Pair jailed for forcing dogs to fight with badger

Two men who killed a badger after forcing their dogs to fight the creature have been jailed.

Kenneth Kieron Wade, 29, and Stephen Thomas Rose, 39, were discovered with injured dogs and a muddy spade when they were stopped by police in Melsonby, North Yorkshire, in January 2023.

Nearby, officers found a sett that had been dug up, more spades, and the body of a mauled badger.

Wade, of Mardale Street, Hetton-le-Hole, was jailed for a total of two years while Rose, of Airedale Gardens, Hetton-le-Hole, was jailed for a total of 23 months.

Rose was banned from keeping dogs for a decade while Wade was banned indefinitely.

Both men appeared at York Magistrates' Court on 24 February and pleaded guilty to killing a badger and disturbing a sett.

At an earlier hearing at York Crown Court, the pair had also admitted causing unnecessary suffering to the dogs.

Rose also pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm in a separate incident.

PC Hannah Lancaster, who led the investigation, said: "The injuries inflicted on the dogs and the badger during this incident were nothing short of horrifying."

She added: "It's beyond belief that anyone could stand by and watch animals suffering in this way."

Police said the dogs were taken away and have since been rehomed.

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