2024-02-29 19:16:00
Contents
The new law imposes draconian penalties. It is argued that it is important to protect the weakest.
It was a memorable moment in the British Parliament when Conservative MP George Freeman spoke in the House of Commons not only on behalf of his constituents, but also on behalf of his cat and dog.
It is Parliament’s job to stand up for the most vulnerable in the country. This particularly included pets being stolen and kidnapped. A traumatic experience for everyone involved.
Only draconian punishments, such as those provided for in the new “pet kidnapping law,” might stop the thieves’ reprehensible behavior. After all, the British are an animal-loving nation.
The Speaker of the House of Commons nodded in understanding. This is not surprising. Sir Lindsay Hoyle keeps a menagerie of animals at home. Including a chattering parrot named “Boris”. And even the Prime Minister only enjoys temporary residence with Larry the cat in Downing Street.
There is a risk of up to five years in prison
The trigger for the “Pet Abduction Bill” is the pandemic. During the lonely lockdown times, animal thefts increased endemic. The government immediately took action and launched a “pet theft task force” in 2021.
In the future, the police should no longer be allowed to administer an animal kidnapping in the same way as a bicycle theft. No – anyone who kidnaps dogs, cats or hamsters should be punished with prison for up to five years.
The biggest nonsense I’ve ever read.
But animal rights activists and behavioral biologists are sounding the alarm. Will older, friendly ladies who give a stray cat some milk end up behind bars? What do you do if you are “adopted” by a cat?
Criminal lawyers throw up their hands
Anyone who has ever had the privilege of sharing their life with a cat knows that this law is a zoological nonsense: although cats belong to the genus Felis Domestica, But that doesn’t mean that they have to let the law tell them who they give their love to or whose food bowls they prefer.
But that’s not the only reason why lawyers are throwing up their hands: “The biggest nonsense I’ve ever read,” said the well-known criminal lawyer Matthew Scott to the BBC regarding the draft law. He can only hope that this law will be stopped by the upper house. The British courts and prisons are already completely overloaded.
In fact, pre-trial detainees wait in overcrowded prisons for months until they finally see a judge. If countless pet owners were to march now, chaos would be inevitable, the lawyer predicts.
The problem is no longer a problem
In addition, this law has long since been overtaken by reality. The pandemic is history and with it the two-legged friends’ need for cuddles. The British no longer suffer primarily from loneliness, but rather from rising costs of living.
Dogs and cats are therefore no longer being kidnapped at a record rate in Great Britain – but are much more likely to be abandoned.
1709247382
#Pet #kidnapping #law #Cat #thieves #face #prison #Great #Britain #News
