£300 fine for man who ran bogus pet shop from flat

Published on Thursday 16 April 2009 22:02

A MAN who ran an illegal pet shop from a city flat has been fined £300.

Ben McLeod, 50, advertised dogs for sale on social websites and in local free papers and kept several animals at his home, despite not having suitable facilities or a licence.

He boasted that it was "his business to get people any dog they wanted" and would take unwanted pets to sell on.

The bogus animal store came to light when worried customers reported him to police in June last year.

McLeod claims he asked the local authority for advice on how to get a licence but was told he did not need one.

However, yesterday at Edinburgh Sheriff Court he admitted a breach of the Pet Animals Act and was fined.

The court heard how McLeod would advertise dogs for sale in local free papers and on the Gumtree website – a social website for adverts ranging from homes to rent to sports teams looking for members.

McLeod ran two separate businesses called "Cute Wee Dogs, Scotland's Number One" and "Scotland K9".

Fiscal depute Graham Fraser told the court of four separate incidents where people had responded to adverts.

Mr Fraser said they had all gone to an address in Edinburgh's Fountainbridge area where they had viewed and in some cases bought animals.