A man has admitted to making his pets maul wildlife to death in a series of violent attacks he filmed on his phone. Ryan Cringean, 25, appeared at Dumfries Sheriff Court on Wednesday, October 21, where he pleaded guilty to 11 charges involving serious animal fighting and welfare offences.
The court heard how Cringean filmed videos of his dogs biting and tearing apart wild animals, including badgers, foxes, and squirrels. His own pets suffered traumatic injuries during the ordeals, with one dog left disfigured.
Investigation and Arrest
Cringean's activities came to light when inspectors from the Scottish SPCA Special Investigations Unit received intelligence that he was keeping dogs for animal fighting purposes. A warrant was granted to search his property.
Cringean was remanded in custody and will be sentenced next month.
Other Cases in Scotland
This case is the latest in a series of similar convictions in Scotland. In June 2021, Anthony Holloway appeared at Dumbarton Sheriff Court after forcing his dogs to tear wild animals apart and posing with their bloody remains. He received a 270-hour community payback order and a four-year ban on owning dogs, despite prosecutors seeking a lifetime ban.
In August 2020, Martin Davidson admitted making his pets fight wildlife and pleaded guilty to failing to provide veterinary treatment to an injured dog. He was investigated after the Scottish SPCA received intelligence about his behaviour.
John Dysart was jailed for 10 months in September last year after training dogs to "kill anything that moved," with locals in Alloa keeping pets indoors for fear of his animals. Ryan Martin escaped with a fine, community service, and a five-year ban after filming badger and fox fights for TikTok. Conran Connor was jailed in 2020 for badger baiting, though his sentence was later reduced to 130 hours of unpaid work.
