PATRICK LYNCH, ROCHDALE BREEDER, SENTENCED TO SUSPENDED PRISON FOR ILLEGAL DOG BREEDING

Patrick Lynch, born around 1975, previously residing at Foxholes Close, Rochdale OL12 0EE, and now with no fixed address, has been convicted for keeping puppies in deplorable conditions. Lynch pleaded guilty to breeding dogs without a license and failing to ensure their welfare.

The case arose after Rochdale Council’s trading standards team executed a raid on his former home on 21 March 2023, acting on intelligence that illegal dog breeding was taking place there. During the inspection, officers discovered three Rottweiler puppies confined in a very small bathroom stained with feces and soaked with urine. A veterinarian present described the smell as “overwhelming” and reported feces covering the floor and walls, with no bedding or clean space for the animals.

The puppies were removed immediately and taken to kennels; unfortunately, they later contracted parvovirus and were euthanised.

Lynch was sentenced to a 16-week prison term, suspended for two years. He was also ordered to pay £2,400 in prosecution costs and a £154 victim surcharge. Additionally, he is banned from owning, keeping, or transporting dogs for 10 years, a ban set to expire in May 2035.

This case was reported by the Manchester Evening News and Roch Valley Radio.