Kelly Banham considers whether parents should be prosecuted for allowing their children to become obese
In a recent case, two brothers from Fordham have been convicted of animal cruelty under the Protection of Animals Act 2000 in a private prosecution brought by the RSPCA (unreported, 12 January 2007). David Benton and his brother Derek allowed their pet Labrador, Rusty, to become dangerously obese, weighing in at over 11 stone. Vets are reported to have compared the appearance of the nine-year-old dog to a walrus.
In one of the first cases of its kind, Ely Magistrates’ Court heard evidence from the prosecution that the brothers had ignored veterinary advice and had failed to provide an appropriate diet for the dog, which on examination by an RSPCA inspector could “barely walk a few steps and collapsed if kept standing”. The brothers denied mistreatment but were found guilty and each given a three-year conditional discharge and ordered to pay £250 in costs. The dog has since been returned into their care.
Precedent has
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