Northern Ireland

Rally in Belfast urges longer jail terms for animal abusers

Dog owners brought their pets to the rally on Saturday  
Dog owners brought their pets to the rally on Saturday   Dog owners brought their pets to the rally on Saturday  

SEVERAL hundred people have attended a protest outside the Royal Courts of Justice in Belfast.calling for longer jail terms for animal abusers.

The event on Saturday, organised by the campaign group Northern Ireland Says NO to Animal Cruelty (NISNTAC), was held in response to "the culture of offensively lenient sentences handed down by the judiciary for some of the worst and most abhorrent cases of animal cruelty".

Speakers at the rally features several councillors and MLAs, including Ulster Unionist leader Mike Nesbitt, the DUP's Peter Weir MLA plus Chris Lyttle from the Alliance Party.

As well as leading figures in the animal rights community, actress and comedienne Nuala McKeever was there to lend her voice.  

A spokeswoman for NISNTAC said: "We feel that the low end sentences within the guidelines should for the low end cases of cruelty and in the more serious cases custodial terms are not only appropriate, but will act as a much needed deterrent for would-be abusers."

She added: "When our group started out we had an initial list of objectives that we wanted to achieve to improve the animal welfare in Northern Ireland.  

"As we grew, so did the number of our campaigns and while we have made some great steps we will continue to campaign until we achieve our goals."