CAGED NATIONWIDE Interviews
GBGB Licensed Greyhound Trainer
Marina and Steven May contacted Caged Nationwide
The brave couple offered to assist us in exposing the truth about greyhound racing.
UPDATES
2023 - Cavies Chunk and Drumdoit Skye (pictured below) start a new journey
2024 - NEIL BRITTON STORY UNCOVERED - BANNED FOR LIFE - SERIOUS CONCERN FOR MISSING DOGS 'CELTIC DIVA, BATTLING WILD, LOOKINGFORADIVA, SANDY WILLOW AND JAYS SWIFT'
GBGB Licensed Greyhound Trainer
Marina and Steven May contacted Caged Nationwide
The brave couple offered to assist us in exposing the truth about greyhound racing.
UPDATES
2023 - Cavies Chunk and Drumdoit Skye (pictured below) start a new journey
2024 - NEIL BRITTON STORY UNCOVERED - BANNED FOR LIFE - SERIOUS CONCERN FOR MISSING DOGS 'CELTIC DIVA, BATTLING WILD, LOOKINGFORADIVA, SANDY WILLOW AND JAYS SWIFT'
Blue Greyhound Cavies Chunk
D.O.B. 06/06/2020
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Black Greyhound Drumdoit Skye D.O.B 02/04/2020
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The Mays were already struggling to keep 14 greyhounds '8 of them retired' and 6 actively racing when in July 2023 something happened that would change their outlook of greyhound racing.
Steve did not want to speak about the greyhounds he had lost on the tracks during a public interview. He told us it would upset him too much; one of his dogs had sustained a spinal injury and died after leaving Swindon race track. He said he deeply regretted his earlier involvement in greyhound racing and would never race his dogs at any race track again.
He admitted to us that he now realises that race tracks are too unpredictable with the structure and management of the them failing to take greyhound welfare into account.
In January 2023; Greyhound trainer, Neil Britton, had all of his 17 greyhounds removed from him due to welfare issues. Neil admitted to Caged Nationwide that he had not been financially coping with his 17 dogs before they were removed.
Mr Britton told us he had been struggling and was eager to make a career out of greyhound racing but it had all fallen apart for him when his dogs were removed and dispersed amongst several other Perry Barr greyhound trainers. 2 of his dogs, two year old Drumdoit Skye and two year old Cavies Chunk were passed on for free by ARC to the Mays.
The Mays were expecting to race these two dogs but when this did not materialise for them they became disgruntled as to being left to fund the dogs themselves. They told us they were paid £6 per day for each dog as agreed but in June they claimed the payments just stopped. Steven said he chased after ARC as he felt they had dumped more dogs on them while they were already financially struggling to cope with the 14 dogs they already kept; due to his frustration he had sent several text messages to Mr Baldwin, the ARC representative who gave him the 2 dogs; These messages were then viewed as potentially threatening and they notified Mr May that the Greyhound Board and the police would be notified. Mrs May was then banned from all ARC greyhound tracks due to the nature of the text messages, however they had the option to race at non ARC race tracks. Following this, the Mays have told us they no longer want to race their greyhounds at any race tracks. They are retiring all of their 16 dogs with the support of Caged Nationwide.
See the letters below;
Steve did not want to speak about the greyhounds he had lost on the tracks during a public interview. He told us it would upset him too much; one of his dogs had sustained a spinal injury and died after leaving Swindon race track. He said he deeply regretted his earlier involvement in greyhound racing and would never race his dogs at any race track again.
He admitted to us that he now realises that race tracks are too unpredictable with the structure and management of the them failing to take greyhound welfare into account.
In January 2023; Greyhound trainer, Neil Britton, had all of his 17 greyhounds removed from him due to welfare issues. Neil admitted to Caged Nationwide that he had not been financially coping with his 17 dogs before they were removed.
Mr Britton told us he had been struggling and was eager to make a career out of greyhound racing but it had all fallen apart for him when his dogs were removed and dispersed amongst several other Perry Barr greyhound trainers. 2 of his dogs, two year old Drumdoit Skye and two year old Cavies Chunk were passed on for free by ARC to the Mays.
