Couple stabs dog breeder in revenge after their £800 (around P54,000) puppy dies
A couple was put behind bars after they stabbed a dog breeder in a revenge attack after the puppy they bought for £800 (around P54,000) died.
48-year-old Hayley Stoker was stabbed in the throat on her doorstep on August 22 by 26-year-old Chelse Rees and her 31-year-old boyfriend Michael Kingston who wanted the breeder to "feel the same pain."
According to the Swansea Crown Court in Wales, the couple bought three Bullmastiff puppies for £2,450 from Stoker but one of the pups died after a few days. Kingston claimed that its stomach "exploded" while Rees said it was "inbred" and blamed the breeder.
"The dog breeder told the couple the puppy had been puppy when she sold it," prosecutor Georgia Donoghue said. Rees also said that the two other puppies were later put down, as reported by the DailyMail.
The attack
Rees wanted to stab the breeder 13 times, one for each puppy in the litter their dogs belonged to.
In August, Kingston arrived on Stoker's front door with his hand in his pocket. She later saw the man "thumping" her in the throat, causing her to stumble backwards. The breeder then saw a silver object in the hands of Kingston and when she removed her hands from her throat, she was covered in blood. The victim still managed to close her front door and call for help.
The following day, police received a call from a friend of Rees who said she was making threats to Stoker's life and how she wanted to "finish off" the breeder.
"It's not fair—she was not feeling the same pain the dogs did," Kingston told police.
In a victim impact statement, Stoker said the attack left her "living in a world of fear," feeling "alone and isolated," and suffering from anxiety.
Kingston pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm with intent, inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent, and possession of a bladed article. Meanwhile, his girlfriend was convicted with conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm with intent, making threats to kill, and possession of bladed articles.
Judge Geraint Walters ruled the incident as a "revenge attack."