Six men have been jailed after £300k worth of dogs were advertised online under false pretences.

They had all previously pleaded guilty to a charge of fraud by false representation.

The six men and five women – who are members of the same family – pleaded guilty to an offence under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.

The investigation, led by the RSPCA‘s special operations unit, found that dogs had been imported from Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Ireland, with a number of health concerns.

This was despite the dogs being advertised as home-bred, healthy and well-socialised.

In mitigation, the court heard that the defendants’ work had “dried up” during the pandemic.

The six men were handed prison sentences and disqualified from keeping dogs for 15 years.

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The five women received community orders and were disqualified from keeping dogs for 10 years.

The defendants had advertised and sold at least 40 different breeds of dogs.

They included Cavalier King Charles spaniels, pugs, beagles and American pocket bullys.

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The offences spanned a period from 1 January 2020 to 31 March 2021.

The six men were handed the following sentences:

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