The sister of a Crieff man who goaded his dog into a fight to the death with a pet rat has slammed a decision by the courts to allow him to keep his dogs and ferrets.
Liam Fair, 21, was banned from keeping animals but allowed to keep his current pets – believed to be several dogs and ferrets – after admitting to encouraging his lurcher Jax to attack, bite and kill a rat at his Corlundy Crescent home.
Footage of the disturbing incident shows Fair swinging the rodent by the tail and batting it off Jax’s nose.
He also pled guilty to neglecting five puppies, three dogs and a kitten and failing to protect them from disease and suffering.
Sister ‘sickened’ at sentencing
Speaking exclusively to The Courier, Fair’s sister Gail Thomson said she was sickened at the “no ban ban”.
Gail said: “That’s ridiculous he was banned from keeping animals yet is allowed to keep the animals he has.
“And why has he only been banned for a year?
“The judge that gave him that pathetic sentence is as sick in the head as Liam is.
“I am sickened by the sentence handed out to him.”
Sheriff Alison Mackay described the charges as “awful” for “someone who appears to like animals” as she ordered Fair to wear an electronic tag and banned him from owning or keeping any domestic, farm or wild animals of any kind for a year.
He was allowed to keep his dogs and ferrets and the order was suspended until May 12 to give him time to rehome the eight puppies.
Gail claimed: “To Liam, his dogs are a breeding machine that he can’t and won’t take proper care of.
“He beats his animals and they know this – yet he only got a ban for a year.”
‘Liam’s a horrible person who abuses animals’
“Liam’s a horrible person who abuses animals and should have them all taken away and banned permanently.”
Gail agreed with the Scottish SPCA which said Liam kept his dogs in unsanitary filthy conditions and that she became so concerned she was forced to intervene to save puppies.
She added: “The pups I rescued were in a house with no flooring, the toilet was overflowing and was filthy.
“The pups were covered in their own poo and it was all dried into them.
“It was disgusting. Liam is a vile human being.”
Defence solicitor Alan Davie said Fair had since made “positive changes” during his sentencing at Perth Sheriff Court.
Vets were asked by the court to check the animals he still had at the time – three dogs, five ferrets, eight puppies and a falcon – and all appeared to be in good condition and well looked after.
Fair has since sold one of the ferrets, no longer has the bird of prey and is having the four-week-old puppies rehomed.
The Scottish SPCA was equally concerned by Fair’s sentencing.
An inspector said: “We are devastated by the sentence Fair received. The sentence means he has been allowed to keep the eight dogs and ferrets currently in his care.”
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