Illegal dog breeder told to pay £124K or face jail

A man who bred and sold puppies for several years without a licence has been ordered to pay more than £120,000 or face prison.

Last February, a court heard how Steven Robson had made a "significant amount of money" by breeding and selling labradors from an address in Eldwick, Bradford, but had never obtained a breeder licence despite repeated requests by the council.

Robson pleaded guilty to breeding dogs without a licence and was sentenced to an 18-month probation order and curfew for six months. He was also given a lifetime ban on breeding animals.

At a proceeds of crime hearing on Thursday, a judge told him to pay £124,519 or he would face a 12-month prison sentence.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, some of the puppies had been sold by Robson for as much as £2,000 through his business Southway Labrador Retrievers.

During last year's court proceedings, the judge told Robson he had "stuck two fingers up to the law" by repeatedly failing to get a licence.

Following the conviction, and due to the large numbers of puppies Robson had sold, Bradford Council worked in partnership with West Yorkshire Trading Standards to bring a case against him under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

On Thursday, the prosecution sought a confiscation order of £114,946 from Robson, money they said he had obtained illegally through his puppy breeding.

Andrew Stranex, prosecuting on behalf of Bradford Council, said the authority was also asking for a compensation order for one of Robson's customers and costs of £8,413.

The court heard that the woman had to spend £1,160 to deal with health issues suffered by a dog she had bought from Robson.

After the case concluded, councillor Sarah Ferriby, Bradford Council's portfolio holder for healthy people and places, said: "The clear message from the outcome of this case is that crime doesn't pay.

"When businesses operate illegally without a licence it is not fair on those legitimate businesses who pay their way.

"It is important to remember that customers who buy from unlicensed businesses have very little protection if things go wrong."

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