The United Kingdom has seen a worrying rise in the number of convictions for animal cruelty over the past few years. More worryingly, the punishments handed down to those found guilty of cases of very serious animal abuse have been shockingly lenient. The Pet Owners Parliament is calling on people who care to add their name to call on the government to review its position and pass laws enabling - and encouraging - the justice system to hand down appropriate sentences for crimes that are often carried out by people who have a history of or go on to serious, violent crime.

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Meet Shaun Furgusson. Say hello to Peter Dibden. Introducing Lee Howard, Leighton Martin Collins and Wesley Lloyd Bryan

All of them have something in common. They’re animal abusers of the cruellest kind. They also share another common bond. They’re all out and about mixing in society with you and I.

Furgusson: 6 months prison time. His crime. Abducted his neighbour, Tracy Bainbridge’s dog Chrissie, and subjected her to a shocking tirade of violence including.Throwing her at a television
Beating her with an assortment of improvised weapons

• Cutting off part of her ear.
• Breaking 5 of her ribs
• Causing her severe brain damage
• Puncturing her lung
• Shatteringher teeth

Dibden: Executed his own pet dog, Max with a Samurai sword. No jail but a £900 fine.

Lee Howard: Abandoned his three dogs, leaving them to die a slow and torturous death of starvation and dehydration. He got a 6 month prison sentence.

Leighton Martin Collins: Admitted to punching his pet Yorkshire Terrier in the face so many times that it had to be put to sleep after the dog, one of the world’s smallest breeds of dog, had “shown him up”, as Collins put it.

Collins had been drinking and admitted to having had 5 pints of beer prior to the incident. He was drinking at the public house where his partner is the landlady, and felt that the dog was “showing him up” in front of the other customers. He was sentenced to pay vet costs of £1,012.89 but did not receive a prison term.

These acts of cruelty and violence are dimminished when the perpertrators are treated with such leniency. The message it gives is that this level of violence and sadism is not relevant if the only victim is one that can not speak. It devalues the wider issue of prevention. If there is no just penalties, society will view the crime itself as unimportant.

Well, it's not unimportant.

Animals / pets form a valuable part of the fabric of modern society and they bring a great deal of joy to millions. We owe it to them to offer a degree of protection. We are currently struggling to stem the rise in cruelty and weak sentences for the cruellest animal abusers is part of the problem. The crime is tacitly advertised as non serious by the judicial system that lets these type of criminals off the hook for the sickening acts of cruelty

Whilst people who take a samurai sword and execute a dog get no prison time, common fraudsters get put away for signifcant periods. Both are a blight on society. Both should be treated as such.

Wesley Lloyd Bryan was found guilty of neglect after two puppies in his care were discovered with horrendous injuries caused by being burned with scalding water and left for dead whilst Bryan and others ignored their anguished cries. Bryan didn't even turn up at court. He absconded.

He need not have worried. He was punished for his crimes via a 10-year ban from keeping animals.

What, you thought he’d be getting a more severe punishment?

After all, he only boiled a couple of puppies alive, broke one of their legs, ignored their cries of pain for four days and then went on the run from the Police. You don’t think a 10-year ban on keeping animals is enough?

Britain needs to change its stance in the cruellest cases of animal abuse. We all take a collective gasp when hearing of these shocking crimes in our newspapers and we assume justice will be served through the courts. The facts are that real justice will never be served until the courts are given the authority to hand down sentences severe enough to fit the level and nature of the crime.

We ask anyone who cares for animals to help us put pressure on the Government to make changes to enable courts to hand down tougher sentences to animal abusers. Please help us.

By simply stating "I agree" in the box below you are sending a powerful message to the British Government that you fundamentally disagree with the levels of sentencing handed down to those found guilty of serious acts of animal abuse.

Thank you.

jessica budd	2009-10-30 10:55:32 i agree, it is sick how people can do this and get a few months in prison if that, if they beat a person or a child they would get years. I read about a woman that got 6 weeks in prison and band form keeping animals, for putting her cay in the washing machine on a boil wash.which killed it in 10 minuets.the ban was right but the length of time in prison was no where near long enough for such a cruel person. punishment must be more appropriate.
Ell Sim	2009-10-18 07:28:43 I agree. These bastards should be tattoed ontheir forehead to let everyone know what they are - an animal abuser !!
rebecca rowlands	2009-10-04 12:11:04 I Agree. If you can take a life or cause suffering to that extent, whether it be a human or an animal that your inflicting it on to, you should be punished properly.
Lisa Baker	2009-09-17 11:29:09 I AGREE
Ana Coxixo	2009-09-07 06:21:48 i agree
john La Niece	2009-08-03 14:17:43 I agree
Kim-louise Bowers	2009-07-25 11:28:13 i fully agree. This is an issue which always makes me angry when i hear how people get away with the most shamefull of crimes..we MUST get tougher as a nation!
Delaine Parkin	2009-07-07 06:51:21 I agree
Tracie Storey	2009-06-22 15:47:34 I agree
Amanda Dunckley	2009-06-21 15:41:20 I Agree.

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