Terrapins put on a courier - firm prosecuted by the RSPCA

by Jamie Bullen

A man who admitted sending live animals in boxes marked ‘fragile’ has been banned from owning aquatic animals for 10 years.

Mark Freed, 28, of Salem Place, Northfleet, was sentenced by Dartford magistrates after admitting three charges of animal cruelty at an earlier hearing.

He ran a business, registered as Dartford Aquatics, with his friend Mustafas Bodour from the Greenhithe flat they shared at the time, where exotic animals were transported across the country.

The duo were arrested in March last year after couriers intercepted packages sent from the men that contained live terrapins and axolotls - salamander type lizards.

Animals were placed in clear plastic bags containing water, inside boxes that were marked ‘fragile’ and the court heard one box said ‘contains live plants’ with instructions to keep in cool conditions.

Crucially, the couriers were not licensed and were unaware there were live animals inside.

Couriers contacted the RSPCA after discovering the animals and said they were unaware of what they were delivering because of poor labelling.

Both men were arrested in March 2011 after an investigation by the RSPCA and Dartford council.

A search at the property by the RSPCA in May also discovered Siamese fighting fish kept in small bags without fresh water, which an expert vet said would cause them to suffer.

Andrew Wiles, prosecuting on behalf of the RSPCA, said: "There was no doubt the fish and axolotls had suffered. They would have, as a result of being handled by couriers who were not properly trained.

"Their well being had simply been neglected by being transported in this way. Suffering could have been prevented by suitable packaging and an authorised animal courier."

Deborah Slater, defending Freed, distanced her client away from the running of the business and said he only acted in an advisory role for Bodour to whom the business was registered.

She said: "He was aware businesses operated in that way and did not feel he was doing anything wrong. He now accepts that wasn’t the case. It has been a bitter and salutary lesson."

She said the business had sent packages before, but licences had been granted for those and queries had not been raised.

Magistrate Robert Chapman said the matters before the court were "highly serious" before serving Freed with a 12-month community order with a requirement to carry out 60 hours' unpaid work.

He also banned Freed from owning or trading aquatic animals for 10 years and told him to pay £1,000 costs towards veterinary and investigation fees.

At the previous court hearing in March, Bodour was given a three-year conditional discharge and also banned from owning aquatic animals for 10 years as well as an order to pay £3,130 in costs.