Four men were beginning jail terms in Britain today for their part in a major dog-fighting ring.
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They had admitted a string of charges related to causing pit bull-type dogs to fight, causing animals unnecessary suffering, failing to provide veterinary care and providing premises for dog-fighting.
The defendants, Kenneth Langan (32) of Portslade, East Sussex; Anthony Mullen (43) of Northfield, Birmingham; Jeremy Brown (46) of Chesterfield, Derbyshire and Ryan Nuttall (29) of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, had all pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing.
They were sentenced to between three and four months each.
The case came to court following an undercover investigation by reporters from the News of the Worldnewspaper.
Details were passed to the RSPCA Special Operations Unit which brought the prosecution.
Sentencing the men at Mansfield Magistrates' Court yesterday District Judge Peter Nuttall said: "To any right-thinking member of the public, dog-fighting, and everything which goes with it, is offensive.
"These were dogs which were used to fighting and they were bred for that."
He added a large amount of dog-fighting literature, equipment and even cartoons depicting dog-fighting found at the men's addresses showed "an unhealthy obsession" with the practice.
All four men were banned from keeping animals for life.
PA