Away from the watchful eye of the public, a spike in cruelty against wildlife occurred with incidents peaking in May. More than 2,220 incidents of wildlife cruelty have been reported so far this year, with numbers rising at the start of the lockdown in March, with 194 cases, 241 in April and 381 in May. Last week, sick Richard Coyle, 54, was jailed for what RSPCA inspectors called one of the “worst cases of cruelty” they’d ever seen. Just 10 people were convicted of wildlife crimes in England and Wales last year, excluding ­convictions for fisheries crimes. These sick, twisted brutes who turn to cruelty for entertainment in ­lockdown should be spending a lot longer locked up.

Source: Daily Mirror November 15, 2020 17:58 UTC