
The defendant's dogs were seized, along with his mobile phone, which also contained videos of fights involving his dogs.
Paines pleaded guilty to six counts of causing animals to fight, five counts of wilfully injuring a badger, and one count of hunting with dogs.
Although of previous good character, he had a prior caution for battery.
His mitigation argued that he had adverse childhood experiences, suffered from stress and anxiety, and supported his younger siblings, presenting a case for potential rehabilitation.
The sentencing at Cardiff Crown Court resulted in Paines being sentenced to 10 months imprisonment and disqualification from owning or keeping dogs for 10 years.
The ownership of his dogs was transferred to the RSPCA.
The judge stated: "You did this because you thought people would find it entertaining."
