Clause 28 - Imprisonment or fine
Animal Welfare Bill
6:45 pm
Justine Greening (Putney, Conservative)
I support amendment No. 157. As I said on Second Reading, I am anxious that the amendment should be accepted. As my hon. Friend the Member for Leominster said, people convicted of dog-fighting offences were given a four-month sentence, which, arguably, was insufficient. Under the Bill, the maximum will be only 13 weeks, which is wholly inadequate. The Bill has focused on animal welfare issues from the word go, and organised criminals will not be put off by custody plus from breaching animal welfare conditions.
It is important, therefore, that magistrates have the ability to give a substantial 12-month sentence if they feel that that is appropriate. At some point, it may be wise to give them the chance to give a longer sentence, but that is not the subject of the proposal. I urge the Minister to accept the amendment; most members of the public would wish him to do so.