This sentence is a fantastic result for everyone involved

Mike Butcher Chief Inspector, RSPCA

Sentencing the defendants at Mansfield Magistrates' Court, District Judge Peter Nuttall said: "To any right-thinking member of the public, dog-fighting, and everything which goes with it, is offensive.

"These were dogs which were used to fighting and they were bred for that."

He added that a large amount of dog-fighting literature, equipment and cartoons depicting dog-fighting found at the defendants' addresses showed "an unhealthy obsession" with the practice.

The dogs were 'bred for fighting'

The defendants were Kenneth Langan, 32, of Portslade, East Sussex, Anthony Mullen, 43, of Northfield, Birmingham, Jeremy Brown, 46, of Chesterfield, Derbyshire and Ryan Nuttall, 29, of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire.

Langan, Nuttall and Brown were sentenced to four months in prison, while Mullen received a three-month custodial sentence.

Paul King, prosecuting, had told the court how seven pit bull-type dogs seized by the RSPCA had suffered hundreds of cuts, puncture wounds and injuries - none of which had been treated by a vet.

Secret pits discovered

The dog-fighting ring had conducted fights at two hidden pits at Chesterfield and Newstead in the Mansfield area of Nottinghamshire.

The outcome was hailed by the RSPCA, whose special operations unit had brought the prosecution, as a "fantastic result".

Speaking after the case RSPCA Chief Inspector Mike Butcher said: "I think this sends a clear message to the public and to other dog-fighters that if they are caught they will go to prison.

"Dog-fighting is a bloody, cruel and brutal sport carried out by people with a perverse sense of pride in their animals.

"Three of the dogs taken in this case had deep scarring and wounds to the face and chest.

"This sentence is a fantastic result for everyone involved, and to have these men taken out of the picture really strikes a blow against animal abusers."

Hard to catch

But despite the victory the RSPCA are concerned that the full picture of dog-fighting in the UK - banned in 1835 - is unknown.

Mr Butcher said: "I have been working to beat these kinds of people for more than 15 years and it is getting harder and harder to catch them."

Another spokesperson from the animal welfare organisation echoed his fears, saying the illicit nature of dog-fighting meant "most of the time it is very difficult to know where it is being carried out, and the extent of the problem is difficult to assess".