RSPCA: Birmingham man jailed for three months on dog fighting charges

Wednesday, 20 October 2010 12:00 AM

A Birmingham man was today jailed and banned from keeping animals for life after he admitted taking part in organised dog fighting.

RSPCA inspectors and West Midlands Police officers discovered two pitbull type dogs and one bull terrier type in a dawn raid at the home of Mohammed Nasir on 24 February this year. All of the dogs found in the back yard of his home on St Benedicts Road, Small Heath, were heavily scarred with injuries to their heads and legs.

Nasir, 29, appeared at Birmingham Magistrates Court today (20.10.10) when he was sentenced to three months in custody and given the lifetime ban on keeping all animals. He will not be able to appeal against the ban for five years.

At an earlier hearing he admitted 11 charges including training dogs for fighting, causing the animals unnecessary suffering, failing to provide them with proper veterinary care and possession of items used to train dogs for fighting.

He also admitted one charge of causing unnecessary suffering to a cockerel, also discovered at St Benedicts Road, by failing to provide the animal with proper veterinary attention.

The prosecution was part of a joint investigation - code named Operation Snape - between the RSPCA and West Midlands Police to target those involved in organised dog fighting. Officers also discovered veterinary items used to treat injured dogs and a treadmill for training dogs in a shed at Nasir's address.

Chief inspector Ian Briggs, from the RSPCA's special operations unit, said: "Mohammed Nasir is the latest dog fighter to find out that the courts take offences of this nature extremely seriously and that anyone caught can face time behind bars.

"All of the dogs discovered at the address on St Benedicts Road showed injuries consistent with fighting, and some of the wounds were clearly fresh. Nasir openly admitted to the court that he had kept the dogs for the purpose of fighting, so we are delighted to see him subsequently banned from keeping all animals for the rest of his life.

"Bringing dog fighters to justice remains a huge priority for the RSPCA's special operations unit and we are committed to tracking down anyone involved in what is one of the most extreme forms of animal cruelty the Society is faced with."

Notes to editors

Photographs of the dogs are available from the RSPCA press office by calling 0300 123 0244 or emailing press@rspca.org.uk

RSPCA, Wilberforce Way, Southwater, Horsham, West Sussex RH13 9RS
Press office direct lines: 0300 123 0244/0288 Fax: 0303 123 0099
Duty press officer (evenings and weekends) Tel 08448 222888 and ask for pager number 828825
Email: press@rspca.org.uk Website: www.rspca.org.uk

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