Cop and Boyfriend Jailed for Selling Dying Kittens in $350,000 Scam
A couple has been jailed for selling sick kittens for profit.
Buying pets is always a little risky, especially off the internet. Unless you heavily research the breeder or adoption agency, you may end up with a sick pet, one that has been inbred and may have health issues later, or more commonly, behavioral or aggression issues. A number of people learned this the hard way, after purchasing sick and malnourished kittens from a former British Transport Policewoman, who scammed people out of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
According to The Times, Amy Byrne, 40, a former British Transport Police (BTP) officer, and her partner, Harry Angell, 31, cooked up a scam in which they bought kittens for as cheap as £50 and sold them on for more than £1,500.
When they received the kittens, they were often malnourished, covered in their own feces, and very sick. One victim purchased a male kitten for her autistic son. However, she recieved a female kitten that was underweight, covered in feces, and ill. The animal died soon after.
"Having recently lost a cat, we were so looking forward to giving a home to a new kitten. We instantly fell in love with Elsa who was so sleepy and cuddly when we got her. For the two precious weeks we had her in our lives she became part of our family," another victim said.
"We were just devastated to watch her slowly go downhill, monitoring her eating so little, trying to rid her of the worms she arrived with and taking her to the vet for numerous checks and tests," they continued. "She spent her last two days in the animal hospital with them trying everything to make her better, but she gave up the fight and we began our grieving for little Elsa."
The couple, who used at least 33 different fake names in their adverts, ghosted the customers when they reached out. According to authorities, Byrne often lied, telling buyers that she was a vet and that the kittens had been wormed and microchipped. She even provided them with fake health certificates.
Both Angell and Byrn pleaded guilty to charges of fraud and breaches of the Animal Welfare Act. Byrne was sentenced to three years and eight months in jail and Angell, three years. They won't be able to own pets, which they can't appeal for ten years.
"There were human and animal victims in this. Humans were at risk of getting illnesses from the cat. Children who were excited about a new member of the family including one child who made a card to thank Amy Byrne, only to see them die days later," Hazel Stevens, an RSPCA prosecutor, stated.
