Woman arrested after police find bodies of 37 dogs at Essex home
Essex Police confirmed the woman was taken into custody on Wednesday afternoon as part of an ongoing investigation. Authorities also found the remains of four additional animals at the scene.
Officers, together with staff from the RSPCA and Basildon Council, discovered the 37 dead dogs during a joint visit to a property in Crays Hill, Billericay, last month.
A 25-year-old man, Ovaeed Rahman, of Hope Road in Crays Hill, Billericay, was last month charged with causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal.
Rahman is also charged with an offence contrary to the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and three counts of fraud by false representation.
He appeared before Southend Magistrates' Court last month and was remanded in custody until a plea hearing at Basildon Crown Court on June 9.
A second man, who was arrested on suspicion of fraud relating to transfer of ownership of dogs and animal cruelty offences, has been conditionally bailed until July.
Police said that 21 live animals were recovered.
The force said that following information provided by a member of the public, officers from Essex Police and the RSPCA carried out further investigations at the Crays Hill location on Wednesday.
The original scene had been stood down on May 14.
Police said the remains of four further animals were identified when buildings were dismantled by the landowner, with liaison with Essex Police.
An Essex Police spokesperson said: 'We are now working to respectfully remove these remains from the scene and the Basildon Neighbourhood Policing Team will work to establish if they are linked to our investigation.'
Inspector Steve Parry, of Basildon Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: 'We understand the concerns of the local community.
'We would ask people not to speculate and allow us to carry out our complex and thorough investigations.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Hotels braced for a wave of protests: Up to 30 targeted as residents turn up heat to follow Epping precedent
A wave of protests are set to sweep the country this weekend targeting migrant hotels. Anti-immigration campaigners are looking to ride on the back of this week's landmark judgment that saw the High Court order the removal of migrants from a hotel in Epping, Essex. Protests at up to 30 hotels are believed to be planned as communities seek to replicate the ruling for The Bell Hotel, which, pending an appeal, must be closed within weeks. The hotel had been at the centre of protests after an asylum seeker living there was charged with sexually assaulting a teenage girl, which he denies. Hotels in Cannock, Chichester and Tamworth are among those expected to be targeted by demonstrations, with anti-racism groups already organising counter-protests in 15 locations across the three-day Bank Holiday weekend. They are prepared to turn up tonight in the likes of Bournemouth, Portsmouth, Leicester, Leeds, Orpington, Perth, Aberdeen and Altrincham. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has used Epping as a rallying cry, saying: 'Let's hold peaceful protests outside hotels and put pressure on councils to go to court to try to get illegal immigrants out.' On Tuesday, a judge granted a temporary injunction against migrants being housed at The Bell Hotel after Epping Forest council argued that it was necessary for 'the safety of nearby residents' and to reduce the threat of 'violent protests'. As it tried, unsuccessfully, to intervene in the case at the eleventh hour, the Home Office argued that granting Epping's application 'runs the risk of acting as an impetus for further violent protests'. The ruling threatens to collapse Labour's asylum system as protesters take to the streets and councils across the country prepare to hit the Home Office with copycat litigation over the use of hotels in their areas. Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has written to all Conservative councils pledging support for any legal action, while Reform UK's leaders have encouraged people to protest at their local asylum hotels. But anti-racism groups have warned the ruling sets a 'dangerous precedent', with Stand Up To Racism saying that it will 'embolden the far-Right to call more protests outside hotels housing refugees'. Labour grandee Lord Falconer urged the Home Office to appeal against the Epping judgment on Thursday as he admitted the ruling 'causes great problems' for the Government. The peer, who served as justice secretary under Sir Tony Blair and as Sir Keir Starmer's shadow attorney general, said it 'gives rise to the expectation that some asylum hotels can be closed'. Lord Falconer said the ruling presents Labour with a 'very troublesome issue, namely does demonstrations outside these hotels lead to it being more likely that they will be closed'. Urging the Government 'very strongly' to appeal, he told Radio 4's Today programme: 'It puts the courts and the politicians in a difficult position. 'There should be clarity on that and the authority in relation to that can only come from the Court of Appeal.' The Home Office still could not say whether or not it plans to appeal on Thursday. But pressure was mounting on the Government as all Tory councillors were sent a draft motion, produced by the Conservative Research Department and the Conservative Councillors' Association, 'strongly urging' them to follow Epping's example. It included instructions on how to influence their local authorities. Stevenage became the latest Labour-run council to say it would consider taking legal action over an asylum hotel in the Hertfordshire borough as the internal revolt grew. The council had already warned a Novotel hotel it must stop housing asylum seekers or face planning enforcement action, and on Thursday said it was 'actively investigating alleged breaches' as it considered legal action similar to Epping's. Ministers were scrambling to find contingency plans to house migrants, with officials looking at houses in multiple occupation (HMOs), empty tower blocks, disused teacher training colleges and old student accommodation as alternatives. The asylum minister, Dame Angela Eagle, told the Commons home affairs committee in June that the Government had shifted its focus from old military barracks to smaller locations such as tower blocks. However, the Guardian reported officials are still considering placing people removed from hotels in the RAF Wethersfield base in Essex and Napier Barracks in Kent. Meanwhile, it was also reported that asylum accommodation contractors working for the Home Office have contacted property specialists, seeking 5,000 residential units in towns and cities to house migrants. But a Government minister could not answer when quizzed on where asylum seekers should go instead of hotels on Thursday. Asked 'where will they go?', schools minister Catherine McKinnell said: 'Well, I mean, that's a big question.'
