An unscrupulous dog breeder who had previously been fined for allowing a puppy under his care to have her ears cut off, has been ordered to pay back more than £100,000.
Michael Dawson, aged 50, used social media to illegally sell dogs over Instagram and Facebook without a permit.
Plymouth Crown Court heard Dawson pocketed over £63,000 by working without a licence under legislation introduced in 2018.
As reported by PlymouthLive, a judge has now made a wider order under the Proceeds of Crime Act reflecting his trading over a much longer period.
He never had a licence under previous laws as a dog breeder for 20 years.
Specialist bulldog breeder Dawson has since been granted a licence – passing a ‘fit and proper person’ test.
Judge William Mousley ordered Dawson pay a total of £106,000 under the confiscation proceedings – under laws usually deployed against drug dealers or big-time fraudsters.
Dawson, of Tamerton Foliot Road, must pay within three months or face a year in prison.
A financial assessor has estimated that he has assets to pay the bill – mainly four properties, two of which he has inherited.
Dawson has three convictions for himself and his companies, relating to dogs.
He pleaded guilty to the single charge under the Animal Welfare Act of breeding dogs without a licence between September 30, 2018 and January 18, 2020.
The defendant was given a conditional discharge and another judge declined to ban him from keeping dogs.
Dawson said he had submitted a licence application to the council but had not gone through the process again when nothing happened.
The same court heard in March that Dawson had run his business for 15 to 20 years but had fallen foul of the new regulations starting in 2018.
Judge Mousley heard legal arguments last month and delivered his judgement today.
He said he would award Plymouth City Council prosecution costs but said he would decide a figure after further legal submissions.
In November 2020, Dawson and his company Element Bullys were fined after a search warrant was executed by Defra who found illegal veterinary medicines.
He was fined £265 and ordered to pay £85 costs and £30 victim surcharge while Element Bullys Ltd was fined £1500, plus £150 victim surcharge.
Dawson was fined for allowing a puppy under his care to have her ears cut off in February last year.
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