Tougher sentences for animal abusers have moved closed to becoming law, as a proposed bill went unopposed at second reading. The Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Bill would increase the maximum sentence for animal cruelty offences 10-fold from six months in prison to five … The plans will only apply in England, as animal cruelty powers are devolved to the nations of the UK. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Claire Horton, chief executive of Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, added the change will be "very positively received by the public". .css-1xgx53b-Link{font-family:ReithSans,Helvetica,Arial,freesans,sans-serif;font-weight:700;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;color:#FFFFFF;}.css-1xgx53b-Link:hover,.css-1xgx53b-Link:focus{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;}Read about our approach to external linking. Last year, a man from Caerphilly avoided jail after he was .css-yidnqd-InlineLink:link{color:#3F3F42;}.css-yidnqd-InlineLink:visited{color:#696969;}.css-yidnqd-InlineLink:link,.css-yidnqd-InlineLink:visited{font-weight:bolder;border-bottom:1px solid #BABABA;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}.css-yidnqd-InlineLink:link:hover,.css-yidnqd-InlineLink:visited:hover,.css-yidnqd-InlineLink:link:focus,.css-yidnqd-InlineLink:visited:focus{border-bottom-color:currentcolor;border-bottom-width:2px;color:#B80000;}@supports (text-underline-offset:0.25em){.css-yidnqd-InlineLink:link,.css-yidnqd-InlineLink:visited{border-bottom:none;-webkit-text-decoration:underline #BABABA;text-decoration:underline #BABABA;-webkit-text-decoration-thickness:1px;text-decoration-thickness:1px;-webkit-text-decoration-skip-ink:none;text-decoration-skip-ink:none;text-underline-offset:0.25em;}.css-yidnqd-InlineLink:link:hover,.css-yidnqd-InlineLink:visited:hover,.css-yidnqd-InlineLink:link:focus,.css-yidnqd-InlineLink:visited:focus{-webkit-text-decoration-color:currentcolor;text-decoration-color:currentcolor;-webkit-text-decoration-thickness:2px;text-decoration-thickness:2px;color:#B80000;}}convicted of having sex with his two dogs. In Scotland, the maximum sentence is 12 months but the Scottish Government is consulting on whether to increase this to five years. There are three types of offences against animals generally. These plans are part of wider programme of reform to cement the UK’s position as a global leader on animal … The move - an increase on the current six-month maximum sentence - follows a number of cases where English courts wanted to hand down tougher sentences. The new Bill will enable tougher prison sentences for the most serious perpetrators of animal cruelty, from the current maximum of six months to up to five years. "Maximum sentences are set by parliament, not the judiciary, but if they are increased this will change the range of sentences available and therefore affect sentencing guidelines and sentencing practice.". The maximum sentence for offenders in Wales is six months in prison, while the maximum sentence in Scotland is 12 months. Tougher sentences for animal abusers have moved closed to becoming law, as a proposed bill went unopposed at second reading. Current six-month sentence not enough of a deterrent, says Government VideoWhen driving a tuk-tuk pays more than making art, The defiant 'nail houses' refusing to sell up, Why the Swedes love doing something Americans hate. In Crown Courts, where more serious cases are heard, the maximum sentence for animal cruelty has increased from two to five years. The maximum jail sentence for the most "egregious" acts of cruelty against animals in England and Wales should be doubled to two years, an MP has said. "If these proposals lead to five-year jail sentences for those involved in dog fighting, this will be a massive step forward.". The Scottish government said it had recently committed to increasing the maximum penalty for the most serious animal cruelty cases to five years' imprisonment. The House of Representatives could vote on Tuesday on whether to impeach Donald Trump, Democrats say. © 2021 BBC. Some of the animal abuse cases in the last few years have been nothing less than sick! Two boys, aged 15 and 17, were sentenced to a 12-month referral order to the youth offending team and were banned from keeping animals for 10 years after admitting causing unnecessary suffering. A GBH sentence can be up to 5 years in jail, animal cruelty an average of 3.3 months. In another case prosecuted by the RSPCA, a Merthyr Tydfil cat owner spoke of his horror when he discovered CCTV footage of his cat being intentionally set upon and mauled to death by a dog. The maximum custodial sentence for animal cruelty in England and Wales - six months - is the lowest in Europe. T he Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Bill would increase the … When driving a tuk-tuk pays more than making art. It comes as judges and magistrates in some English courts have complained they wanted to hand down tougher sentences to those guilty of abusing animals. The MP for West Dorset said he was "shocked" to learn that in 2019 the RSPCA, (the UK's leading charity against animal cruelty), investigated more than 130,700 complaints of animal cruelty … The Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Bill. The UK government, which has previously committed to increase the maximum sentence from six months to five years, said it will do so "as soon as parliamentary time allows" to make the UK "a world leader in the care and protection of animals". The Government is planning to raise the maximum sentence from six months in jail as part of reforms to be announced at the Conservative Party … This will make it one of the toughest sanctions in Europe, strengthening the UK’s position as a global leader on animal welfare. A law to raise the previous 12-month limit came into … Can onboard rollercoasters save the cruise industry? The maximum sentence for animal cruelty offences would increase 10-fold, from six months in prison to five years, under legislation supported by MPs. Sentences for animal cruelty to increase tenfold to five years Environment Secretary Michael Gove has announced that animal abusers could face up to five years in prison Animal abusers … Can onboard rollercoasters save the cruise industry? The maximum sentence in Northern Ireland is five years. The Public Bill Committee will scrutinise the Bill line by line. Environment Secretary Michael Gove said it would target "those who commit the most shocking cruelty towards animals". Where an offence does not fall squarely into a category, individual factors may require a degree of weighting before making an overall assessment and determining the appropriate offence category. 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