Couple jailed after stabbing breeder who sold them £800 pup that died

Couple are jailed for five years for ‘revenge attack’ on dog breeder who was stabbed in the neck on her own doorstep after selling them £800 Bullmastiff puppy which later died

• Hayley Stoker sold Chelsea Rees and Michael Kingston a £800 puppy which died
• The Bullmastif pup’s stomach ‘exploded’ just days after the purchase in August
• The couple went to Stoker’s Swansea home and stabbed her in the throat
• Kingston and Rees were sentenced to a total of five years in prison

An avenging couple were jailed over a brutal doorstep knife attack on a dog breeder who sold them a £800 puppy which died.

Breeder Hayley Stoker, 48, was stabbed in the throat on her doorstep in revenge after being blamed by the heartbroken couple over the death of their puppy in August, 22, 2022.

Chelsea Rees, 26, of Mayhill, Swansea, and boyfriend Michael Kingston, 31, Swansea, were furious over losing the puppy – and wanted the breeder to ‘feel the same pain.’

Both Kingston and Rees were sentenced to a total of five years in prison at Swansea Crown Court.

Chelsea Rees, 26, of Mayhill, Swansea, [right] and boyfriend Michael Kingston, 31, Swansea, [left] stabbed Hayley Stoker, 48, in the throat after they bought three Bullmastif puppies. Days after the purchase one puppy fell ill and died 

Hayley, pictured above, was at her home in Swansea when the pair attacked her on August, 22, 2022

Kingston pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm with intent, inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent, and possession of a bladed article. 

Rees also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm with intent, making threats to kill, and possession of bladed articles. 

She has 15 previous convictions for 33 offences including multiple batteries, common assaults, and assaults on police officers.

Rees and Kingston bought three Bullmastiff puppies for £2,450 for three puppies from a litter of 13 bred by Miss Stoker.

The couple bought three Bullmastiff puppies for £2,450 for three puppies from a litter of 13 bred by Miss Stoker. One pup fell in with in days and died after their stomach ‘exploded’

But within days the couple said one of puppies died with Kingston saying the pup’s stomach ‘exploded’ – and they blamed the breeder.

Georgia Donoghue, prosecuting, said: ‘The dog breeder told the couple the puppy had been healthy when she sold it.’

Rees had wanted to stab the dog breeder 13 times – one for each puppy in the litter – and wanted her ‘to suffer and feel pain’.

The court heard Miss Stoker answered her front door to find Kingston on her doorstep on a dark night in August.

Miss Stoker saw the caller putting his hand in his pocket then ‘thumping’ her in the throat causing her to stumble backwards and put her hands to her neck.

Kingston pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm with intent, inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent, and possession of a bladed article and they both received  five years in prison in total

Rees also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm with intent, making threats to kill, and possession of bladed articles. She has 15 previous convictions for 33 offences including multiple batteries, common assaults, and assaults on police officers. They bother received five years in prison in total

She then saw a ‘silver’ object in Kingston’s hand and when she removed her hands from her throat she saw they were covered in blood.

The victim managed to close her front door and call 999.

The court heard the following day police received a call from a friend of Rees saying she was making threats to stab Miss Stoker in the stomach and making threats to kill her.

Rees later said she wanted to ‘finish off’ Miss Stoker.

Kingston later told police he had gone to the house to stab Miss Stoker because one of the puppies had died due to her breeding.

He added: ‘It’s not fair – she was not feeling the same pain as the dogs did’.

In her interview Rees claimed the puppies they bought were ‘in-bred’ and one had died while the other two had to be put down, and that her feelings had then ‘boiled over’.

Rees said she wanted to stab Hayley 13 times- one for each puppy in the litter and said she hoped the breeder was in pain and hurting

She said she wanted their victim to ‘scream in pain’ as she was stabbed 13 times – one for each puppy in the litter.

Rees said: ‘I hope she is hurting; I hope she is in pain’.

She told officers she had fallen asleep on the night of the attack – and had missed it. But when she heard what had happened ‘she was glad’.

In her victim impact statement Miss Stoker said the doorstep attack had left her ‘living in a world of fear’, suffering with anxiety, and feeling ‘alone and isolated’.

Judge Geraint Walters said it was clear a ‘revenge attack’ was on the dog breeder as they believed she was responsible for what happened to their puppies.

He said: ‘ You had intended to cause the woman grievous bodily harm’.

Source: Read Full Article