The Independent
3 hours ago
- The Independent
Date set for Noel Clarke libel claim outcome against Guardian publisher
Actor Noel Clarke is set to discover whether he has been successful in his High Court libel claim against the publisher of the Guardian on Friday. Clarke, 49, is suing Guardian News and Media (GNM) over seven articles and a podcast, including an article in April 2021 that said 20 women who knew him professionally had come forward with allegations of misconduct. Clarke denies the allegations, while GNM is defending its reporting as being both true and in the public interest. A trial earlier this year heard from multiple witnesses who made accusations against Clarke, including that he had allegedly shared nude photographs of them without their consent, groped them, and asked them to look at him when he was exposed. Barristers for Clarke told the court that there is a conspiracy of people with financial and personal grudges against him who engineered his downfall because they could not bear to see him receive a Bafta award. Mrs Justice Steyn is set to hand down her ruling at 10.30am on Friday. The trial of the libel claim was held from early March to early April at the Royal Courts of Justice in London. Clarke, who has previously appeared in TV shows including Doctor Who, Auf Wiedersehen, Pet and Bulletproof, gave evidence over several days. At one stage, he appeared visibly emotional as he claimed the publisher had 'smashed my life'. He said: 'They have smashed my life for four years with this rubbish, this nonsense. Four years.' He continued: 'I did not do this, I would not do this. I have got children. This is not true.' He later said that while he was 'a flawed guy', he added: 'The reason I stand here four years later is I am not what they have branded me.' Philip Williams, representing the actor, said that his client was a 'casualty' of a media 'purge' following the emergence of the MeToo movement. He continued that Clarke was made a 'scapegoat' and was an 'easy target' because he was at the height of his success when the media industry 'zealously sought to correct itself'. The barrister also criticised the Guardian's investigation, saying the newspaper 'manifestly failed to do its job properly'.Mr Williams asked the court to find the claim successful, saying the Guardian's reporting has caused serious harm to Clarke's career, with 'continuing hostile reactions online and in public discourse'. Gavin Millar KC, for GNM, said there is 'not a shred of evidence' to support Clarke's claim of a conspiracy, describing it as 'nonsensical and rather desperate speculation'. He said Clarke has a 'very clear motive to lie' because he 'stands to lose a great deal'. In written submissions, Mr Millar said Clarke 'used his power to prey on and harass female colleagues' over a period of 15 years. He said: 'This was a careful and thorough investigation conducted conscientiously by Guardian journalists who were aware of the potential pitfalls. 'They received information from a wide range of sources with direct evidence of misconduct and in each case carefully considered and tested the information they were given, electing to publish only such information as they believed was credible.'
The Sun
4 hours ago
- The Sun
Drone came so close to colliding with passenger jet it BLOCKED pilot's view from windscreen
A DRONE came so close to colliding with a passenger jet that it covered the pilot's view from the windscreen. The Airbus A320 was at 9,000ft when the near-miss occurred. A report into the close call in May told how the plane had just taken off from London's Heathrow Airport. In-flight incident investigation body UK Airprox Board said it looked to be about three metres long. The board's report added: 'Both the Captain and the First Officer saw a bright white object pass overhead from the opposite direction. It appeared to be approximately 2-3 metres in size at the very least. 'It may have been larger as it filled a good proportion of the windshield.' The report did not disclose the airline operating the plane or destination. It said the craft — presumably being controlled from a location on the ground close to the airport — was also spotted on radar by air traffic controllers. A drone was seen near London's City Airport around the same time. The report added: 'The First Officer observed that the object was triangular in shape. 'The Captain only saw the object for a second or two in peripheral vision so could not reliably comment on the shape. No markings were identified.' The pilot said: 'It went over us, probably within about ten metres'. Harrowing moment plane comes terrifyingly close to helicopter as it takes off at airport The reports concluded 'a definite risk of collision had existed'. The operator of the drone was not found. The legal drone height limit is 400ft. Flying one without permission near a UK airport can lead to unlimited fines or up to five years in prison. 3
