Puppy seller convicted of breaching Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations
Patrick Stokes, aged 23 of New Acres, Nine Mile Ride, Wokingham, pleaded guilty to eight offences contrary to the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008. The prosecution case was that Mr Stokes had mislead three consumers by false representations as to the health, breed, age, vaccination, and microchip status of three puppies advertised for sale on Gumtree and collections organised in a Bracknell Forest pub car park during the national lockdown in June 2020.
The conviction followed an investigation by the Public Protection Partnership Shared Trading Standards Service and was prosecuted by the PPP Joint Case Management Unit acting for Bracknell Forest Council.
In the first transaction, on 11th June 2020, a Jack Russell cross Cocker Spaniel puppy was advertised for sale. The seller told the purchasers on the telephone prior to sale that the puppy was microchipped, was wormed and vaccinated. After purchasing the puppy, the new owners took the puppy to the vet who described the puppy as being in poor health, “extremely skinny, smelt of faeces’ and was ‘quite lifeless’. The puppy required extensive treatment including hospitalization and treatment for the highly contagious parvovirus.
On 16th June 2020, an 11 week old Rottweiler puppy was advertised for sale. Mr Stokes provided false microchip documents to the purchasers at the time of sale. A vet examined the puppy three days after the sale and confirmed the puppy was not microchipped, was not 11 weeks old but instead a young adult animal more likely to be ten months in age but was very small on account of being “very emaciated”. The new owners described how when they took the puppy home, she would startle at loud noises and cower and hide at the sight of a brush.
On 21st June 2020, a Jack Russell puppy was advertised. At the time of sale, the seller informed the purchaser that the puppy was 8 weeks old and was wormed. The vet who examined the puppy two days after the sale concluded the age of the dog was only 5 or 6 weeks old which was too young to be separated from its mother. The puppy had a heavy worm burden, was suspected to be infected with parvovirus and was likely not a pure Jack Russell or even Jack Russell at all. The treatment that this puppy required was too extensive and so a decision was taken with the vet to put the puppy to sleep.
Mr Stokes was sentenced at the Reading Crown Court on 21st November 2022 to an 18 month Community Order with a requirement to complete 180 hours of unpaid work. Mr Stokes was ordered to pay compensation of £4,850 to the three consumers for the costs they had incurred in veterinary treatment and bills.
The sentencing judge, Recorder Fugallo, made a number of observations including “these offences all took place in the summer of 2020 during the first lockdown when there was an increased market and a very lucrative market for puppies……………..very serious harm and suffering was caused to the animals……..there was also serious emotional impact on the owners and there were implications for the community from the risk of contagious animal viruses being spread”.
Cllr John Harrison, Executive Member for Culture, Delivery and Public Protection at Bracknell Forest Council said, “These offences occurred in June 2020 when there was a national lockdown. A range of representations were made by Mr. Stokes in the course of selling the puppies to their new owners. The detailed investigation by the Trading Standards team established these to be misleading. The significant Community Order imposed by the Courts reflects the gravity of the offending and we were pleased that the Court awarded compensation to purchasers of the puppies’.
