19 January 2023 , 19:02
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Two men have been spared jail after they broke into a zoo, threw a bottle at a giraffe, and left penguins and a tiger in distress.
Bradley Green and Nathan Daniels, from Fareham, Hampshire "acted in a deplorable fashion" when they filmed themselves breaking into Marwell Zoo on February 15, 2021, and posted the videos to Snapchat.
A police helicopter and armed officers were called out to the zoo in Hampshire after someone spotted the disturbing footage on Snapchat and called 999 to report that raiders were "throwing things" at some of the animals.
24-year-old Green pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal and damaging the giraffe enclosure while 21-year-old Daniels admitted to damaging the penguin enclosure and a fence surrounding the zoo.
Both men have avoided time behind bars and were instead handed a 12-month community order with 120 hours of unpaid work during their sentencing at Winchester Crown Court.
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They were also ordered to each pay £750 compensation to the zoo.
Nathan Daniels pleaded guilty to damaging the penguin enclosure and a fence surrounding the zoo (Solent News & Photo Agency)
Bradley Green pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal and damaging the giraffe enclosure (Solent News & Photo Agency)Sentencing, Judge Richard Parkes KC, said the men's decision to break into the zoo whilst it was closed to the public during a Covid-19 lockdown had been "idiotic".
He described how Green had broken a door at the rear of the giraffe house before throwing a bucket and bottle of disinfectant into the enclosure.
The Snapchat video then showed him throwing a bottle at the giraffe, which hit it on the neck.
The judge said that the giraffe became "distressed" and began knocking itself against the door, causing an "injury to its leg, with two long gashes".
A giraffe sustained injuries during the break-in (Solent News & Photo Agency)He added: "You acted in a deplorable fashion for which you must be punished. Public outrage would be such that many members of the public would like to see you in prison for this behaviour."
Ellie Fargin, prosecuting, said the pair also caused distress to other animals in the zoo.
She revealed that the next morning a plastic disinfectant bottle, sticks and stones were found in the tiger enclosure.
Ms Fargin said: "There is concern they had been thrown into the enclosure to cause distress as the tiger was behaving in a manner consistent with distress.
"Also, items were found in the cheetah enclosure."
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She also said that a life ring was found in the pool and the penguin enclosure, adding: "The penguins displayed behaviour consistent with anxiety and distress from being disturbed."
Daniel Reilly, defending Green, claimed that he was "at his very core, an animal lover" and had "deep regret and remorse" for his actions.
Mr Reilly said that Green had thrown the bottle at the Giraffe "to get its attention" and that he faced a "social media backlash" following the incident, which led to him receiving death threats.
Graham Gilbert, defending Daniels, said: "The behaviour showed a marked lack of maturity on his behalf."
He also said that his client, who worked for a contractor for Marwell Zoo, had lost his job as a result.