PETA Offers Gbp 1,000 Reward To Nab Dog Killer

For Immediate Release:
16 March 2009

Contact:
Sam Glover 020 7357 9229, ext 229; [email protected]

Peckham, London – According to news reports, a Staffordshire bull terrier was thrown from a block of flats and died upon impact in Peckham at around 9:30 pm on Friday 6 March. A witness saw a group of 10 to 15 teenage boys and one girl take the dog to the top of Sidmouth House in Lympstone Gardens and throw the terrier off the communal balcony. The dog’s body was subsequently dumped into a bin, and the group ran off. The dog also had injuries similar to those of dogs used in illegal dogfighting.

PETA is offering up to £1,000 as a reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the persons responsible for this horrific crime.

Emergency humane-education materials are being rushed to schools in the local area, free of charge. The educational materials are designed to help children of all ages recognise the importance of showing compassion and empathy for all beings.

The PETA Foundation’s mailing points out that research in criminology and psychology suggests that people who commit acts of cruelty to animals rarely stop there – many go on to harm humans.

South London residents have good reason to be concerned about animal abuse cases such as these. History shows that serial rapists and murderers often have histories of past incidents involving cruelty to animals. Child-killers Mary Bell, Robert Thompson and Jon Venables as well as serial murderers Ian Huntley, Thomas Hamilton (Dunblane massacre), Fred West, Denis Nilsen, Ian Brady and Jeffrey Dahmer all started out by deliberately harming animals.

“Animal abusers are cowards”, says PETA spokesperson Suzanne Barnard. “They take their issues out on the most defenceless beings available to them.”

Anyone with information about this case is encouraged to call the RSPCA on 0300 1234 999.

For more information about the link between cruelty to animals and violence towards humans or to order a free humane-education pack, please visit PETAF.org.uk or call 0207 378 0363.