A man known as Dr. Death is part of a group arrested for organizing bloody dog fights in which the animals suffered terrible injuries.
Dogs were placed on treadmills and starved to regain weight, and sometimes died during fights.
Chelmsford Crown Court heard that other people were seriously injured, with broken legs for example, and were kept in filthy conditions without clean water or suitable bedding.
They did not have access to a veterinarian and were treated with makeshift medical kits.
The gang showed “a shocking level of barbarity and callousness” and treated the dogs as “toy pieces” and “commodity”, Judge Jamie Sawyer said.
He said the report of a 58-minute fight, in which one of the animals broke two legs, was “horrific”.
The court heard that fighting took place in England, Ireland and France.
A phone belonging to Phillip Harris leader Ali, 67, of Chigwell in Essexknown as Dr. Death, provided much of the evidence.
It contained videos and photos of the dogs, as well as accounts of horrific fights, and was sent via an encrypted messaging app.
An RSPCA photo shows kennels in the garden of Phillip Harris Ali’s home in Chigwell. Photo: PA
A photo of a combat field in France taken from Ali’s phone. Photo: PA
Ali’s accomplice, Stephen Albert Brown, 57, also from Chigwell, was the one who obtained illegal medicines and veterinary equipment.
He also helped train the dogs and organize fights.
Personal trainer Billy Leadley, 38, had a dog fighting arena at his home in Bambers Green, Takeley, Essex, and refereed some of the fights.
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Ali was sentenced to five years in prison for 10 offenses under the Animal Welfare Act, Brown got two and a half years for five offenses and Leadley got four years for 12 offences.
Leadley’s wife, Amy, was not directly involved in the gang, but was convicted of crimes related to maintaining a dogfighting facility and failing to properly care for the animals.
She was given a community order, 200 hours of unpaid work and 25 days of rehabilitation.
All those convicted were banned from owning dogs for 10 years.
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