A Labour MP is pressing the government to increase the penalties for animal cruelty offences, noting that research shows people who harm animals are more likely to go on to commit crimes such as domestic abuse.
Anna Turley was due to use a Westminster Hall speech on Tuesday afternoon to raise awareness before a private member’s bill is introduced seeking to raise the maximum jail term possible for animal cruelty.
The Redcar MP said she had been alerted to the issue after two brothers in her constituency received suspended sentences and tagging orders after carrying out what RSPCA inspectors said was the most horrifying abuse they had seen.
Andrew and Daniel Frankish were filmed hurling the family’s pet bulldog down the stairs of their home and stamping on it. After a mobile phone memory card containing the footage was found on the floor of a supermarket, they were convicted of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal.
Turley said she had been shocked to learn that the maximum jail term for such offences was six months, having not been changed since 1911. A 2005 proposal to increase this to a year has not been enacted.
“It was so surprising, and so I thought this has to be remedied,” Turley said. “I feel we have an overwhelming case here so I’m hoping the government will take action.”
Westminster Hall debates allow backbench MPs to highlight issues they believe are important or neglected. In her speech, Turley was to point to research indicating that those who abuse animals often go on to commit offences against people.
“Because abusers target the powerless, crimes against animals, spouses, children and the elderly often go hand in hand,” she was to say. “Children who abuse animals may be repeating a lesson learned at home; like their parents, they are reacting to anger or frustration with violence. Their violence is directed at the only individual in the family who is more vulnerable than they are: an animal.”
US research has shown abuse of pets is a key predictor of domestic violence against a partner, and about three-quarters of women going to domestic violence shelters said their partners also abused the family pet.
Turley also pointed to a study from Teesside University that identified a link between animal abuse and domestic violence.
She said: “It’s quite shocking the correlation, particularly between domestic violence and animal cruelty. If we can raise awareness of this issue we can hopefully prevent further cruelty, both to animals and to people.”
Turley argues that a perception that penalties are too low for animal cruelty offences can cause public anger. After the case of the Frankish brothers was reported, local people marched on the home. The family was later reported to have moved out after windows of the house were smashed.
