The shocking report of the man who battered Chopper the cat and threw him in the river to die (The Argus, May 8) confirms yet again the RSPCA's figures that animal cruelty is on the rise in Britain.
However, until there are penalties matching the crime we are unlikely to see a fall in these offences. The last paragraph of the report said Sussex Police are investigating an act of criminal damage - as though this poor cat was just an object like a smashed window or a scratched car.
Let's say it how it is - this cat was murdered and the maximum six-month penalty makes a mockery of our smug idea that we are a nation of animal lovers.
- Sue Baumgardt, Stoneham Road, Hove
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