SSPCA: Animal charity concerned as man who filmed dogs fighting wildlife for TikTok escapes jailtime

The Scottish SPCA has raised concerns after an ex-gamekeeper who encouraged his injured dogs to attack badgers and foxes and filmed the fights for TikTok was spared a prison sentence.

Ryan Martin, 23, was convicted at Aberdeen Sheriff Court this month, after he was found guilty of causing unnecessary suffering to three dogs under his care - and keeping or training dogs for the purposes of animal fights. He has now been sentenced to 175 hours of community service, and handed a five-year ban on owning or keeping animals. With the support of Police Scotland, the Scottish SPCA's special investigations unit executed a warrant at Martin’s Laurencekirk address in February 2022, after receiving information that Martin was using his dogs to fight and bait wild animals. The animal charity said he had shared numerous videos featuring his severely injured dogs killing foxes and badgers on Snapchat and TikTok. Throughout the clips, Martin could be heard encouraging the dogs to attack.

The three dogs, Storm, Beau and Boss, were taken to be examined by a vet. It was confirmed that their facial injuries were consistent with animal fighting, and would have been causing them pain and suffering. Items seized from Martin’s address also tested positive for badger, fox, and deer DNA, which an SSPCA spokesperson said confirmed his involvement in animal fighting.

“The level of cruelty Martin inflicted on both wild animals and his own dogs undoubtedly caused severe physical and psychological pain and suffering," a special investigations officer said in a statement. "Our special investigations unit leads the way when it comes to taking on these brutal groups involved in animal fights. This was an incredibly sophisticated investigation which showed the accused was guilty.

“No animal deserves to be injured or killed in the name of sport, or left to die a slow painful death," they continued. But they said the fact he escaped jailtime left them with some concerns. “Without a custodial sentence, our fear is that Martin, and others who are involved in animal fighting, won’t stop offending."

South of the Scottish border, the RSPCA recently revealed it had received 1,666 reports of animal cruelty on social media since 2020. Its figures showed 534 - or 32% - of them related to animals being intentionally harmed. The others related to neglect, illegal activity such as badger baiting, or abandonments.

Some of the worst incidents reported included attacks on wildlife, such as a squirrel being set on fire, and a fox cub being violently killed. RSPCA inspectorate commissioner Dermot Murphy said with social media being a big part of so many of our lives, it can be too easy for people to see animal cruelty shared on there. "Upsettingly, it’s not always something you have a choice to see because these posts can just appear on your news feed as you’re scrolling."