Illegal dog breeder's £68k gains

A FARMER made tens of thousands of pounds illegally breeding puppies and selling them online, a court has heard.

- JASON EVANS Reporter

Animal welfare inspectors found John Gibbon was breeding dogs without a licence and housing them in poor conditions with little access to water, ventilation or proper exercise.

Swansea Crown Court heard it was not known how many puppies the defendant bred and sold but that a financial investigation showed he had made more than £68,000 from the trade in a little over three years.

Lowri Wyn Morgan, prosecuting, told the court that RSPCA officers first visited Gibbon's farm near Llanelli in July, 2021, following reports of dogs being bred on the site in poor conditions.

She said officers were shown around the farm by the defendant and his daughter Nia, and found dogs housed in makeshift pens in poorly ventilated outhouses with little access to water or proper exercise.

The court heard the Gibbons were told they needed a licence to breed dogs, and Nia Gibbon said she was in the process of applying for one.