A police officer has spoken of his pride after a seemingly routine call led to the seizure of 455 animals and the jailing of a man for cruelty offences.
Nottinghamshire Police were initially called after a missing dog was found at a farm in Skegby – the home of Lee Hayes.
The dog’s owner, who had attended the property to reclaim her dog, raised concerns about the living conditions of animals at the farm.
PC Jack Grace visited the farm a short time later and was appalled at what he found – dozens of dogs living in squalid conditions, some with obvious injuries.
He explained:
“When I initially arrived and spoke with Hayes, I could sense something wasn’t quite right.
“There were multiple dogs in the yard he said were working animals but that spider sense you sometimes get was telling me there was something else he wasn’t telling me.
“I could have walked away and left him with some words of advice about the other dogs, but I just knew there was something more he wasn’t telling me.
“It was then I came across a locked barn. Inside there were 50 to 60 dogs all living in squalor.
“They were in small, dark cages living in their own urine and faeces – some with obvious injuries.
“Very young puppies, some without their mothers, were also found.
“The smell was horrendous and as a dog lover myself it was really awful to see them like that. I think I’ve cried twice at jobs in my whole career – and that was one of them.”
PC Grace, a former Royal Marine and now a serving firearms officer, wasn’t able to search for the rest of the farm and knew it wasn’t practical to seize so many dogs at the same time, so instead called on the RSPCA for help.
Working alongside their specialist investigators, he helped to secure a court warrant for a more detailed search.
That warrant was later secured and was executed on 1 November 2023 after extensive pre-planning with the RSPCA, vets and local charities.
In total, 455 animals of 19 different species were seized, including donkeys, horses, dogs and guinea pigs. Even a llama was taken away from the site.
The operation was supported by multiple police officers, including expert dog handlers.
Lee Hayes, aged 52, of Dawgates Lane, Skegby, later pleaded guilty to 25 charges under the Animal Welfare Act after an investigation led by the RSPCA.
Appearing at Mansfield Magistrates’ Court on Monday 22September, he was jailed for 12 months and banned from keeping animals for life.
Tammy Heath, aged 33, of Moorland Close in Skegby, also pleaded guilty to two offences as was given a 13-week prison sentence, suspended for 12 months.
PC Grace added:
“After my first visit to this farm I knew there were many animals there in need of our help, but we were all shocked and appalled by the sheer scale of the suffering we encountered.
“This case has certainly come a very long way since that first call in relation to a missing dog.
“It’s certainly something that weighed heavily on my mind in the lead up to the warrant being executed, and throughout the court process.
“So when the sentence came in I was over the moon – not so much because he was sent to prison but because he was also banned from keeping animals in the future.
“Knowing that I played a part in protecting those and other animals from this man in the future will be one of the proudest moments of my career.”
