LANGLEY BECK SENTENCED IN MAIDSTONE FOR ANIMAL CRUELTY AND ILLEGAL WASTE DUMPING IN MAIDSTONE

Langley Beck, born on June 9, 1963, of Bell Lane, Boxley, Maidstone ME14 3G, was convicted in 2019 for keeping animals in neglectful conditions. He was found to have housed seven dogs and three ducks without water inside his home. Beck, a reclusive figure believed to own 80 acres of land, kept dogs in rooms covered with excrement and left three ducks in a hot caravan with all doors and windows closed, leaving them without water for over 12 hours before they had to be euthanised. Despite living alone on his bleak property in Boxley, Beck is considered the last member of the area's longstanding farming family.

In July 2017, police and an RSPCA investigator visited his property. Ellie Burtcor, the head RSPCA investigator, described her experience: “It was absolutely disgusting, my eyes were watering with the urine smell that was coming from there. There was an overwhelming smell of faeces, and it was very damp and stagnant. Piles of faeces covered the floor, alongside broken china ornaments and rubbish bins—all in conditions completely unsuitable for dogs.”

Beck stated during court proceedings that he had fed and provided water to the dogs on the day of the visit and claimed he would have tended to the ducks had he not been occupied with police. When questioned about cleaning routines, he remained silent. A veterinarian who examined the dogs reported they were healthy despite the conditions.

Post mortem tests on the ducks revealed they had gone at least 12 hours without water. One duck was so deteriorated that it was euthanised immediately, while the other two were put down later. Beck, a long-time resident of Boxley, claims his family has been in the area for over a century.

He was sentenced to 20 days of rehabilitation activities, 100 hours of unpaid work, and was fined £1,800 plus an £85 victim surcharge. Furthermore, he was banned for life from keeping animals.

In an update from November 2024, Beck appeared in court again after breaching his lifelong ban. An inspection in December 2022 by the RSPCA and police found 11 lurcher dogs and 15 quail at his home. Two dogs had suffered injuries. On another visit in August 2023, a single lurcher was found on his property. Beck pleaded not guilty to two breaches of his disqualification order. Following a trial, he was convicted and on October 31, 2024, sentenced at Maidstone Magistrates’ Court to a 12-month community order with 150 hours of unpaid work.

RSPCA Inspector Clive Hopwood, who investigated the breaches, explained: “All the dogs were extremely nervous and unsocialised, with at least two showing minor leg wounds consistent with fighting. We found the premises to be large and overgrown, with derelict cars, and the dogs had to be sedated before being taken to private boarding facilities. Beck denied the breach, claiming the disqualification was under appeal and that the RSPCA left dogs behind after their visit, asserting the animals were ‘well looked after.’ The judge emphasized that although the animals were ‘not in a particularly poor condition,’ Beck had violated a serious legal order, resulting in a community sentence, a surcharge of £114, and £500 court costs. He remains banned from owning animals for life.

Moreover, in October 2024, Beck, often dubbed by tabloids as ‘Britain’s worst flytipper,’ faced hefty fines for illegally dumping and burning waste near Maidstone. The site, spanning over 36 acres in the North Kent Downs, was once celebrated as a nationally protected landscape. Instead, Beck had contaminated the area over 19 years with commercial and industrial waste. Maidstone Borough Council has actively pursued enforcement, culminating in a court-imposed fine of £60,000, with costs awarded amounting to £40,000, plus a victim surcharge of £170. Beck has 12 months to settle the payment; failure to do so could lead to a 16-month prison sentence. His suspended prison sentence includes an order to vacate the land and complete clearance within 18 months.