The Mays were expecting to race these two dogs but when this did not materialise for them they became disgruntled as to being left to fund the dogs themselves. They told us they were paid £6 per day for each dog as agreed but in June they claimed the payments just stopped. Steven said he chased after ARC as he felt they had dumped more dogs on them while they were already financially struggling to cope with the 14 dogs they already kept; due to his frustration he had sent several text messages to Mr Baldwin, the ARC representative who gave him the 2 dogs; These messages were then viewed as potentially threatening and they notified Mr May that the Greyhound Board and the police would be notified. Mrs May was then banned from all ARC greyhound tracks due to the nature of the text messages, however they had the option to race at non ARC race tracks. Following this, the Mays have told us they no longer want to race their greyhounds at any race tracks. They are retiring all of their 16 dogs with the support of Caged Nationwide.
See the letters below;
The Mays were banned specifically from all named ARC racing stadia
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Copies of the texts messages
sent by Mr May
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Caged Nationwide donated 65 x 15kg bags of dog food to the now former greyhound trainer to help feed their 16 retired greyhounds.
It is in our view that the Greyhound Board should have taken responsibility for the welfare of these greyhounds.
We refuse to see any dog go hungry.
We thank Marina and Steven May for giving up greyhound racing and for speaking out against the cruelty.
It is in our view that the Greyhound Board should have taken responsibility for the welfare of these greyhounds.
We refuse to see any dog go hungry.
We thank Marina and Steven May for giving up greyhound racing and for speaking out against the cruelty.
Left; Co founder of Caged -
Right; Steven May former kennel hand and husband of Marina May
Exciting News
Cavies Chunk and Drumdoit Skye begin a new journey
Cavies Chunk and Drumdoit Skye begin a new journey
Following the interview;
Marina and Ste very kindly did what the greyhound racing industry failed to do, when they put the welfare of Cavies Chunk and Drumdoit Skye first; they decided to relinquish both of the Neil Britton dogs to Caged Nationwide. They told us they felt that all of the Britton dogs should have initially been taken to rescue by ARC and the GBGB but instead they were dispersed to other licensed greyhound racing trainers.
The two dogs (shown below) were taken to GPUK by Caged Nationwide - We did not believe that the rescue should pay for their spay and neuter. We donated to cover the veterinary fees that the racing industry should have in our view been obligated to pay.
We found ourselves once again taking responsibility for dogs that the racing industry had failed. Special Thanks to Kerry at Greyhound Protection UK and Marina and Steven May for working closely with us to secure the welfare of these two dogs.
Marina and Ste very kindly did what the greyhound racing industry failed to do, when they put the welfare of Cavies Chunk and Drumdoit Skye first; they decided to relinquish both of the Neil Britton dogs to Caged Nationwide. They told us they felt that all of the Britton dogs should have initially been taken to rescue by ARC and the GBGB but instead they were dispersed to other licensed greyhound racing trainers.
The two dogs (shown below) were taken to GPUK by Caged Nationwide - We did not believe that the rescue should pay for their spay and neuter. We donated to cover the veterinary fees that the racing industry should have in our view been obligated to pay.
We found ourselves once again taking responsibility for dogs that the racing industry had failed. Special Thanks to Kerry at Greyhound Protection UK and Marina and Steven May for working closely with us to secure the welfare of these two dogs.
