EditorCouple jailed after 52 animals found living in ‘filthy’ home with some suffering
A joint operation by Dyfed‑Powys Police, the RSPCA and two vets uncovered the animals inside a house on Coombs Road on 29 December 2024. Officers found 29 dogs, 17 snakes, a Hermann’s tortoise, a leopard gecko and a monitor lizard. Two dead dogs and a dead snake were also discovered.
Swansea Crown Court heard that many of the animals were living in squalor, with some suffering from untreated injuries, emaciation and severe neglect. The RSPCA said the smell of dog faeces and urine inside the house was “overpowering”.
Jail sentences and long animal bans
Zoe Louise Graham, 32, was jailed for 18 months and banned from keeping animals for 15 years. Lee Peter Lock, 38, was jailed for 27 months and banned for 25 years.
Both had previously admitted multiple offences under the Animal Welfare Act, including causing unnecessary suffering to several French Bulldogs and failing to meet the basic needs of dozens of dogs and exotic animals.
The court heard the pair failed to seek veterinary treatment for serious conditions — including a ruptured rectum, untreated eye disease, chronic discomfort, ulcerations and severe emaciation. Several snakes were also found suffering from neglect, with some so underweight they later had to be euthanised.
‘Filthy conditions’ throughout the house
In a written statement, RSPCA Inspector Keith Hogben said he was “hit by a strong smell of dog faeces and urine” as soon as he entered the property.
He described rooms strewn with rubbish, cages “in filthy soiled conditions”, mouldy food, and dogs living in cramped pens where faeces covered the floor.
Some French Bulldog puppies were only days old. Others were thin, dehydrated or living without bedding. A cream‑coloured French Bulldog in the kitchen had ribs “easily visible”.
In the back yard, two collie‑type dogs were found in mud and faeces with no clean area to stand. Inside a shed, officers found a container of green, dirty water and conditions so foul that Inspector Hogben said he “coughed and gagged”.
A dead Bulldog was found in a plastic dog bed in the shed, while another dead dog was discovered in a freezer. A vet later confirmed both had suffered — one from a ruptured rectum, the other from extreme emaciation.
Snakes, tortoise and gecko also neglected
Inside the living room, officers found multiple vivariums containing snakes in poor condition, with dirty water, soiled substrate and no enrichment. Some snakes were thin with their spines visible.
A tortoise and a gecko were found housed together in a single vivarium with no water, no UVB lighting and no proper environment. The gecko later died.
A monitor lizard was found in a plastic tray but was alert and had access to water.
Most animals now rehomed
In total, 17 live snakes, the tortoise, gecko and monitor lizard were seized and placed in specialist care. Several snakes later died or were euthanised on welfare grounds.
Most of the surviving dogs have since been rehomed by the RSPCA. Four dogs that remained in legal limbo during the court case have now been signed over and will also be rehomed.
Following sentencing, Inspector Hogben said: “It was a real team effort, and although not all the animals survived, it is great to see those who have been rehomed into loving homes.”
Sergeant Paul Roberts, of Dyfed‑Powys Police’s Rural Crime Team, said the case showed “excellent partnership working to target some of the most upsetting animal welfare offences.”
The court heard in mitigation that the pair had taken in homeless animals and the situation became “unmanageable”, but the judge ruled the level of suffering was severe and prolonged.
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