Animal cruelty sentences increase
TWENTY-ONE South Yorkshire people were convicted for 54 animal cruelty offences last year, RSPCA figures show.
The charity’s 2013 report showed a national total of 1,371 defendants convicted — thanks to a 97.9 per cent success rate in court.
RSPCA chief legal officer Ray Goodfellow said: “The number of prison sentences and suspended prison sentences imposed by the courts increased, highlighting the serious nature of the offending and the serious view taken by courts of animal cruelty offences.”