ANIMAL abuse is rife and dozens of criminals have been punished for their crimes in Berkshire.
It comes as the RSPCA received hundreds of calls of animal cruelty in the last three years.
The figures come in the wake of the high-profile case of West Ham United footballer Kurt Zouma, who was prosecuted after a video of him kicking his cat went viral on social media.
In June, Zouma was sentenced to 180 hours of community service and was banned from owning a cat for five years after pleading guilty to two counts of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal.
READ MORE: Dog dumped in rucksack among hundreds of calls of animal cruelty in Berkshire
We have listed some of the unimaginable crimes our four-legged friends face from some of Berkshire brutes.
Since February 2022, Reading Magistrates’ Court has seen seven cases where negligent owners have been banned from keeping animals due to suffering they have caused their pets.
Emma Welland
A Slough woman was fined £80 and ordered to pay costs of £800 for abusing a cat having been banned from keeping animals.
The 50-year-old of Wavell Gardens, Slough, was found guilty of breaching a disqualification imposed after conviction under the animal welfare act 2006.
She was found guilty on March 17, 2022
Joshua Sharpe
A Winnersh man was spared prison after he was found guilty of killing a Dachshund puppy and a Sphynx kitten.
Joshua Sharpe of Delane Drive, Winnersh, had denied two counts of failing to ensure the needs of an animal were met.
However, following a summary trial at Reading Magistrates' Court on November 30, 2021, the 25-year-old was found guilty on both counts.
The court heard how Sharpe had killed a dachshund puppy called Spark on December 7, 2020.
He was charged for failing to meet its need to be protected from pain, suffering, injury and disease due to infliction of blunt force trauma and physical violence.
A year later on January 23, 2021, a Sphynx kitten called Peppa was found injured at an address in Yateley.
The Daschund puppy Sharpe killed
The 25-year-old was also found guilty for 'failing to meet its need to be protected from pain, suffering, injury and disease due to the infliction of blunt force trauma and physical violence."
At a sentencing hearing on Friday, March 4, Sharpe was handed a 24-week prison sentence suspended for 22 months.
This means he was free to walk away from court but will be jailed if he commits another offence in the next 22 months.
He will also have to carry out 180 hours of unpaid work and take part in up 40 days of rehabilitation activities.
As well as this, he was ordered to pay £500 to both victims and £1,000 in court costs.
Rajeshwari Cameron and Adrian Cameron
A Slough couple have been told they cannot keep any animals in their home after breaking a previous pet ban.
Rajeshwari Cameron, 56, and her husband Adrian Cameron, 62, of Northampton Place, Slough, were handed the eight-year ban at a court hearing on Monday, February 21.
This comes after the pair were originally handed a ten-year ban in 2009 following a conviction for causing suffering to their pet dog Lucy.
But in September 2020, Slough Borough Council officers started investigating the couple after tip-offs about their care of their current dog Lila.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel