A 26-year-old man from Basildon, Essex, has been sentenced to five years in prison after running a fake animal charity that led to the deaths of dozens of dogs. Oaveed Rahman was sentenced on February 20, 2026, after admitting to fraud and animal cruelty at his property in Crays Hill.
During an investigation that began in May 2025, Essex Police officers found the remains of 41 dogs at the site. Rahman operated under the name Save A Paw, where he claimed to rehabilitate pets but instead left them in squalid conditions without food or water.
Rahman admitted to 11 counts of fraud and one count of causing unnecessary suffering to 22 animals that were found alive, including 21 dogs and one cat. He also admitted to owning a banned XL Bully dog. The five-year sentence includes 38 months for animal cruelty and 22 months for fraud crimes.
One victim, Michelle Halliday, handed over her dog and 2,340.37 pounds in donations to the fake charity, only for her pet to later be found dead. As part of his sentence, Rahman is now banned from owning any animals for the rest of his life.
The investigation has been described by authorities as one of the most harrowing animal cruelty cases in the history of the county. Other groups like the Dogs Trust and the National Animal Welfare Trust helped find new homes for the pets that survived.
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