Caged NW volunteers take both Cavies Chunk and Drumdoite Skye to Greyhound rescue GPUK - 2023
Latest News
Greyhound trainer, Neil Britton banned from racing dogs at GBGB tracks
'Concerns for Missing Dogs'
The Disciplinary Committee of the GBGB was in attendance at a meeting held on 15 October 2024. Those present: Mr H Starte (in the chair) Mr D Levy Mr R O’Donovan 1 Professional Trainer Mr Neil Britton Professional Trainer Mr Neil Britton was found in breach of Rules 18, 174 (vi), 152 (i) and 152(ii) in that he failed to make acceptable retirement arrangements for five greyhounds, knowingly made false statements in retirement forms submitted to GBGB in relation to those greyhounds and by his improper conduct in these matters acted in a manner prejudicial to the integrity, proper conduct and good reputation of greyhound racing. Mr Britton did not attend. Area Stipendiary Steward Peter Rosney was in attendance. The Committee heard that Mr Britton had relinquished his trainer’s licence some time ago and was understood no longer to be involved in regulated greyhound racing. He had been duly served with his calling by letter and given notice of the time and date of the hearing on 17 September 2024. He had been sent a copy of the hearing bundle by email on 14 October 2024. On 14 October. Mr Britton’s daughter informed GBGB by email that Mr Britton would not be attending but that the hearing should proceed. Presenting for the Board, Director of Regulation Mr Phillip Law submitted it was clear Mr Britton’s attendance would not be secured by adjournment. The public interest lay in the matters under inquiry being dealt with as expeditiously as possible. It was fair and just in all the circumstances to proceed in his absence. The Committee agreed. LOOKINGFORADIVA, SANDY WILLOW and JAYS SWIFT In his evidence to the Committee, Area Stipendiary Steward Peter Rosney told how on 29 December 2022, he attended the evening meeting at Perry Barr Stadium. He saw a greyhound FOXWOOD RON being weighed and then taken by Mr Britton for inspection by the vet as a travelling reserve for the meeting. Mr Rosney was very concerned when the dog was passed by the vet. He considered the dog was in very poor condition. The records were checked and showed weight loss in excess of 3kg over a short period. He spoke with Mr Britton and his daughter and the vet about the dog’s condition, after which the vet agreed the dog should be removed. Mr Rosney told Mr Britton he would visit his kennel in the next two weeks as he was concerned about the other greyhounds in his care. Mr Rosney then saw two of Mr Britton’s greyhounds trialling that evening, JAYS SWIFT and LOOKINGFORADIVA. They both appeared underweight and in poor condition and ran poorly. Mr Rosney said that on 4 January 2023 he went to the kennels in Birmingham Road, Water Orton, Sutton Coldfield where Mr Britton kept 23 greyhounds. The kennels were on a site shared with a dog boarding kennels and a waste disposal business. The site entrance gates were secured shut. He was let in by staff from the boarding kennels. Mr Britton’s kennels were locked up and no one was there. He telephoned Mr Britton who agreed to come to the kennels in half an hour. Mr Britton arrived with his daughter and her boyfriend. Mr Rosney inspected the kennels and made an inventory of all the greyhounds present. Many were underweight, particularly two retired greyhounds ERRILL PEG and PUCKANE TAYLOR. JAYS SWIFT and LOOKINGFORADIVA were not there. Mr Britton told him they had been rehomed with a man who lived on Birmingham Road and that he had delivered retirement forms for the dogs to Perry Barr stadium the previous day. Mr Rosney discussed his greyhounds’ diet with Mr Britton and gave advice about food preparation and the need for a warming feed in winter. On 9 January 2023 Mr Martin Seal, Racing Manager at Perry Barr stadium, confirmed to Mr Rosney the stadium had retirement forms for the greyhounds LOOKINGFORADIVA, SANDY WILLOW and DRUMDOIT SKYE and that these forms had been completed with Paul Homer of Birmingham Road, Birmingham stated as the name and address of the new owner. However, as DRUMDOIT SKYE trialled at Perry Barr on 9 January, Mr Seal queried the retirement form with Mr Britton. Mr Britton said he had made a mistake, that the form should have been for JAY’S SWIFT and that he would complete a correct retirement form. The Committee heard Mr Rosney returned to Mr Britton’s kennel on 11 January 2023, when again nobody had been present. He had made enquiries along Birmingham Road, in search of Paul Homer. At the house number given for Paul Homer on the retirement forms he spoke with a woman who said her family had lived there for more than 10 years. She knew no one called Paul Homer. Mr Rosney visited other addresses along Birmingham Road. Nobody he spoke with knew a Paul Homer or had seen anyone with greyhounds. The same day Mr Seal told Mr Rosney he had received four more retirement forms for the greyhounds LOOKINGFORADIVA, ARDERA NIDGE, PUCKANE TAYLOR and MANDABOUT CODY. The form for LOOKINGFORADIVA was a second submission and not a copy of the previously submitted form. It also showed Paul Homer as