A man who claimed to be ‘too sick’ to go to jail for mutilating dogs has been caught competing in an amateur boxing match.
Anton Boston, 31, admitted to cropping the ears of six animals, with prosecutors saying he kept them in poor conditions with ‘faeces all over the floor.’
Boston, from Ely in Cardiff, claimed at a hearing in Cardiff Crown Court that he could not serve prison time as he had Crohn’s disease.
However, video emerged of him competing in a ‘Welsh Combat’ boxing match, raising serious questions over his claim of being too ill to go to prison.
Prosecutors said Boston’s condition as ‘nothing short of exaggerated’, adding that his performance in the bout ‘looked very far from the disabled person he presents himself as.’
Cops were initially called to Boston’s home after reports of a strong smell coming from the building.
Lee Reynolds, prosecuting, said: ‘The smell from the property was so bad that someone had reported a dead body might be within.
‘Dog faeces were all over the floor and there was a strong smell of urine.
Anton Boston (pictured), 31, from Ely in Cardiff, admitted to cropping the ears of six animals, with prosecutors saying he kept them in poor conditions
‘The dogs had no choice but to stand or lay in it. There was no bedding. It was hard to stay in the area because the smell was so strong. It was described as chokingly putrid, and the officers found it hard to breathe.’
Boston’s barrister, Adrian Kayne, said in his defence: ‘The amateur boxing event he participated in was to raise awareness of Crohn’s disease, and involved three rounds of very short, two-minute bouts.
‘He has two children, who are three years old and two years old, and a third on the way. These are important formative years for young children. He is a devoted father.’
Boston was jailed for 36 weeks and banned from owning or keeping dogs for at least 15 years at Cardiff Crown Court on Thursday.
Presiding over the case, Judge Eugene Egan told the illegal dog breeder: ‘These animals’ ears were cropped in order for you to sell them for a higher price. You were trading animals you had caused to suffer through an illegal procedure.’
