Preston and Blackburn puppy selling probe: defendants from Bamber Bridge, Blackpool, Leyland, and Lancaster among those appearing in court next week

A woman accused of masterminding an illegal puppy selling operation spanning Lancashire will appear before Preston Crown Court on May 28, alongside other co-defendants from across the county accused of helping her.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

Heather Young, 25, of Lady Acre, Bamber Bridge, is alleged to have sold puppies and dogs without a licence between February 25, 2020 and April 7, 2021.

She is accused of unfair trading by doing so, and three counts of money laundering by allegedly transferring money from the sales to co-defendants Scanlon, Iddon and Hinds.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

She also faces five counts of committing fraud in June, July and December 2020 by dishonestly making false declarations to the Pets-4-Homes website in which she allegedly gave the details of other women and two co-defendants, Hadden and Mereweather, while setting up seller accounts.

Crown CourtCrown Court
Crown Court
Read More
Six to appear at court in Lancaster over puppy selling case

Jason Hadden, 39, of Terance Road, Blackpool, and Alexander Mereweather, 27, of Three Nooks, Bamber Bridge, are both accused of aiding and abetting her to sell pets without a licence and unfair trading by doing so.

Jordan Hinds, 38, of Burton Street, Rishton, Blackburn, is accused of the same charges, as well as selling puppies without a licence between September 25 and December 15 2020 in Blackburn, unfair trading by doing so, unfair trading by giving the impression the sale of them was lawful, and possessing criminal property - the proceeds of the unlawful sales by Young.

Clifford Iddon, 46, of Lambert Road, Preston, is accused of two counts of carrying on a business between February 25, 2020 and April 7, 2021, selling animals as pets,without the authority of a licence, unfair trading by giving the impression the sale of the puppies was lawful, and possessing criminal property from the unlawful sale of pets by Young.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Jacqueline Leadbetter (aka Scanlon), 60, of Morley Croft, Farington Moss, Leyland, is accused of aiding and abetting Young to sell the puppies without a license, unfair trading by doing so, being concerned in an arrangement which facilitated the acquisition of criminal property and two counts of possessing criminal property - money from the sales of pets.

All are due to appear before Preston Crown Court on May 28.

Samuel Jones, of Laburnum Road, Chorley, and Daniel O'Connor, of Sefton Drive, Lancaster, are accused of selling puppies without a licence, and unfair trading and were due to appear at a separate hearing before Lancaster Magistrates' Court.

(proceeding)

The Lancashire Post is more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription to support our journalism. For unlimited access to Lancashire news and information online, you can subscribe here.