A man has been jailed for 34 weeks after he breached an animal disqualification order for a second time.

Liam Reynolds who gave a care of address for Mount Pleasant, Hayle, appeared before Truro Magistrates Court on Monday where he pleaded guilty to animal welfare offences, following an investigation and prosecution by the RSPCA.

It is the second time 30-year-old Reynolds has appeared before the courts for breaching a disqualification order – the first being in February 2020 when Reynolds was sentenced for a breach of his disqualification in respect of snakes and ferrets.

His original disqualification order in respect of all animals for 20 years was imposed on him on February 4, 2019. He was also sentenced to 16 weeks immediate custody due to the suffering caused to various dogs.

This time magistrates gave Reynolds a total of 34-week custody, with 20 weeks concurrent for each offence and a 14 week sentence to run consecutively for breaching his ban. The court also ordered him to pay costs of £600 and a £128 victim surcharge, and reset his 20-year-long disqualification order for keeping animals.

In October 2020, police contacted the RSPCA after CCTV footage they had obtained showed Reynolds continuing to have regular contact and interaction with ferrets, despite his earlier disqualification for animal cruelty.

The footage CCTV spanned a period of between September 22, 2020 and October 13, 2020 and showed Reynolds handling, feeding, and moving ferrets, as well as cleaning out pens and handling ferret food. The second offence arose whilst he was already under investigation and had moved the ferrets to another location and also acquired approximately 40 quails.

Falmouth Packet:

Liam Reynolds pictured with a ferret  Picture: RSPCA

RSPCA inspector Paul Kempson, who investigated for the animal welfare charity, said after the sentencing: “Courts impose disqualification orders on people convicted of animal welfare offences to protect more animals from suffering.

“It is important to reiterate to the public that we rely on them 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.”

The first change was that between September 23, 2020 and October 9, 2020 at Trevingey Road, Redruth, while being under a disqualification for 20 years extending to all animals, he breached that disqualification order in respect of ferrets.

The second was that on and before April 5, 2021 at Newton Moor, Troon, he again breached the same qualification order, in respect of ferrets and quails.