Animal ban after teen killed his family’s pet

A Sunderland teenager has been banned from owning animals for 15-years after he stabbedhisfamily’spetbird.

Aaron Ray, 18, left the cockatiel with catastrophic injuries after plunging a knife into the back of its neck during a fit of rage.

Police officers found the deceased bird after being called to an address in South Hylton following reports of a disturbance and when questioned, Ray insisted “it’s just a bird, it’s not a crime”.

Ray, of Mayfield Road was convicted at South Tyneside Magistrate’s Court on June 11 after pleading guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to an animal.

On Friday, June 26 he received a 12-week sentence, suspended for one year and handed a 15-year ban from owning animals.

Pc Peter Baker, wildlife officer at Northumbria Police, said Ray’s conviction should act as a reminder that animal cruelty is a criminal offence.

He said: “Aaron Ray showed a total disregard for the welfare of this bird and inflicted catastrophic injuries that it could not survive from.

“This kind of behaviour is not only reckless and upsetting, but a criminal offence and that’s the lesson that Ray now must learn.

“We are a nation of animal lovers, so it is upsetting to come across incidents such as this where the defendant has caused inevitable and unnecessary suffering to an animal.”

Anyone who witnesses cruelty or an animal in distress should contact the RSPCA directly or call 101.