Man charged, another on bail after remains of 37 dogs found at property in Essex

Ovaeed Rahaman, 25, of Hope Road in Crays Hill, Billericay, has been charged with multiple offences, including animal cruelty and fraud. He is due to appear at Southend Magistrates’ Court today (May 15),

The charges come after a joint visit to a property in the Crays Hill area on Tuesday, 13 May, by Essex Police, the RSPCA, and Basildon Council, in response to numerous reports concerning the address.

Two men were arrested during the operation on suspicion of fraud involving the transfer of dog ownership and animal cruelty offences. One of the men has since been released on bail until July under strict conditions.

Rahaman has been charged with causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal, failing to ensure animal welfare (an offence under Section 9 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006), and three counts of fraud by false representation.

Inspector Steve Parry of the Basildon neighbourhood policing team said: “This has been an extremely intensive investigation – to have secured such significant charges within 36 hours of making an arrest is a real testament to the unwavering commitment of the officers here in Basildon.

“The public sentiment surrounding this investigation is not lost on us and I would continue to urge the public to be responsible when discussing this, both online and in person.

“We are also acutely aware there will be a number of people, potentially across the UK, who may have questions on the current situation or information which they want us to know about. We have now set up a dedicated public portal through which we would ask for people to make contact.”

He added: “This will allow us to continue to collate key evidence as the case progresses through the justice system and I would urge people to please use this method to get in contact.

“As I’ve said before, this is likely to be a complex and potentially far-reaching investigation, and one which we won’t be able to give running commentary on – but we will endeavour to keep the public informed when it is appropriate to do so.”

Anyone with relevant information is urged to contact police via the dedicated online portal. Anonymous reports can also be made through the charity Crimestoppers by calling 0800 555 111.