Cops found dogs with ‘horrendous’ injuries during raid for drugs
25th September 2022
This is the heartless fox hunter jailed for allowing his dogs to suffer “horrendous” injuries which he left untreated in his farmyard kennels.
Marcus McMillan is now behind bars after police found 10 terriers at his property during a drugs raid in April this year.
Lisburn Magistrates Court was told last week that one of the dogs was so badly injured it had to have its jaw surgically reconstructed while another was missing its nose.
District Judge Rosie Watters said it was “amazing” none of the animals were put down, which a prosecution lawyer said was only thanks to the interventions of vets and animal welfare officers.
The same lawyer explained that police were at the 27-year-old’s farm yard on the Drumlough Road, between Royal Hillsborough and Anahilt, with a warrant to search for drugs.
There they found a combined total of more than 100 tablets of pregablin (also known as Lyrica) and temazepam.
Just under £4,400 in cash was also seized with McMillan admitting at the scene that the drugs belonged to him.
During the raid officers also came across the 10 terriers being kept in kennels and which clearly had severe facial injuries.
They immediately called animal welfare officers and a vet but when McMillan was asked to sign over the animals to their care he refused.
The dogs were then seized over fears they may suffer further harm and when he was cautioned by animal welfare officers he admitted he was the sole owner of the animals.
McMillan, of Benmore Drive in the Finaghy area of west Belfast, was charged with two counts of causing unnecessary suffering to animals, failing to take reasonable care of the dogs, two counts of possession of class C drugs and one count of possession of criminal property.
At an earlier hearing he pleaded guilty to all bar the criminal property charge, but was convicted of that as well by the judge.
The prosecution lawyer said many of the dogs had active infections, with one found with a hole between the inside of its mouth and the outside of its chin which appeared to be a recent wound.
Another had its lip ripped off by force, a second had a staple lodged in its head in a suspected attempt to hold a tissue wound closed and another was missing its nose.
The prosecution lawyer said there was no evidence of any of the dogs being given treatment or pain relief, with one of the animals found with injuries that would cause pain “with every lick and bite”. She added that all of the dogs had since been re-homed except for two which were stolen from the sanctuary where they were being held.
The costs of treatment and care of the animals came to £5,814, according to the lawyer.
Describing the images of the dogs’ injuries as “horrendous”, Judge Watters asked if it was known what caused them.
An animal welfare officer said they were caused by hunting but couldn’t say for certain if they were caused by foxes or badgers.
McMillan’s barrister said he claims the injuries were sustained by hunting foxes and not badger baiting and said he has since expressed “genuine remorse” for what happened to the dogs.
The barrister asked for sentencing to be deferred to November 30 when McMillan is due to be sentenced on other drugs matters at Belfast Crown Court. But Judge Watters said the current case was more serious and committed while on bail for other offences.
For causing unnecessary suffering to the 10 dogs he was jailed for five months, along with five months for failing to take reasonable care of the animals.
On the two charges of possession of class C drugs he was sentenced to three months in prison, with five months for possession of criminal property.
McMillan will serve the terms concurrently and will have to pay a total of £6,048 in council costs.