Prosecution

The law as a prevention 

We want the justice system to work on behalf of animals to protect animals and give surviving cruelty victims a second chance - and prevent abusers from harming animals in the future. 
 

The court can issue penalties, including:

• a prison sentence of up to six months
• a fine of up to £20,000.
   

The law can act as a deterrent, but where it doesn’t, our priority is that offenders are banned from owning or working with animals, so they are not in a position to cause harm in the future. 

Animal Welfare Act

We worked hard for the Animal Welfare Act to be put into place, but without skilled RSPCA inspectors and animal welfare officers (AWOs) it would be a toothless tiger.

We rely on the support of the police, and it is the police that have the power to seize an animal, but without our inspectorate all the thousands of calls about animal concerns every month could not be answered.

The police simply don’t have the resources to investigate, or the specialist skills to advise and educate pet owners.

Protecting animals

We often get asked why we prosecute. We prosecute because animals need protecting – and animal abuse is wrong.

Our role is to prevent cruelty – by all means possible, and prosecutions are always a last resort.

Wherever possible we will use other means, such as advice and education, to improve animal welfare, including giving people time to make improvements.

But, when other means have been attempted or are not possible, for example, if it’s a deliberate violent offence or an animal will die if we don’t seize them, then we can prosecute under the Animal Welfare Act.

In 2008 we investigated 140,575 cruelty complaints. In the same year we secured 2,574 convictions.

Animal emergency service 

Last year we investigated 140,575 cruely complaints. 

In the same year we rehomed 70,179 animals who have been given a second chance to experience life how it should be. 

Animal's like Kiwi, who suffered horrendously at the hands of his owner but has been happily rehomed with a loving new owner. Read Kiwi's case study.