ROBERT MILLIKEN, ANIMAL CRUELTY OFFENDER FROM ANTRIM, SENTENCED FOR NEGLIGENT TREATMENT OF DOGS
Robert Milliken, born 25 May 1986, of Rathkyle, Antrim BT41 1LQ, was convicted in 2019 of willful neglect linked to a series of incidents involving dogs on his property.Described as a backyard breeder and wildlife persecutor, Milliken, a father of three, faced charges for causing unnecessary suffering to four dogs — two hounds and two Patterdale terriers.
The case was brought by lawyers representing Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council, who confirmed that they received a complaint concerning dogfighting allegations and the animals' living conditions.
Upon inspection at Milliken’s property on Ballyutoag Hill in Crumlin, authorities discovered 13 dogs housed across three pens.
In one pen, a terrier-type dog had a wound on his lip.
Another pen, containing seven dogs, was found to be filled with feces.
The third pen housed a terrier and four underweight hounds, with one dog exhibiting a swollen, bloody muzzle.
A veterinarian examined the dogs and determined that the two terriers and two of the hounds were suffering, leading to their seizure.
During a subsequent visit, inspectors were met with a strong smell of urine.
Two dogs, one pot-bellied with swollen glands and the other underweight, were found running loose.
Neither had access to water or food; when water was provided, one dog drank excessively and vomited.
These dogs were also seized.
Milliken’s legal representative stated that his client was an animal lover who had kept dogs for many years.
He explained that Milliken had recently faced personal instability following a divorce and had been "bingeing on drugs." The lawyer added that Milliken, a trained butcher who struggled to find employment, had previously served a three-year prison sentence in 2009 for an unrelated crime and was frightened of returning to jail.
He urged the court to consider his client’s circumstances.
However, District Judge Oonagh Mullan was unconvinced.
She described the photographs of the animals as “horrendous” and expressed concern over the suffering the dogs endured and the poor living conditions.
The judge stated that Milliken’s neglect equated to “willful neglect.” After deliberation, Judge Mullan suspended the four-month prison sentences for three years, issued a ban on owning animals for ten years, and ordered costs of £349.
The sentence included a four-month suspended prison term, a ten-year ban on keeping animals, and the payment of costs.
