- Calls are mounting for Crufts champion Lee Cox to be stripped of his Best in Show award, which he won with Clumber spaniel Bruin, following revelations of a past animal abuse conviction.
- A petition, which has over 15,000 signatures, urges the Royal Kennel Club to remove Mr Cox's trophy and implement a lifetime ban for people with animal cruelty convictions.
- Mr Cox was convicted in 2001 for causing unnecessary suffering to a cocker spaniel named Adam, which led to the dog's ear amputation.
- The Royal Kennel Club said that the conviction stemmed from an “isolated incident 25 years ago” and that Mr Cox has maintained an “unblemished record” since.
- Kylie-Jo Cope, who launched the petition, argued that allowing someone with such a history to hold a Crufts title undermines the show's integrity and animal welfare standards.
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