Calls to ban businessman who lied to customers about cremating their pets
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A businessman fined a second time for lying to customers about cremating their pets should be banned from operating, an animal burial group has said.
Allan McMaster told grieving clients he had cremated their horses when he had not.
The 52-year-old owner of Swan Pit Pet Crematorium at Swan Pit Farm in Gnosall admitted making false representation and three animal by-product offences involving three horses.
He was fined £2,000, given a 12-week jail-term suspended for a year, ordered to carry court 250 hours of unpaid work and told to attend a 15-day rehabilitation course by magistrates last week.
The incidents took place in January – just months after McMaster had been convicted for similar offences.
Steve Mayles, vice-chairman of the Association of Private Pet Cemeteries and Crematoria (APPCC), said: “This man should clearly not have been allowed to continue in business as we said at the time.
“He has now offended again. He was not one of our members, but I fear his deplorable behaviour could tar responsible operators with the same brush.
“That would be unfortunate because our members have to adhere to a strict code of conduct and operate with transparency.
“People may be surprised, even horrified to hear, that there is no legislation that insists on pets being carefully handled and transported with dignity when they die.
“That is a very big reason we came into existence 20 years ago. Any crematorium carrying our logo can guarantee careful handling and dignified treatment through every stage of the cremation process.
“However, that protection does not come from the law of the land but from APPCC imposed standards.”
In November last year McMaster pleaded guilty to five charges of fraud relating to knowingly returning the wrong ashes to clients and four charges of failing to comply with animal by-product regulations relating to the way horse carcasses were kept.
Trading standards had found freezers at the crematorium piled with dead pets including an iguana, chicken, cats and dogs.
McMaster was ordered to carry out 200 hours unpaid work as part of a 12-month community order. He was also told to pay £6,435 costs and compensation, including £500 to each of four known victims. Mr McMaster was unavailable for comment.
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