Bexley officer who sold dying kittens has sentence cut

Former British Transport Police officer Amy Byrne, 31, and her boyfriend Harry Angell, 32, bought and bred kittens for sale - but when customers received their new pets many found that they were malnourished, ill and covered in their own excrement. 

On at least six occasions kittens died soon after being purchased, including one victim who arranged to buy a male kitten as a surprise for her autistic son who had recently lost his cat. 

Her son made a thank you card for Bryne which she accepted as she dropped off the kitten, but after Byrne left the mum realised the kitten was female, emaciated and had diarrhoea stuck in her fur – it died a short time later. 

In May 2023 Bryne and Angell, both of Downbank Avenue in Barnehurst, appeared at court for sentencing after they both pleaded guilty to charges of fraud and breaches of the Animal Welfare Act.   

Angell was jailed for three years and four months, while Byrne was jailed for three years and eight months.  

which sadly died after Byrne and Angell sold it (Image: RSPCA)

But on July 4, 2024, appeal judges decided that Byrne’s sentence should be reduced to two years and eight months to prevent their baby son from going into foster care. 

The judges heard that the baby was currently living with Byrne on a mother baby unit in prison but the unit will only be able to accommodate the child until September 7 this year. 

Lord Justice James Dingemans said: “In the light of the evidence which is now before us, it is apparent that unless the appellant's sentence is reduced to a sentence of, at the most two years eight months, the appellant and the child will be separated and the child will be put into foster care.” 

He concluded: “In our judgment it is appropriate to reduce the sentence imposed on the appellant, not because the original sentence was not justified, but because the interests of the child and the fact that the child will end up in foster care outweigh the factors that justified the length of the sentence that was originally imposed.” 

One of the sick kittens the couple sold (Image: RSPCA) Woolwich Crown Court had previously heard that Sales and complaints about Byrne and Angell stretched back as far as 2015. 

The couple used at least 33 different fake names in their adverts, including claiming to be from Cat Cuddles Rehoming which is a genuine charity. On another occasion they used the ID of someone who had purchased a cat off them to advertise other kittens.   

Byrne lied to buyers that she was a vet and that the kittens had been wormed and microchipped but health certificates provided turned out to be fake, the court heard.  

Prosecutor Hazel Stevens, on behalf of the RSPCA, told the court: “There were human and animal victims in this. Humans were risk of getting these illnesses from the cat. Children who were excited about a new member of the family including one child who made a card to thank Amy Byrne, only to see them die days later.  

Another victim of their scam said: “Having recently lost a cat to the road, we were so looking forward to giving a home to a new kitten. We instantly fell in love with Elsa who was so sleepy and cuddly when we got her. For the two precious weeks we had her in our lives, she became part of our family.  

“We were just devastated to watch her slowly go downhill, monitoring her eating so little, trying to rid her of the worms she arrived with and taking her to the vet for numerous checks/tests. She spent her last two days in the animal hospital with them trying everything to make her better but she gave up the fight and we began our grieving for little Elsa.”  

When owners got back in contact with Byrne and Angell after the sale they were often ignored, Ms Stevens said.  

The court heard that on one occasion a distraught buyer and her boyfriend turned up at their house to ask for their money back. Byrne told them to wait outside until Angell arrived on the scene and shouted: “You bought the kitten from me not Amy, but I am not giving you a f***ing penny.”  

As a result of the volume of complaints that Trading Standards, the RSPCA and the police were receiving, a search was carried out at Byrne and Angell’s home on Downbank Avenue in Barnehurst on August 26, 2021.  

A total of 17 kittens were found on the premises on the day of the search and a vet judged that six of them were suffering.  

Those six cats were confiscated and one died a short time later, Ms Stevens said. 

Byrne was a British Transport Police (BTP) officer at the time (Image: RSPCA) During the search Byrne and Angell tried to dispose of their mobile phones. Angell jumped out of the window and threw his phone in the front garden and while police were chasing him Byrne carried out a factory reset of hers, the court heard.  

Angell’s phone was recovered and revealed hundreds of images of kittens, enquiries about adverts and complaints from people reporting that their kittens were sick.  

Messages also revealed that the couple found adverts for cheap kittens online, give the cats flea treatments and then sell them on. On one occasion he bragged about how he bought two kittens for £75 then sold them on for £600 each the next week, Ms Stevens said. 

Ms Stevens said analysis carried out by the RSPCA showed that the couple intended to make a gain of £278,870. 

During an interview Angell confirmed that the kittens seized had not seen a vet as he does not agree with veterinary practices.  

Byrne admitted they breed cats and sell them but said they were not making a profit.  

Byrne was a British Transport Police (BTP) officer when these crimes were carried out. 

The couple have been disqualified from owning pets.