The owner of a puppy that had to be put down after suffering a serious injury while in the care of an unlicensed kennel owner has expressed her delight at his conviction.

Leslie Roberts, who ran Maidstone Springers in Hunstman Lane, Maidstone, pleaded guilty at Maidstone Magistrates Court of operating a kennels without a licence.

One of his customers, Lindsay Standen, was unaware the business was unlicensed when she left 10-month-old Pomeranian Sashca in his care last August.

But when she returned from holiday to collect her puppy, she discovered the dog had a serious head injury and the police were called.

It then transpired Mr Roberts was unable to produce his licence to the officers.

She said: "Mr Roberts had told me that he was licensed and I took his word.

"It has been a harsh lesson for us - we will never use a kennels again without checking first with the local authority that they are properly licensed."

Although Roberts did not face any criminal charges over the injuries sustained by Sashca while in his care, Mrs Standen, from Charing, has won a civil claim against him after he failed to respond to a court summons last October alleging he had failed to exercise a proper duty of care to the animal left in his charge.

Roberts returned to court in January in an attempt to challenge the ruling, but his application to set aside the judgement was rejected by Deputy District Judge Jabbour.

A further hearing will now be held on May 5 when it will be determined what level of compensation he should pay to the Standens.

Mrs Standen said: "Of course, nothing will bring Sashca back, but Mr Roberts has to learn that if you run a business, you need to take on the responsibilities that come with that."

She said any compensation they are able to secure she and her husband Daniel will donate to the Dogs' Trust.

Mrs Standen was standing by as a witness for the prosecution at Roberts' licensing hearing.

In the event, she wasn't required to give evidence because he pleaded guilty.

She said: "I'm glad he was convicted. A conviction should stop him securing a kennels license at some stage in the future.

"So hopefully no other family will have to go through the same trauma with their dog as we did."

She described how Roberts has been unable to explain the injury suffered by Sashca, which left her with brain damage and unable to walk.

She said: "We spent a fortune on vets bills. We tried every thing to try to save her, but after a week, we had to have her put down."

She said: "Only a pet-owner will understand how heart-breaking that is."

Mrs Standen has two daughters aged 10 and 13 who were left distraught over the loss.

Maidstone Magistrates Court fined Roberts £80 for failing to obtain a licence and he must also pay court costs of £200 and £150 compensation to Maidstone council - a total of £430, which Roberts, who said he was now living on benefits, is being allowed to pay off at £10 every two weeks.

"A conviction should stop him securing a kennels license at some stage in the future... so hopefully no other family will have to go through the same trauma with their dog as we did..."

Mrs Standen said: "I don't think that's enough of a penalty. Anyone who uses dog kennels will know how much money these places charge."

But Denise Joy, the chairman of licensing committee at Maidstone Borough Council said: “This case sends a strong message to anyone operating an animal boarding business without the appropriate licence to run it that we will prosecute them.

“The reformed legislation introduced last year makes it very clear that it is a legal requirement to have a licence to run a business like this.

"Animal boarding businesses, even those in people’s homes, need to be inspected and approved by the local council to ensure they provide a safe environment for pet owners to leave their most treasured possessions.”

The prosecution could have significant consequences for Roberts as he may not be granted future licences needed to operate businesses involving a licensed animal activity if he is deemed not to be a fit or proper person under the requirements of the legislation.

Since the new legislation in 2018, 17 boarding businesses have been licensed in Maidstone borough, nine of them are for home boarding.

Mrs Standen has not replaced Sashca in the family home - "Nothing could," she said - but she does already have two other Pomeranian puppies, named Teddy and Coco.

She said: "When we went away again, we found a new kennels to leave them - Paulways Pet Resort in Charing.

"They are properly licensed and the difference between them and Maidstone Springers is like the difference between night and day.

"They even enabled us to keep an eye on Teddy and Coco by webcam while we were away."

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