Dog Fights Prompt 5,000 Calls To Rspca In Past Decade

[mikey4444]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-38653726

This sort of thing makes me so angry ! How can anybody stand by and watch this awful animal cruelty beats me.

"The maximum sentence for offenders is six months in prison and/or an unlimited fine, but campaigners want it to be raised to up to three years"

Why not put a minimum sentence for these offences ? If there has 5000 reports, then only 137 convictions seems to tell me that there is a problem somewhere.

[EDDIE51]

Increasing the sentence will not help to get more convictions. The problem here is that Dog Fighting is a carried out by a highly secretive group ,they all know each other and keep their mouths shut, outsiders are never going to get into it. It is mainly sections of the 'travelers community' that participate in and organise this crime.
The reports almost always either due to finding dead or injured dogs or reports of an event after it has happened or started so that the participants have time to get away. Even if an arrest is made there is a 'code of silence' between those involved which means no one is going to give evidence.

[andy-hughes]

hereIam - //Baldric, I love Mr O'Grady and I personally don't know anyone who dislikes him. //

I think Mr O'Grady is a nice and caring man, but I cannot do with the 'vinegary old queen' persona he adopts for his Radio 2 show.

[ToraToraTora]

"Increasing the sentence will not help to get more convictions." - but they will be out of circulation longer and some will be deterred.

[murraymints]

what Eddie said..scandalous stuff

[hereIam]

Sadly, I agree with you too EDDIE. Heartbreaking.