KIMBERLEIGH STEELE CONVICTED IN IRELAND INVOLVED IN DOG FIGHTING RING IN COUNTY ROSCOMMON

Kimberleigh Joanne Steele, also known as Kim Donaghy, born on 24 February 1989, currently resides in Castleland, Tulsk, County Roscommon, Ireland. She was previously based in Polyanthus Drive, Sleaford NG34 7HS, and has connections to Plymouth in Devon—where she bred dogs for fighting.

Steele plays a significant role in a dog-fighting operation led by her partner, John Herbert Knibbs. Knibbs, who changed his name to John Donaghy by deed poll, is considered a key figure in the UK's illegal dog-fighting scene. Despite multiple court appearances, he has failed to attend several hearings, leading to a warrant for his arrest following his conviction for dog fighting, ear cropping, and causing unnecessary suffering.

On Monday, 8 April 2019, Steele traveled from Ireland to stand trial at Lincoln Magistrates Court. At the time, her partner, John Knibbs, remained at large. Before relocating to Ireland, Steele lived in Sleaford with Knibbs and had also resided at addresses in Plymouth, specifically Downfield Walk PL7 2DT and Durban Road PL3.

During her court hearing, Steele was convicted of aiding and abetting Knibbs, as well as possessing a banned pit bull terrier. The court learned she had a total of ten animals, all of which were used in the dog-fighting ring, with one animal having since died. Hazel Stevens, an RSPCA prosecutor, stated: “At the time of the raid Steele claimed to own all of the dogs. We are looking after the dogs in kennels for £15,700 a year. Some are so dangerous they need to be darted before the staff can go inside.”

The judge sentenced Steele to a suspended custodial sentence of 16 weeks, fined her £615, and banned her from keeping animals for five years—until April 2024. The judge commented: “Your partner Knibbs has not attended court and is not that big a man without his dogs. The custody threshold has been passed but I am going to suspend it because you have young children.” Following her sentencing, RSPCA Inspector Kirsty Withnall remarked: “It is a shame that Knibbs wasn’t here today. We are pleased with the district judge’s comments and the sentence he’s handed down. Knibbs isn’t bold enough to be here; we hope he will be sentenced soon.”

In other developments, John Knibbs (who now goes by John Donaghy) was sentenced in Ireland in February 2024 to eight years in prison after being caught with €1.9 million worth of cocaine. He pleaded guilty to possessing 27 kilos of the drug, found in the trunk of his Ford Mondeo outside his rural property in County Kildare in July 2023. The court revealed that Knibbs, who is 59 and a father of six, has 16 prior convictions for animal cruelty and had been breeding dogs in Ireland despite being disqualified from owning animals in the UK.

He also admitted to holding €110,000 in cash, discovered in a shopping bag on a kitchen shelf during a Garda search involving the Garda Organised Crime and Drugs Unit. The Gardaí executed the search based on "confidential information" at his home in Ballynamullagh, Carbury, Co Kildare, which he shares with his wife Kimberleigh Steele and their four young children.

Though sentenced to eight years in prison for drug offences, Knibbs has yet to face justice for his previous dog-fighting convictions. He has unresolved legal issues from his UK court cases; he was convicted in his absence in 2019 under the name John Knibbs and banned for life from keeping dogs. His initial dog-fighting conviction stemmed from Operation Camelot, a joint investigation by the RSPCA and police forces across England and Wales.

During his time in Ireland, there was little visible wealth or signs of income other than his dog breeding activities. Court reports indicated that he was using the cash to pay off drug debts, supported by his €500-€600 weekly cocaine habit. It was also revealed that although he had been living with Steele and their children in Kildare for three years, he had not come to the Gardaí's attention until the drug seizure.

Despite his drug conviction, Knibbs still faces outstanding legal matters related to his UK dog-fighting convictions. He was first convicted of dog fighting in 2009, which resulted in a lifetime ban from owning dogs. His case was prosecuted under the name John Knibbs, but he changed his name to John Donaghy. The ongoing situation highlights that while his drug crimes have earned him an eight-year sentence, he has yet to be re-sentenced for his dog-fighting offences.