The head of a notorious illegal dog fight gang was back in action with his dogs last month it has been revealed.

Only this time, incredibly, Stephen Barriskill, the boss of the infamous Farmers’ Boys dog fight syndicate, exchanged the dog fighting pit for the show ring.

A national newspaper in Northern Ireland has discovered that the shamed dog fight organiser was actually showing his dogs at Crufts back in March.

The Belfast Telegraph reports:

Outraged USPCA officials were left stunned after receiving complaints that the shamed pitbull fight organiser was showing off his pets at the NEC in Birmingham last month.The charity was also told that Barriskill — who was exposed in the BBC’s award winning Spotlight programme ‘The Pitbull Sting’ as a top dog fight organiser last year — pretended he was a top breeder from Northern Ireland.

A senior USPCA source said the charity was set to inform Crufts of Barriskill’s involvement in the dog fighting world.

The charity also intends to provide Cruft’s organisers with images of Barriskill and other members of the Farmers’ Boys.

Said the source: “We were horrified to learn Barriskill was at Crufts for a number of days. He is involved in a depraved sport yet still attends legitimate shows where everyone loves dogs.

“He was showing his dogs, but the vast majority of people at the show will have no idea of his background. Maybe he was looking for types of breeds that he can use in his fights. If people knew what this man was involved in they wouldn’t let him or his cronies anywhere near their pets.

“The people who run Crufts will have had no idea about Barriskill, but we will inform them of what he has been up to. If they have his photograph then hopefully they can stop him from getting anywhere near next year’s event.”

Barriskill has kept a low profile following his exposure on Spotlight’s Pitbull Sting, which on Friday night scooped the News and Current Affairs Programme of the Year prize at the Northern Ireland’s annual CIPR Press Awards on Friday night.

The USPCA source said: “The dog fights are still happening all over the country and the Farmers’ Boys are still the main players. Barriskill is telling people he’s no longer involved in the sport, but few believe him. It won’t be long before he’s back at the fights again because this is the only thing he lives for.”

At the time of his exposure, the dad-of-two’s family condemned his involvement in the sick sport. Said a spokesman for the family: “We wish to thoroughly and unequivocally distance ourselves from him.

“We are absolute and complete in our utter condemnation of the disgusting, illegal and barbaric practice of dog fighting, as well as the breeding of dogs for such purposes.

“We are shocked and disgusted that he has sought to blacken such a respectable family’s name in this manner, as well as the damage that he has thus chosen to inflict upon others.”

Tyrone GAA star Gerard Cavlan was also fingered in the BBC NI film as a leading figure with a group called ‘The Bulldog Sanctuary Kennels’, which organised contests — often to the death — of pure-bred fighting pitbull dogs.

Source

Barriskill’s family publicly disowned the dog fight ring leader last year, telling K9 Magazine

“We are shocked and disgusted that he has sought to blacken such a respectable family’s name in this manner, as well as at the untold damage that he has thus chosen to inflict upon others.”

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