the new owner and appeared to have been completed because the first form had not been completed to show that the dog had been rehomed to Paul Homer as a pet. The next day Mr Rosney went to Mr Britton’s home and asked him to go with him to the Birmingham Road kennels. No one was at the kennels when they arrived. Mr Rosney asked Mr Britton to explain how greyhounds LOOKINGFORADIVA, SANDY WILLOW and JAYS SWIFT had left the kennel. He said a man who called himself Paul Homer, who said he lived on Birmingham Road just along from the kennels, called in and asked if he had any retired dogs he could have as pets. The man had taken photographs of a number of dogs and said he would return in a few days. Mr Britton said the man returned on 3 January 2023, when Mr Britton gave him the three dogs. He did not ask for any proof of the man’s identity or a phone number or any way of contacting him. He took no steps to verify the address or check the suitability of the person or the premises at which the dogs would be kept. Mr Britton said he got the man to sign the retirement forms for the three dogs and that he had filled out the address section for the new owner on the man’s instructions. These would have been the forms completed for LOOKINGFORADIVA, SANDY WILLOW and (in error for JAYS SWIFT) DRUMDOIT SKYE, delivered to Perry Barr stadium and reported to Mr Rosney on 9 January 2023. On 19 January 2023 Mr Rosney held a Local Inquiry at Perry Barr Stadium. Mr Britton gave the same account of how a man calling himself Paul Homer had come to the kennels on Sunday, 1 January 2023, and how the man had signed the retirement forms at the kennels on Tuesday, 3 January 2023. The man said he only lived around the corner from the kennels. He had never seen him before, Mr Britton said, but he saw no reason to doubt him. He told the man he would provide leads for the dogs when he came back to take them. When he did, Mr Britton said he also gave the man some bowls and some biscuit. The man had no vehicle and had walked the greyhounds from the kennels. Mr Britton did not know where they had gone, or what had happened to them. At the Local Inquiry Mr Britton was asked why two retirement forms had been submitted for LOOKINGFORADIVA. He said he had got mixed up and completed a second form along with retirement forms he had submitted for other greyhounds after the first LOOKINGFORADIVA form. He admitted he wrote the signature for “Paul Homer” on the second retirement form. It was put to him that the signatures on all four forms for LOOKINGFORADIVA, SANDY WILLOW and DRUMDOIT SKYE were identical, despite the fact that he had not had the first form to copy from when he wrote the signature on the second form for LOOKINGFORADIVA, and that he had never previously met the man who he said signed the other three forms. Mr Britton denied the signatures were identical and insisted the man calling himself Paul Homer had signed the other three forms. Mr Rosney told the Committee that on 29 January 2023 Mr Britton texted him saying he had given the three greyhounds to a Scottish man living next door to the kennels and this man had sold them on. On 31 January 2023 Mr Rosney went to the kennels. A perimeter fence had blown down, so that he could see a 4x4 vehicle and caravan on the adjoining property with ramshackle kennels housing dogs of various breeds but no greyhounds. He spoke with a man with a Scottish accent who said he lived in the caravan. The man first denied having any greyhounds from Mr Britton but then said he had bought three from him for “small money” and sold them later the same day on the internet. He would give no information about his identity or the internet site he used or where the . He would give no information about his identity or the internet site he used or where the 14 VOL 16 NO 25 6 DECEMBER 2024 dogs had gone. He told Mr Rosney he had not signed any paperwork in relation to any greyhounds. Other persons at the site told Mr Rosney the man was called “Jamie”. CELTIC DIVA and BATTLING WILD Following the inquiries into the retirement of LOOKINGFORADIVA, SANDY WILLOW and JAYS SWIFT, inquiries were made into the retirement by Mr Britton of the greyhound CELTIC DIVA in October 2021 and the greyhound BATTLING WILD in March 2022. The Committee heard that CELTIC DIVA had arrived in Mr Britton’s kennels in June 2021. Mr Britton’s kennel book recorded that the greyhound had left on 9 October 2021 to go to “Mrs N.Emals” at an address in Station Road, Doncaster. GBGB inquiries established that the postcode recorded in the kennel book did not tally with any address in a Station Road in Doncaster. Mr Britton submitted a retirement form for CELTIC DIVA dated 8 October 2021. In correspondence with the GBGB in March 2023 Mr Britton claimed the retirement form had been signed by “the lady who took her”. But the retirement form stated that the greyhound had been retained as a pet by its owner, named as “Nicola Tahan” and purportedly bore that person’s signature. In March 2024 GBGB Investigating Officer Chris Hufton visited the home address of a Nichola Tahan and, when he could find no one there, left a card requesting that Nichola Tahan contact