More than 27,000 people have backed a petition calling for a prominent lawyer who clubbed a fox to death on Boxing Day to be prosecuted.
Jolyon Maugham QC, who is known for leading a series of legal actions over Brexit, triggered an angry backlash on Twitter on Thursday when he wrote: “Already this morning I have killed a fox with a baseball bat. How’s your Boxing Day going?”
The Good Law Project founder claimed the animal had “got caught up in the protective netting around the chickens” at his London home and he “wasn’t sure what else to do”.
He later apologised and told his 178,000 followers that he had reported himself to the RSPCA.
Mr Maugham also revealed he was wearing his wife’s green satin kimono and nursing a hangover when he clubbed the fox to death.
An RSPCA spokeswoman confirmed the animal welfare charity is aware of the “distressing” incident and that it is investigating, adding: “We’ve been made aware of this and are looking into it.”
However, she said there is not likely to be any update for several weeks.
Tens of thousands of people added their names to an online petition calling for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to investigate the incident and to prosecute Mr Maugham “if appropriate”.
Government guidelines state cage traps and snares may be deployed to protect property from foxes and a person who uses them must “humanely kill any fox you catch while it’s in the trap or snare”.
After receiving a barrage of criticism, Mr Maugham said: “No one should relish killing animals – and I certainly didn’t – but if you haven’t been up close to a large trapped fox, perhaps reserve judgment.”
Matthew Scott, a lawyer who writes legal commentary on his website Barrister Blogger, said the “obvious offence to consider first” is a breach of the Wild Mammals (Protection) Act, which prohibits inflicting “unnecessary suffering” by beating.
The offence can be punishable with up to six months in prison, though Mr Scott said Mr Maugham could potentially argue killing the fox was necessary as to not do so would have “would have meant the fox suffering on the wire for longer”.
