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Should sentences be tougher for people who are convicted of animal cruelty? I think so.
Call for tougher penalties for animal cruelty
PEOPLE who commit animal cruelty can go on to commit other offences, including murder, but nine out of 10 cases do not lead to a prison sentence.
The Centre for Crime Prevention said 13,835 offences were committed in the decade to the end of 2015 by those with a previous conviction, or caution for animal cruelty, including murder and rape.
However, the report said more than 92 per cent of those found guilty of animal cruelty avoided prison, with offences resulting in a fine or suspended sentence including criminals who starved a dog to death, strangled a cat and threw it in the bin, filmed themselves throwing a bulldog down the stairs so many times that she had to be put down, and set a puppy on fire.
The report said those convicted of animal cruelty offences have gone on to commit thousands of crimes, including robbery, theft, the rape and neglect of children, and murder.
The Centre for Crime Prevention, which campaigns for better prevention of crime, is calling for tougher sentences for animal cruelty to "protect people and animals alike", and said of the 13,835 offences committed by those with a previous conviction or caution for animal cruelty over 10 years, 1,437 were violent offences - 16 of them murders.
They were also responsible for 202 sexual offences, including 19 rapes of a female under 16, eight rapes of a child under 13, and 26 cases of sexual assault on a female under 13. There were also 97 cases of cruelty or neglect to children by those who had previously been cruel to animals, 175 robberies and 5,557 thefts.
The report said the current maximum sentence for animal cruelty of six months in prison is the lowest in Europe and recommends that it should be brought in line with Northern Ireland and increased to five years.
Peter Cuthbertson, director of the Centre for Crime Prevention, said: "Animal lovers will be horrified to learn that animal cruelty is one of the many offences treated extremely leniently by our courts.
"The Government is currently exploring tougher sentences for animal cruelty. This is absolutely necessary. We need more serious, prolific criminals in prison. This would protect people and animals alike, because it's so often the same criminals who are a threat to both people and animals."
The RSPCA said it would also like to see the maximum sentence increased to five years.
nterim chief executive, Michael Ward, said: "While the RSPCA is seeing unbelievably shocking and distressing cases go before the courts, only a tiny proportion of animal abusers actually receive an immediate custodial sentence.
Read more: http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/News/15463305.Call_for_tougher_penalties_for_animal_cruelty/
Call for tougher penalties for animal cruelty
PEOPLE who commit animal cruelty can go on to commit other offences, including murder, but nine out of 10 cases do not lead to a prison sentence.
The Centre for Crime Prevention said 13,835 offences were committed in the decade to the end of 2015 by those with a previous conviction, or caution for animal cruelty, including murder and rape.
However, the report said more than 92 per cent of those found guilty of animal cruelty avoided prison, with offences resulting in a fine or suspended sentence including criminals who starved a dog to death, strangled a cat and threw it in the bin, filmed themselves throwing a bulldog down the stairs so many times that she had to be put down, and set a puppy on fire.
The report said those convicted of animal cruelty offences have gone on to commit thousands of crimes, including robbery, theft, the rape and neglect of children, and murder.
The Centre for Crime Prevention, which campaigns for better prevention of crime, is calling for tougher sentences for animal cruelty to "protect people and animals alike", and said of the 13,835 offences committed by those with a previous conviction or caution for animal cruelty over 10 years, 1,437 were violent offences - 16 of them murders.
They were also responsible for 202 sexual offences, including 19 rapes of a female under 16, eight rapes of a child under 13, and 26 cases of sexual assault on a female under 13. There were also 97 cases of cruelty or neglect to children by those who had previously been cruel to animals, 175 robberies and 5,557 thefts.
The report said the current maximum sentence for animal cruelty of six months in prison is the lowest in Europe and recommends that it should be brought in line with Northern Ireland and increased to five years.
Peter Cuthbertson, director of the Centre for Crime Prevention, said: "Animal lovers will be horrified to learn that animal cruelty is one of the many offences treated extremely leniently by our courts.
"The Government is currently exploring tougher sentences for animal cruelty. This is absolutely necessary. We need more serious, prolific criminals in prison. This would protect people and animals alike, because it's so often the same criminals who are a threat to both people and animals."
The RSPCA said it would also like to see the maximum sentence increased to five years.
nterim chief executive, Michael Ward, said: "While the RSPCA is seeing unbelievably shocking and distressing cases go before the courts, only a tiny proportion of animal abusers actually receive an immediate custodial sentence.
Read more: http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/News/15463305.Call_for_tougher_penalties_for_animal_cruelty/
