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Trigger warning animal abuse. AIBU to think these sentences were ridiculous

35 replies

Rosscameasdoody · 04/08/2025 20:20

Just heard on the news that two little kittens were found dead in a wooded area in West London. They had been tortured with an array of weapons including scissors, knives, and a blow torch. Both of them were cut open and one of them was found hanging in a tree.

A boy and a girl, both 17 were charged with animal cruelty and both were given custodial sentences of twelve months and nine months respectively, despite the boy admitting in court that he was killing animals because he had dreamed of killing humans. He intended to buy three more kittens to satisfy his craving.

Am I unreasonable in thinking that these sentences are totally inappropriate for such cruelty and that the authorities need to take this much more seriously - both for the cruelty inflicted on these two helpless little animals, and the wider implications of what they did, given that cruelty to animals is often a precursor to harm to humans. I despair of what is happening to our youth if they can inflict this sort of inhumane treatment to fellow creatures with such callousness and lack of remorse.

OP posts:
XenoBitch · 04/08/2025 21:00

This reminds me of 'Don't Fuck with Cats", where internet sleuths tracked down a guy who had been torturing and killing cats, who then went on to kill a person.

I am pretty sure it is a known thing that some killers started with animals.

I do think that custodial sentences for animal cruelty are far too lenient.

ttcafterheartbreak · 04/08/2025 21:00

These two also apparently went missing a month after the arrest for this atrocity and were found with a bag containing amongst other things tins of tuna ? They are showing dedication it seems to their evil obsession

BotterMon · 04/08/2025 21:00

Ridiculous sentences. Surely he's a danger to society and she doesn't sound any better.

AllPlayedOut · 04/08/2025 21:00

The only appropriate use for people who do things like this is as fertiliser. That is the only positive thing that they’ll ever contribute to society is when they die. I firmly believe that anyone who could do something like this is completely irredeemable, deserve no second chances and have absolutely no place in society.

ttcafterheartbreak · 04/08/2025 20:59

I don’t see how they could release him given he has admitted he wants to kill humans and the kittens were just a temporary measure to satisfy the craving to kill while he apparently researched how to get away with murdering a human ???

Rosscameasdoody · 04/08/2025 20:57

GrumpyCowBag · 04/08/2025 20:29

I was absolutely horrified when I read this news. It is terrifying to think what these kids will be like when they’re older. And just can’t stop picturing and hearing those poor babies. I feel traumatised by just reading it. How can kids do that :(

This is how I feel. Can’t get the sound of their cries as they were being tortured and cut out of my head. It’s terrifying to think that anyone could be so wicked. I’ll probably be flamed for this but I really think in cases like these some sort of punishment to bring home the pain inflicted is appropriate - not only for the poor animals involved, but in respect of how this can escalate. It’s been known for years that serial killers are often responsible for horrendous animal cruelty before they start on humans. How they can deem a year in custody appropriate given what he’s admitted to is beyond me.

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Muffsies · 04/08/2025 20:53

It's terrifying to think there are people like this out there, of course their behaviour will escalate. Here in Oxford there was someone recently who started torturing cats to actually murdering a drunk man and dumping him in the river.

zebrazoop · 04/08/2025 20:47

Heard it on the news today, absolutely awful

GrumpyCowBag · 04/08/2025 20:29

I was absolutely horrified when I read this news. It is terrifying to think what these kids will be like when they’re older. And just can’t stop picturing and hearing those poor babies. I feel traumatised by just reading it. How can kids do that :(

TheFormidableMrsC · 04/08/2025 20:22

I agree. They are psychopaths. The boy admitted he wanted to murder somebody. He’ll be back in the news one day and “lessons will be learned”. I couldn’t read the details, they were too horrific.

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