A REPUTABLE dog breeder and her husband have been jailed for what magistrates described as the "most heinous act of animal cruelty" they had ever seen.

Margaret and Gary Mazan had 14 Red Setters seized from their Bradford home in January last year after they were found being kept in the "worst conditions ever seen" by an RSPCA inspector.

The pair were also given a lifetime ban against owning or keeping any animal, and told they cannot appeal against the order for at least 25 years.

The Mazans were found guilty of seven breaches of the Animal Welfare Act after a two-day trial at Bradford and Keighley Magistrates' Court last month.

They were sentenced at the same court yesterday.

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Magistrates were told that during a raid by RSPCA and the police on the Mazans' home, some of the dogs were found in filthy cages in a shed, with others kept in cramped cages in the kitchen of the house in Swain House Road, Swain House.

The couple were found to have caused unnecessary suffering to some of the dogs by failing to seek veterinary care for a condition affecting their eyes, and injuries to their tails.

All of the animals were also found to be dehydrated due to a lack of fresh drinking water, and had not been provided with a suitable diet.

Margaret Mazan, 53, was said to have shown and bred setters for more than ten years, with dogs that were not needed for showing being sold to other owners.

Gary Mazan, a 51-year-old long distance lorry driver, had argued that the dogs were his wife's responsibility, but was found to be jointly culpable for their welfare.

Dingle Clark, prosecuting on behalf of the RSPCA, told the court that boarding costs for the dogs since they were seized had reached £48,000, with an additional £7,000 in vets fees.

He asked for ownership of all the animals to be transferred to the charity, including an additional dog, called 'Clever', whose situation had not been discussed during the Mazans' trial.

Sean Smith, representing the couple, said the dog was bought by, and belonged to, the family's daughter, with the animal only being looked after by Margaret Mazan while her daughter was away at university.

After hearing the dog had been chipped in Margaret Mazan's name, partly due to her "reputation in the showing world," magistrates transferred custody of the animal, alongside the other 14 dogs, to the RSPCA.

Sentencing the pair to 26 weeks in jail, chairman of the bench, Allie Coward, said: "We have considered all the evidence, and this was the most heinous act of cruelty against defenceless animals we have ever seen."

Mr Smith lodged an immediate appeal against the sentence, and asked that the pair be granted bail ahead of any appeal hearing at the Crown Court.

The application for bail was denied by the court.

After the case, Emma Ellis, an RSPCA inspector for Bradford who attended the scene and helped to seize the animals, said the conditions the dogs were being kept in were the worst she had ever seen, and "wholly unacceptable".

"I am delighted this case has been taken so seriously," she said.

"The dogs had a miserable existence, and I am pleased the magistrates have recognised that and reflected it in the sentence they have passed.

"We would be extremely confident if the case goes to an appeal, as the evidence against the Mazans is overwhelming."