Suspended prison sentence and life ban for man who ignored ban

A man has been sentenced to a 21 week suspended prison sentence and a lifetime ban from keeping dogs after breaching a previous disqualification order.

James Kimberley from Birmingham, was banned from keeping dogs for five years in 2020 after failing to meet the needs of seven dogs in his care, was sentenced for breaching his ban after concerns were raised about dogs in his care.

Three dogs, all with closely cropped ears, were found at Kimberley’s home when Police and RSPCA officers attended on July 4 2023.

The dogs, Bear, Luna and Tank, were being kept in a dog crate in the kitchen. Evidence of ear cropping, including a pair of scissors and a steel clamp covered in blood was also found.

During sentencing, the District Judge said Kimberly posed a “high risk” to dogs because of the circumstances of his previous convictions and because of connections to the “murky world of ear cropping” by knowing people who carry it out and those who want it done, even if he doesn’t do it himself. 

Kimberley was sentenced to 21 weeks custody, suspended for 2 years, and given a tagged curfew from 7pm-7am for four months.  He was also ordered to pay a £154 victim surcharge and £800 costs.

His disqualification order from keeping dogs was also extended to life, with no chance to appeal for ten years.

A spokesperson for the RSPCA said: “We’d like to thank those who helped us in our investigations. We rely on members of the public to tell us if someone has breached a ban. We depend on the public to be our eyes and ears and we take breaches of bans very seriously - as do the courts.”