Pet Rehoming Centre Owner Sentenced to Five Years After 41 Dead Animals Discovered
Oaveed Rahman, a 26-year-old man who operated a fraudulent pet rehoming service in Essex, has been sentenced to five years in prison after 41 dead animals were discovered at his property. The horrific conditions at Save A Paw in Crays Hill, Billericay, were described in detail during sentencing at Basildon Crown Court on Friday.
Scene of Unimaginable Horror
Veterinary surgeon Amy Cooper, who attended the property with police on May 13 last year, told the court she could smell rotting flesh from 40 metres away. What she discovered inside was described as "the most horrific thing I have ever seen."
Ms Cooper reported finding masses of animal bodies riddled with maggots, with rats roaming around the kennels. Remains of dogs were found in bins and scattered throughout the site, with some piled up "like rubbish" according to sentencing judge Richard Conley.
Living Animals Kept in Barbaric Conditions
While 41 animals were found dead, 21 dogs were discovered alive but kept in appalling conditions. The court heard they were confined to small spaces or pens with faeces inside, severely underweight, and without access to food despite open bags being present in the property.
Three of the surviving dogs were so unwell they had to be euthanised, and one poodle later went blind as a result of the neglect. The animals were left to roam among the carcasses of dead dogs, with Ms Cooper noting they would have faced "mental turmoil" from being able to smell food they couldn't reach.
Victims' Heartbreaking Testimonies
The packed public gallery included victims whose pets had been entrusted to Rahman's care, many of whom sobbed as prosecutor Tom Godfrey described the conditions their animals endured.
Emma Thompson, who paid Rahman £300 as a "surrender fee" plus an additional £200 donation, told the court she feels "extremely traumatised" by what happened to her dog Lennon. "I often think about how confused, scared and sad Lennon must've felt being taken from the family he loved," she said in a victim impact statement. "He would've smelt the death of other dogs at the property." Lennon was among the dogs found dead during the initial police raid.
Tina Davis, another victim, took her pocket bully Chad to Save A Paw after he fought with her other dog. "I torture myself, wondering how much he suffered," she said in her statement. "He must've thought I didn't love him to leave him at that wretched place." Chad remains missing.
Fraudulent Operation Exposed
The court heard Rahman operated a sophisticated fraud, convincing pet owners from as far as Scotland to use his services. His Save A Paw Facebook page featured good reviews, and he presented himself as running a charity - though an application for charitable status had actually been refused.
Rahman took approximately £4,800 from 11 victims, claiming the money would be used for rehoming dogs, building a new kennel block, or training dogs to behave around children and other animals. He promised to keep in touch about the dogs' progress but often became difficult to contact and in some cases blocked the people who had entrusted their pets to him.
Courtroom Outburst and Sentencing
After Rahman was sentenced, a victim in the courtroom shouted through the video link: "F****** bastard, I hope you rot in there you dirty bastard." The outburst reflected the anger felt by many affected by Rahman's crimes.
Judge Conley described Rahman's actions as "an act of betrayal of epic proportions that has devastated many lives" and noted that "some wrongs simply cannot be put right."
Rahman pleaded guilty to cruelty against 21 dogs and a cat, 11 counts of fraud by false representation, and owning a banned XL bully dog. His five-year sentence includes 38 months for animal cruelty, with fraud sentences running consecutively. He received a lifetime ban from owning dogs and cats, though he can apply for this to be lifted after 15 years.
Mystery Surrounding Motivation
During mitigation, Molly Pinkus said Rahman had expressed remorse and suffered from mental ill health, having begun his enterprise with a genuine desire to look after dogs. However, people in the public gallery responded with sighs, tuts, head shakes, and even laughter at this suggestion.
Judge Conley acknowledged the difficulty in understanding Rahman's motivation, stating: "It is so impossible to understand what can cause a person to do the things that he did. I can't make sense of it, probation can't make sense of it, the psychiatrist can't make sense of it."
Prosecutor Tom Godfrey suggested Rahman may have derived satisfaction from the power he exerted over the animals, noting it was difficult to understand why else he would house live dogs with deceased ones.
The case has highlighted serious concerns about unregulated pet rehoming services and the vulnerability of both animals and their owners to such fraudulent operations.
