Cruelty laws ‘too weak’

People who commit cruelty against animals “are getting away with it” due to courts being too lenient, says a report.

Of 13,862 people found guilty of animal cruelty in England and Wales from 2005 to 2015, more than 92 per cent avoided prison, the Centre for Crime Prevention says.

It has called for the maximum sentence to be raised from six months’ jail to five years. The Government says it is reviewing the matter.