Increase the maximum sentence for serious animal cruelty offences to 20 years — 21 signatures. Status: open.
Raise the maximum sentence to 20 years for the most serious animal cruelty offences, with statutory aggravating factors including extreme or prolonged torture, offending for financial gain, organised conspiracy & repeat offending, so courts can sentence proportionately to the severity of the crime.
We believe the 5-year maximum sentence for animal cruelty is severely inadequate because no matter how much you scale up the seriousness, depravity or repeat offending of the worst cruelty and torture imaginable, or if offending is global and for profit, the Animal Welfare Act forces the judge to cap the sentence at just five years.
View this petition on the official UK Parliament website