Two schoolboys 'slammed and stamped on' more than 20 animals in abuse spree

15 March 2024 , 10:38

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Two boys, aged 11 and 12, pleaded guilty to animal cruelty charges after more than 20 animals were killed (Image: PA)

Two boys aged 11 and 12 "threw animals around, slammed them on the floor and stamped on them" after they broke into an environmental college.

The boys both pleaded guilty to animal cruelty charges after more than 20 animals were killed in the attack in Gunnersbury Park, west London. The two boys also caused £40,000 worth of damage to animal cages at the college. They admitted to causing criminal damage and unnecessary suffering to animals after rabbits, snakes and birds were killed, reports MyLondon.

The basis of the boys’ guilty pleas on Thursday (March 14) was disputed by the prosecution which said that it absolved them of any culpability for the deaths of the animals. Both boys also pleaded guilty to a charge of causing criminal damage at Gunnersbury Park’s Putt in the Park mini golf course.

A break-in had been reported at Capel Manor College in Gunnersbury Park on February 25, during which staff said that animals had been killed and enclosures damaged. The boys also stole various animals from the environmental college including ferrets, guinea pigs, and three snakes, Uxbridge Magistrates’ Youth Court heard. Police had found three children in a changing room of Gunnersbury Park sports centre playing with a snake.

Capel Manor environmental college in Gunnersbury Park where the boys broke in and abused the animals (PA)

A barn owl called Shiraz escaped, but has since been recovered at a warehouse near Heathrow Airport and is being cared for at the college’s Enfield campus. Prosecutor Vijay Khuttan said CCTV footage of the incident, not shown in court, displayed “extreme animal cruelty”.

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Mr Khuttan told the court: “They entered the areas they should not be in and can be seen throwing animals around, slamming them on the floor, stamping on them and that ultimately leads to the death of over 20 of those animals and approximately £40,000 of damage to the cages.”

He added that he disputed the basis of the boys’ guilty pleas: “They are absolving themselves of practically any responsibility for the injuries and deaths of the animals.” Mr Khuttan said the boys were “of good character”, but that the offences represented a “significant jump into criminality”.

Lead magistrate Dr Basra said that the court felt a Newton hearing to discuss the basis of plea was not necessary because of the “young age” of the boys and the fact they were first-time offenders who had “pleaded guilty on the first possible occasion”. The boys were released on bail and will be sentenced at Uxbridge Magistrates’ Youth Court on April 4.

Sam Hall