Sentence of dog deaths offender won't be reviewed

The five-year prison sentence of a man who ran an animal rescue centre where 41 dogs were found dead will not be increased, the attorney general has said.

Essex Police found the animals in squalid conditions at Save A Paw, run by Oaveed Rahman in Crays Hill, near Billericay, in May.

Basildon and Billericay MP Richard Holden said the 26-year-old's prison sentence, handed down on Friday, sent the "wrong signal" about the seriousness of his crimes.

But a spokesman for Attorney General Richard Hermer said although Rahman's offending was "repellent", it did not fall within the scope of the unduly lenient sentence scheme.

He added: "No animal deserves to suffer in this way, and it is right the courts imposed a significant prison sentence."

Rahman admitted animal cruelty and 11 offences of fraud by false representation ahead of being sentenced at Basildon Crown Court.

The maximum sentence for animal cruelty was increased from six months, to five years, in 2021.

However, fraud carries a maximum term of 10 years in custody.

Dog owners affected by his offending at the compound in Hope Road have told the BBC of the pain caused by their suffering.

In his letter to Hermer, Holden agreed the incident "horrified not just the local community, but has touched the hearts of animal lovers right across our country".

He highlighted "prolonged and systemic neglect; live animals housed among the dead; deliberate deception of owners across the country; and extreme suffering inflicted on wholly dependent animals".

The Conservative MP added: "A five-year sentence for offending of this magnitude risks sending the wrong signal about the seriousness with which large-scale animal cruelty and fraud are treated."

Rahman took about £4,800 from his victims, telling them the money would be used to rehome the dogs.

But instead, he left the animals to suffer and did not keep promises to the families by keeping them updated on their pet's progress.

During sentencing, Judge Richard Conley said: "No sentence that I can lawfully impose can adequately reflect the justifiable anger and disgust at what you have done."

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