Calls for Crufts winner to have award removed after animal cruelty conviction revealed
Calls grow for this year’s Crufts champion to be stripped of Best in Show awardIndependent He revealed that he had a previous conviction for animal abuse.
A petition, which has gathered more than 15,000 signatures since Tuesday, is calling on organizers the Royal Kennel Club to remove Lee Cox’s trophy award and ban people with animal cruelty convictions from participating in the show for life.
On Monday it emerged that Mr Cox was found guilty of causing unnecessary suffering to his black cocker spaniel called Adam following a three-day trial at Sedgemoor Magistrates’ Court in September 2001.
In a previous statement to this publication, the Royal Kennel Club stressed that this was an “isolated incident 25 years ago” and that Mr Cox has had an “unblemished record” since then.
Kylie-Jo Cope, who started the petition, wrote: “Crufts isn’t just a competition, it’s the world’s most prestigious dog show; watched and respected by animal lovers everywhere. When someone is awarded the Crufts title, it sends a message about what the sport is all about.”
“Allowing anyone with a history of cruelty to animals to retain such a title undermines the integrity of Crufts and sends a dangerous signal that welfare standards are flexible when it is not appropriate to enforce them.”
Mr Cox, who runs Kaston Kennels in Mark, Somerset, was given a three-year conditional discharge and ordered to pay £5,000 costs after the cocker spaniel suffered a chronic ear infection that resulted in amputation.
Company Home listings show the kennels dissolved in February 2018, but Mr Cox is currently listed at the Vanitonia kennel at the same address in Somerset.
Ms Cope said: “Crufts represents the highest standards of animal welfare, responsible ownership and respect for dogs. This is exactly why this is important – and why so many people are shocked and deeply upset by the idea that someone with previous convictions for animal cruelty could hold a Crufts title.”
At the Crufts dog show in Birmingham on Sunday, Mr Cox guided his Clumber Spaniel Bruin to victory, beating 18,000 other competitors.
Speaking after his win, he said: “This is really amazing, I mean what can I say? I can’t believe it. Thank you so much.”
Mr Cox added: “He’s just, he’s a dog for life, he really, really is. He’s very, very special. I absolutely adore him. He adores me too.”
Earlier this week the Royal Kennel Club said: Independent: “We can confirm that Mr Lee Cox, winner of the Crufts 2026 Best in Show award in 2001, was involved in a case involving a cocker spaniel dog with a chronic ear infection. The court granted conditional discharge.
“Convictions involving animal welfare are always reviewed by the Royal Kennel Club and due consideration will be given to how the courts treat such convictions. In this case, an appropriate sanction was imposed by the disciplinary panel reflecting the court decision and did not warrant disqualification. This was an isolated incident 25 years ago. Mr Cox has had an impeccable record in the 25 years since this incident and has made a significantly positive contribution to the world of dogs.”
Independent He approached the Royal Kennel Club and Mr Cox for comment.
