GRACE BANKS, JULIAN KING, AND PETER JONES: HORRIFIC PUPPY TRAFFICKING IN MANCHESTER
In a disturbing case that has shocked the city of Manchester, three individuals have been convicted for their roles in a brutal puppy trafficking operation that involved importing, selling, and neglecting sick puppies.The offenders, Grace Banks, Julian King, and Peter Jones, operated under various aliases and created a facade of a reputable dog breeding business, but behind the scenes, they engaged in a heinous scheme that caused immense suffering to countless animals.
Grace Banks, born Leah Grace Rogers on September 23, 1986, and also known by aliases such as Lilly Cooper, Holly Saxon, and Sarah Connor, was a key figure in this criminal enterprise.
She resided on Reed Street in Gorton, Manchester, and was a former prostitute who served as a director of Lilly’s Puppy Boutique Ltd.
The company operated from a rented property at Seventeen Windows on Marple Road in Stockport, where purpose-built kennels were set up at the rear of the premises.
Banks played the part of a caring breeder, even giving away cozy blankets to puppies to create an illusion of a nurturing environment.
However, the reality was far from this image.
The puppies were kept in deplorable conditions, riddled with contagious diseases, and sold for up to £600 each.
Investigations by the RSPCA and Greater Manchester Police uncovered a shocking operation that involved weekly deliveries of puppies imported via ferries from Ireland.
These animals were kept at a 'holding' address before being sold through a network of rented residential properties across Manchester.
The traffickers used multiple false identities and lied to buyers, claiming the puppies were bred in a loving family environment and that they were the first litter.
To maintain the illusion of legitimacy, they produced glossy 'Kennel Registration' folders with counterfeit paperwork, and each breed was sold through separate mobile phones to avoid confusion and detection.
During a raid on Seventeen Windows as part of Operation Pagan, authorities uncovered the horrifying extent of the operation.
The bodies of four Yorkshire terrier puppies were found at the premises—one dumped in a wheelie bin, two in a plastic bucket in a car's footwell, and one still alive in a pen.
Veterinary evidence indicated that these puppies had died from prolonged starvation.
Additionally, investigators discovered at least six large plastic buckets filled with live puppies, totaling 87 animals of various breeds, including Yorkshire terriers, huskies, West Highland terriers, pomeranians, Labradors, beagles, shih tzus, and French bulldogs.
The puppies were suffering from numerous health issues such as lice, pneumonia, diarrhea, conjunctivitis, bloody stools, and some had deadly diseases like parvovirus and distemper.
Shockingly, none of the puppies had received veterinary treatment.
Grace Banks, whose real name is Leah Grace Rogers, was also known as Lilly Cooper and used multiple aliases.
She was a former prostitute and played the role of a caring breeder, even giving away blankets to puppies to make them seem more appealing.
She was a director of Lilly’s Puppy Boutique Ltd, which operated from the property at Seventeen Windows.
Banks was found guilty of failing to protect over 1,200 puppies from suffering and was sentenced to five months in jail.
She was also ordered to pay £4,500 in costs.
While awaiting sentencing, she continued to sell poorly bred puppies, leading to an additional nine months of imprisonment in May 2016.
Julian King, born Alec Paul Rogers on September 11, 1985, also used aliases such as Thomas Spencer.
He managed several companies, including Pet Identification Limited, Juliano Media Ltd, Kennelreg Limited, and Kennel Registration Ltd.
King was convicted of failing to protect 835 puppies from pain and suffering and received a five-month jail sentence along with a £2,500 fine.
His criminal record includes previous bans from keeping animals for ten years following a 2010 conviction related to neglecting six ten-week-old Staffordshire Bull Terrier puppies found in a freezing, dark outhouse on Braddon Road, Woodley.
The puppies had been left to starve and were found in deplorable conditions, with only one small, dirty plastic bed for all three survivors.
King had left the puppies in the care of Peter Jones while he went on holiday, an act described by a vet as “atrocious.” Peter Jones, born Aneirin Joseph Sculley on June 30, 1983, also used aliases such as George Cooper, Marco Emme, and Michael Emme.
He is reportedly now known as Arnie Swartz.
Jones was a director of Kennel Registration Ltd and was convicted of failing to protect 835 puppies from suffering.
He received a six-month jail sentence and was ordered to pay £2,100 in costs.
Both Jones and King had previously been banned from keeping animals for ten years following a 2010 RSPCA prosecution, which involved the neglect of puppies left in filthy conditions during winter.
All three offenders received lifetime bans from keeping animals.
The RSPCA rehomed the puppies seized during the investigation after providing necessary medical treatment and care.
The case highlights the extent of illegal puppy trafficking in Manchester, with the offenders operating under false pretenses, exploiting the demand for puppies, and causing unimaginable suffering to innocent animals.
Additional details reveal that Julian King has reportedly changed his name again to Harry Pony, and Peter Jones has reverted to using the name Arnie Swartz.
Both are allegedly involved with 'Smartbreeder,' a company exposed by the BBC for unethical activities related to dog breeding and training.
These developments suggest that the individuals involved continue to evade scrutiny and remain active within the industry, raising ongoing concerns about animal welfare and illegal breeding practices in Manchester and beyond.
