Rejected petition Increase animal cruelty charges, make specific offences for attacks on pets

The petition wants to see higher penalties for animal neglect, cruelty, attacks on domestic pets, and specific offences created for attacks/abuse on domestic pets

Our pets are not property they are family

Our pets look after us and protect us. The least we can do is the same for them

More details

Currently the sentence for for the injury or death of a "domestic animal" if not owned by the defendant is criminal damage as they are classed as property that is capable of being "damaged or destroyed"

Currently the maximum sentence for animal cruelty is 51 weeks however in practice this is often not applied.

Animal cruelty cases are considered summary offences, with magistrates’ courts only permitted to sentence people to a maximum of six months jail time.

This petition was rejected

Why was this petition rejected?

There’s already a petition about this issue. We cannot accept a new petition when we already have one about a very similar issue.

You are more likely to get action on this issue if you sign and share a single petition.

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/244552

We only reject petitions that don’t meet the petition standards.

Date submitted 2 July 2019
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