Petition Justice for Horses

The Animal Welfare Act 2006 is currently too lenient on perpetrators of violent and abhorrent acts of cruelty against animals offering a maximum sentence of 6 months imprisonment only. The Criminal Damage Act 1971 offers a ten year maximum sentence for those who kill an animal belonging to another yet this is not available to those who kill their own animal. The two statutory provisions available to prosecute intentional acts of cruelty against animals should be streamlined to enable enforcers and the courts to administer justice to an acceptable standard. The current set up can cause injustice to the animal, the owner (if they are not the perpetrator) and ultimately to society by allowing such crimes to be treated too leniently.