Anger over ban delay on hare cull
BY LAURA PATERSON THE Scottish Government have been accused of “dragging their feet on animal cruelty” over a ban on the culling of mountain hares.
Tens of thousands of the animals will be killed from today until the season ends on February 28, mainly by gamekeepers on shooting estates.
They claim the culls limit the spread of ticks, protect trees and safeguard fragile environments.
But campaigners say the practice is cruel and unnecessary.
Green MSP Alison Johnstone said: “The public are fed up with the Scottish Government dragging their feet on animal cruelty and allowing our hillsides to be used for blood sports.”
Harry Huyton, director of animal welfare charity OneKind, said: “The First Minister and the Cabinet Secretary have both been clear that the large-scale culling of mountain hares is unacceptable, yet once again the killing season has begun and mountain hares are left unprotected.”
The Scottish Government said: “Large-scale culling cannot be justified but it may be necessary to control mountain hare numbers in specific circumstances, such as to protect native woodlands or commercial forestry.” BY MARTIN FRICKER A TEENAGE thug yelled abuse at a judge yesterday as he got 17 years for the UK’s first acid attack killing.
Carer Joanne Rand, 47, had visited her daughter’s grave last June when two youths brawled over a drug deal nearby.
Xeneral Webster, 19, pulled out a bottle of sulphuric acid to intimidate his rival – but it was knocked out of his hand, dousing Joanne.
The mum of three suffered horrific burns and died of sepsis 11 days later.
Showing no remorse, Webster looked away as her family gave impact statements in court. As Judge Angela Morris sentenced him, he screamed: “All of you will probably be dead by the time I am out of here, f*** you bro.”
Joanne’s sister Jacqueline Joiner, 61, had told Webster: “You killed Jo. You took her from us. You did this to our family. Whatever sentence you get will never be enough to give us justice.
“There has to be some deterrent for these evil acid attacks as people not only can be traumatised and disfigured for life, they can also die.”
Joanne’s daughter Katie Pitwell, 18, told Webster: “You not only destroyed her life but all of ours too.”
Reading Crown Court heard Joanne had visited the grave of daughter Charlotte, who died in a road accident in 2011, aged 19, in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire.
She was sitting on a bench when the youths, who she did not know, clashed nearby.
The acid spilled over her head, arm and feet, eating away her skin to the muscle. She ran into a KFC to throw water on herself and was rushed to hospital. Jacqueline said she would never forget the look in her eyes when she asked her: “Am I going to die?”
She said: “Her organs were failing due to the sepsis. We watched the life drain out of Jo. The pain hits with an almighty blow as you realise what has happened.”
CCTV showed Webster put a balaclava on after the attack, retrieve the empty bottle and cycle off. He discarded the bottle and got a train home.
The thug, who had been attacked with acid two months earlier, was initially charged with murder. But prosecutors accepted his guilty plea to manslaughter part-way through his trial. He was also convicted of offences including possessing ammonia and a samurai sword.
Judge Morris told him: “You and your actions bear the responsibility for her tragic demise.”
After the case, Katie said: “The buying of acid needs to be restricted. Also, if someone is carrying it, there should be tougher sentences. People need to know if they’re carrying that type of stuff, it’s going to hurt or kill someone.”
Joanne’s sister Lynn Ryan added: “He must be evil to do something like that. We try not to think about him, he’s not important to us, Jo was.” Daughter Katie Pitwell