him. Later that afternoon a man telephoned him saying he was Nichola Tahan. He said he had never heard of Mr Britton or a greyhound called CELTIC DIVA. He said when he was a flapper at Askern he had got dogs that had been retired to independent racing by GBGB trainers. He said he would make checks and get back to Mr Hufton but he did not respond to several subsequent calls. Mr Hufton visited the address again in April but found no one there. The Committee heard that the greyhound BATTLING WILD came to Mr Britton’s kennels in October 2021 from former Monmore Green Stadium trainer Mr Arran Dunn. Records showed the dog ran in a sprint trial at Perry Barr on 12 October 2021, followed by another trial and three D4 races, the last on 6 November 2021. The greyhound was not present in Mr Britton’s kennels when Mr Rosney visited in January 2023. Mr Britton’s kennel book did not record the dog leaving his kennels on any specified date or as going to any specified person, although on some unspecified date someone had written “back 2 original trainer”. A retirement form for BATTLING WILD dated 1 March 2022 showing “Arran Dunn” as the owner and apparently signed “A J Dunn” was submitted stating both that the greyhound had been retained by Mr Britton as its owner or trainer and that it had been given or sold to Mr Britton as its new owner. Responding to a GBGB inquiry in March 2023 as to where BATTLING WILD was, Mr Britton wrote that the greyhound “was sent back to Arrun (sic) Dunn”. However, Mr Dunn told the GBGB that he had never taken the dog back from Mr Britton. When Mr Britton was asked to explain why Mr Dunn denied taking the dog back and why the retirement form stated that Mr Britton kept it, he did not respond. Mr Rosney’s evidence was that Mr Dunn told him that BATTLING WILD had at no point been returned to him. Mr Dunn had said that when he had met Mr Britton sometime after the dog had been running at Perry Barr, he had asked Mr Britton how it was doing and Mr Britton had told him that he had rehomed the dog. The Committee had no serious doubt that Mr Britton did not give the greyhounds LOOKINGFORADIVA, SANDY WILLOW and JAYS SWIFT to a man calling himself Paul Homer as he claimed and that Paul Homer was a fiction adopted by Mr Britton to disguise whatever actually became of those greyhounds. There was no expert handwriting evidence on the similarity of the signatures on the three retirement forms said to have been signed by Paul Homer and the second form for LOOKINGFORDIVA which Mr Britton said he wrote. But they were obviously, strikingly similar and all shared the unusual characteristic of the first letter of Homer being written as or closely resembling a lower case “h” rather than a capital letter. The name “Homer” appeared to be a cynical play on words. It was, however, also the case that Mr Britton had no choice but to say that he had written the signature on the second LOOKINGFORDIVA form even if, in fact, the other three forms were not signed by him and he had got the second form signed by the person who signed the other three, because Mr Britton would have known that any inquiry would reveal that person was not Paul Homer and did not live at the stated address. If, as the Committee considered much less likely, that was what happened, Mr Britton had still dishonestly colluded in a false signature and dishonestly made the same false statements in all four submitted retirement forms, doing so to disguise the truth about what had happened to the three greyhounds. It could only be a matter for speculation what Mr Britton did with these greyhounds and what happened to them as a result of his actions. What was certain was that Mr Britton had at best failed to make anything like acceptable retirement arrangements for each of them and was in very serious breach of Rule 18. He had knowingly and dishonestly forged or colluded in the forgery of the signatures on the submitted retirement forms and made false statements on their forms as to where and to whom they had been rehomed, if indeed they were. This unacceptable conduct was at best a grossly irresponsible and unacceptable betrayal of his duty of care towards the greyhounds. It was conduct that was seriously prejudicial to the integrity, proper conduct and good reputation of greyhound racing. The Committee had no doubt that CELTIC DIVA and BATTLING WILD had been victims of the same dishonest and grossly irresponsible conduct by Mr Britton. Whatever happened to CELTIC DIVA, the dog did not go to “Mrs N.Emals”, as Mr Britton cynically joked in his kennel book. On the balance of probability, the dog did not go to a “Nicola Tahan” or to a “Nichola Tahan”. The signature in the retirement form was a forgery. Whatever happened to BATTLING WILD, the dog did not return to Mr Dunn. The signature in the retirement form was a forgery. The Committee found these to be breaches by Mr Britton of the most serious kind that showed him to be wholly unfit to hold a trainer’s licence. The appropriate sanction was that he be disqualified for an indefinite period and pay a fine of £1000.
GBGB Disciplinary Results Published on 06.12.24
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