I’m heartbroken, says QC owner of dog that mauled seal to death
... but she and pet are let off over attack on Freddie
A LEADING barrister whose dog fatally savaged a seal said yesterday that she was heartbroken by the incident.
Rebecca Sabben-Clare, who has a £6million London home, will not face any legal action despite public outrage that she had let her dog off the lead before it attacked the much-loved creature.
Police and the RSPCA said the 49-year-old QC, who hired lawyers in a failed bid to keep her name secret, would not be prosecuted because she had not committed any offence.
Nor will her dog be destroyed or taken away from her.
Nicknamed Freddie, after Queen singer Freddie Mercury, the seal pup had gained international attention because he had been tagged by marine experts and released three times in
‘There was nothing I could do’
France, the Netherlands and England. For several weeks the seal pup had been enchanting locals on the Thames in central London, which he had made his home. But onlookers in Barnes at the south end of Hammesmith Bridge were devastated on Sunday when Miss Sabben-Clare’s dog attacked Freddie, mauling a flipper.
Passers-by pulled the terrier- cross away as the barrister looked on, a long dog lead for joggers hanging from her belt. The lawyer then hurriedly left the scene.
A vet said injuries including a broken bone, dislocated flipper and joint, nerve and ligament damage, made life in the wild impossible, and Freddie was put to sleep.
Yesterday Miss Sabben- Clare said: ‘I am heartbroken by this terrible accident. As an animal lover, I fully understand the dismay that has been expressed.
‘I apologise unreservedly for what happened. In hindsight I wish, of course, that the dog had been on a lead but at the time that did not seem necessary. I am hugely grateful to all those who helped at the scene. They were heroic. I left for my own safety and that of my dog, believing that there was nothing that I could do to help as the seal was being looked after by a vet and help had been called.’
The Oxford- educated commercial barrister, whose father was headmaster of Winchester College from 1985 to 2000, added: ‘I offered my contact details to the vet before leaving.’
A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police Service, which can prosecute owners who fail to control dangerous dogs, said: ‘Police have investigated the death of a seal after it was injured by a dog on the River Thames near Hammersmith
Bridge. Officers attended the location on Sunday with the London Fire Brigade. They recovered the young pup and it was taken to a rescue centre for treatment, but had to be put down.
‘Following the investigation there will be no further criminal investigation or action taken.’
A spokesman for the RSPCA said last night: ‘We are deeply saddened by what happened to Freddie and this highlights why it is important to keep dogs on leads around wild animals. We investigate animal welfare offences.
‘Dog attacks on animals would become an animal welfare offence if done deliberately. If no offences have been committed under relevant animal welfare acts we are unable to take incidents further. Offences involving dogs out of control are investigated by the police.
‘We spoke to the owner and as this was not a case of deliberate cruelty, it is not an offence we would investigate. We are happy to assist police if needed.’
After the attack, Freddie was taken by boat to the South Essex Wildlife Hospital in Tilbury.
Educated at New College Oxford, Miss Sabben-Clare was named a leading English silk in the 2021 Legal 500 Directory.