LIAM REYNOLDS AND EMILY DART CONVICTED FOR ANIMAL ABUSE IN PLYMOUTH

Liam Reynolds, also known as Lee Dart, born on August 21, 1990, and his partner Emily Samantha Lilian Dart, born on October 2, 1982, of Flamborough Way, Plymouth PL6, have been convicted of serious animal neglect. The couple kept numerous animals in chaotic and unsanitary conditions.

Reynolds was previously banned from owning animals for 20 years in February 2019 after he admitted to failing to care for six dogs. He had appeared before magistrates in Cornwall in July 2021 for breaching this court-imposed ban on two occasions.

Most recently, Reynolds received a 26-week prison sentence after police found cats, dogs, fish, and birds living in his cluttered and filthy home shared with Emily Dart. The same charges applied to Dart, who was charged jointly with Reynolds for neglecting two dogs and five cats.

The RSPCA launched an investigation after photographs surfaced showing Reynolds handling animals at the property in Plymouth, despite being under an animal disqualification order. RSPCA Inspector Jim Farr, who led the investigation, described arriving at the residence where officers already had a warrant for breach of Reynolds’s disqualification.

Inspector Farr reported, “The interior of the property can only be described as very chaotic, with numerous items scattered around without organization and large amounts of rubbish in every room. The bath was filled with items, mainly old fish tanks covered in dust, and the entire house was cluttered with debris, trash, and discarded objects.”

He continued, “The rear garden was unkempt, strewn with rubbish including cages used for animals, and had a purpose-built wooden enclosure housing five cats. The garden also contained a fish pond. The garden was also contaminated with dog feces, making it difficult to avoid stepping in it. Upstairs, more rooms were filled with rubbish, including a bedroom with a soiled cat carrier and an empty wooden cage, as well as small fish tanks with tropical fish and dirty bird cages with buildup of old feed and feces.”

Reynolds attempted to plead for a financial penalty instead of jail, but the court rejected his appeal, stating, “You have persistently and continuously breached your disqualification and are cruel and unsafe for animals — you make them suffer. The only option is prison.”

During sentencing, three animals—two dogs named Cinders and Roxy, and five cats named Aslan, Sissy, Gracie, Mavis, and Winifred—were signed over to the RSPCA, where they will be available for rehoming.

According to the court, Reynolds was sentenced to 26 weeks in custody immediately and ordered to pay £400 in costs, with a 30-year ban on keeping animals, though he can appeal after 20 years. Emily Dart was fined £300 and ordered to pay £300 costs. She received a seven-year ban on keeping animals, which can be appealed after five years and is set to expire in May 2032.