Dog fighting ring headed by 'Dr Death' jailed for animal cruelty

A man nicknamed ‘Dr Death’ was one of four people convicted for training and fighting dogs across Europe (Picture: RSPCA/PA Wire)

Judge Jamie Sawyer said the gang showed ‘a shocking level of barbarism and callousness’ for the dogs involved in the case.

The fights, which took place in England, Ireland and France, were ‘highly planned and without a care for the welfare of the animals in question,’ said the judge, who chastisted the defendants for treating dogs as a ‘commodity’ to be used as ‘playing pieces in your game’.

Much of the key evidence in the case came from a phone belonging to Phillip Harris Ali, 67, of Manford Way, Chigwell, Essex, who was known as Dr Death.

This included photos and videos of dogs and gruesome match reports detailing how the animals were set upon each other, sent via the encrypted messaging app Signal.

Dogs were deliberately starved and forced to live in horrible conditions (Picture: PA)

Many of the crimes were committed while he was still under licence conditions put in place after a 2007 conviction for attempted murder.

His ‘right-hand man’, Stephen Albert Brown, 57, of Burrow Road, Chigwell, Essex, was jailed for two years and six months after he was found guilty of five offences under the Animal Welfare Act.

As the fighting ring’s medicine man, he got illegal veterinary medication and equipment and was involved in training dogs and arranging fights.