Jamie Luke Alford found guilty of breaking in to Gympie RSPCA

A camo-clad dog owner went to the RSPCA in the cover of night to rescue his seized American Staffy, which was scheduled for destruction. There was just one problem.

A devoted dog owner has been found guilty of breaking and entering after he tried to retrieve his beloved pet which had been seized and listed for destruction.

Amamoor man Jamie Luke Alford, 35, was charged over the March 2021 Gympie RSPCA break-in, but in court this week, he denied he was the man shown on CCTV video.

Instead the court heard, he suggested ‘crackheads’ were responsible for the crime.

Alford was supported in the public gallery by his partner throughout his trial.

The court heard Alford’s dog, an American Staffy named Chewie, was seized by the council and was to be destroyed at the RSPCA.

Gympie regional council Community Sustainability Director Adrian Burns told the Gympie Times on Friday the dog was seized after it was deemed dangerous due to interactions with other animals.

Police prosecutor Melissa Campbell said Alford knew the dog was at the RSPCA.

Jamie Alford’s American Staffordshire Terrier (similar to the one shown here) was seized for destruction at the RSPCA in March.

“After the seizure of the dog, the defendant has contacted the ranger and asked for the return of the dog,” she said.

CCTV footage captured a white ute pulling up to the RSPCA late at night and a man in a camouflage ghillie suit (a whole body covering typically used for hunting, usually covered in artificial leaves to disguise the hunter), climbing the fence to get inside.

The intruder was captured climbing onto the roof of a cage, cutting a hole in the wire, and lifting the animal out before throwing it onto the ground.

Sgt Campbell said the dog obediently followed the man without a lead, showing familiarity.

CCTV footage captured Alford wearing a ghillie suit and breaking in to the RSPCA to retrieve his staffy, who was listed to be destroyed.

She noted bodycam footage during a search warrant shown in court, where the same dog obeyed Alford, but no one else.

The video was played in Gympie Magistrates Court on Thursday, where it was determined the ute captured on CCTV matched Alford’s, as did the ghillie suit, which was found in his home during a police search.

Magistrate Callaghan found Alford guilty of breaking in to the pound and stealing the animal, which was in possession of council at the time.

Alford was sentenced to nine months in jail but was released on parole immediately.

Despite the circumstantial evidence, Jamie Luke Alford was found guilty in Gympie Magistrates Court.

The fate of Alford’s dog and why he was seized in the first place was not shared in court.

Gympie regional council Community Sustainability Director Adrian Burns told the Gympie Times on Friday the dog was seized after it was deemed dangerous due to interactions with other animals.