A Walthamstow man has been banned from keeping any animals for two years after allowing his puppy to undergo an illegal procedure.

Last month, Ramadan Murtati, a 20-year-old from Folkestone Road, pleaded guilty at the magistrates’ court in his previous home of Leicester to violating the Animal Welfare Act.

Murtati had allowed someone to crop the ears of his 15-week-old puppy Bully, despite having been previously warned by vets that this procedure is illegal in England.

Ear cropping, while legal in some countries, is a painful process where part or all of the ear is removed for comestic reasons and was outlawed in 2006.

Animal welfare charity RSPCA were contacted by a vet asked to vaccinate Bully after noticing his ears had been recently cropped. They attended the vet with police, who seized the dog.

Bully’s ears showed signs of being recently cropped (credit: RSPCA)

RSPCA inspector Herchy Boal said: “Bully was quite old to have had his ears cropped, which would have been more painful for him. He could have further health issues from this in years to come.

“I am happy to say that Bully was signed over to the care of the RSPCA and has since been rehomed to a lovely family who completely adore him.”

An expert vet who examined Bully added: “There was no evidence of any conventional surgical technique, sutures, or dressing covering the ears.

“In my professional opinion, the patient was subjected unnecessarily to a procedure that, regardless of the medical care provided, always implicated discomfort and potential pain.”

Murtati was disqualified from keeping all animals for two years, fined £120 and ordered to pay court costs of £150 and a £34 victim surcharge.