Craigavon: Siblings guilty of 'extreme' animal cruelty

Craigavon: Siblings guilty of 'extreme' animal cruelty - read the full article here. 

USPCA Chief Executive, Brendan Mullan, said, "Unfortunately, we are disappointed but not shocked to see yet another case of severe animal neglect here in Northern Ireland. In this year alone we have seen several court cases pertaining to animal cruelty, all of which – in our view – involved too lenient of sentencing for the guilty individuals.

"If our Courts continue to hand down minimal fines, suspended sentences, and short-term bans on owning animals, how will we ever deter this type of behaviour in our society? For instances of animal cruelty, Northern Ireland has tough legislation in place, including maximum five-year custodial sentences, life bans from keeping animals, and fines of up to £20,000 – there is a continuous failing from the Courts to apply such sentencing.

"In this particular case, we note that one of the individuals already had an animal cruelty conviction and ban on owning animals which he subsequently breached. Again, this calls into question how bans from owning animals are actually monitored and provides yet another example of why we need a Banned Offenders Register to ensure animals do not end up in the hands of abusers.

"A 10-year ban from owning animals was included in the sentencing, however, with one individual having a history of animal cruelty, we find it inexcusable that a lifetime ban was not imposed. Regrettably, this is another failing of the judicial system in helping to protect some of the most vulnerable members of our society – no animal should have to endure the suffering involved in this case."