A new law will ensure animal abusers are jailed for up to 5 years
and animal sentience is reflected in domestic law, under plans
published by the Environment Secretary today.
The Government has published a draft bill which would increase
the maximum prison sentence for animal cruelty tenfold, from six
months to five years, in England and Wales. The draft bill also
sets out that the government “must have regard to the welfare
needs of animals as sentient beings in formulating and
implementing government policy”. Subject to consultation on the
draft bill, the government will legislate to deliver both aims.
The plans underline the government’s commitment to raising animal
welfare standards, ensuring there will be enhanced protections
for animals as we leave the EU.
Environment Secretary said:
As we leave the EU we will deliver a Green Brexit, not only
maintaining but enhancing animal welfare standards.
Animals are sentient beings who feel pain and suffering, so we
are writing that principle into law and ensuring that we
protect their welfare.
Our plans will also increase sentences for those who commit the
most heinous acts of animal cruelty to five years in jail.
We are a nation of animal lovers so we will make Brexit work
not just for citizens but for the animals we love and cherish
too.
The plans to increase maximum sentences follows a number of
recent shocking cases where courts have said they would have
handed down longer sentences had they been available, including a
case last year when a man trained dogs to ruthlessly torture
other animals, including trapping a fox and a terrier dog in a
cage to brutally attack each other.
The move has been strongly welcomed by animal welfare groups and
follows dedicated campaigning from Battersea Dogs & Cats
Home.
Battersea Dogs & Cats Home’s Chief Executive Claire Horton
said:
Battersea is greatly encouraged by the Government’s willingness
to see sentences for the most shocking cases of animal cruelty
increase from six months to five years and today’s Defra
announcement takes a significant step in that direction.
Battersea is very much at the front line of animal welfare and
it’s heart-breaking to see truly shocking cases of animal
cruelty and neglect come through our doors, where dogs and cats
have clearly had to endure so much suffering.
The current maximum cruelty sentence of six months in England
and Wales is neither a punishment nor a deterrent but Battersea
believes today’s publication of a draft Bill could help to
achieve both.
The draft Bill is part of a wider programme of reform to cement
the UK’s position as a global leader on animal welfare. Earlier
in the year, we announced plans to make CCTV mandatory in all
slaughterhouses and we have committed to taking steps to control
the export of live farm animals for slaughter as we leave the EU.
Background
- Cases of extreme cruelty are rare – while on average about
1,150 people per year are convicted for animal cruelty, fewer
than five of them receive the current maximum sentence. The
change in law will ensure that offenders are properly punished in
those rare but shocking cases.
- Under the government’s plans, courts will retain the ability
to hand out an unlimited fine and ban an offender from owning
animals in the future, but crucially they will also have the
ability to sentence the worst cases appropriately. The move will
bring maximum sentences for animal cruelty in England into line
with other countries such as Australia, Canada and the Republic
of Ireland.
- Some of the recent shocking cases in which courts commented
they would have handed down longer prison sentences had the law
allowed them include:
- A man who systematically abused and killed several puppies by
beating, choking and stabbing them, sentenced to the maximum six
months’ imprisonment and banned from owning animals.
- A man who kicked his girlfriend’s dog to death, given a
custodial sentence of just over five months, fined £1,000 and
banned from owning animals.
- A man who fed his dog aspirin and paracetamol to try to kill
her, before beating her to death with a shovel, sentenced to four
months in prison and banned from owning animals.
