A woman who illegally imported sick border collie puppies from a puppy farm in Ireland and passed them off as a home breed has been ordered to pay £1,630 for running a 'pet shop' without a licence.

Helen Moorey of Ashbury, near Wantage, Oxfordshire, was fined £600 and told to pay a £30 victim surcharge and £1,000 costs.

The sentence comes after the 55-year-old was found guilty of breaching Section 1 of the Pet Animals Act 1951 at Oxford Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, November 2.

During the trial, six witnesses gave evidence that Moorey had been involved with puppy sales last year and this year.

Given the frequency that puppies were available for sale and the fact Moorey refused to let anyone into her property to meet the puppies’ mother, it was decided this was a commercial operation and required a licence.

Moorey, who is already serving a jail term for fraud relating to the operation, did not give evidence at this trial.

In sentencing, the District Judge took Ms Moorey’s limited means into account, along with other recent convictions for fraud relating to the sale of puppies, for which she was serving a prison sentence.

A full report of the case can be found on the Oxford Mail website – click here to view

Pictured: One of the puppies being sold illegally by Helen Moorey. (Courtesy RSPCA)