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see link for pic to the story below.
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/columnists/fergus_shanahan/article539512.ece
SNUG in his tiny custom-made hammock, ship’s cat Kilo takes his ease shortly before three laughing yobs throw him into the Thames to drown.
When I wrote a few weeks ago about the senseless killing of HMS Belfast’s loveable little mascot, I received one of my biggest mailbags.
The general feeling was that if kids think nothing of slaughtering a cat, it won’t be long before they move on to even worse things.
Evidence … Fergus, right, with HMS Belfast’s Brad King
And as we all mourn for Ben Kinsella, another lad to die on London’s violent streets, it seems respect for life is in frighteningly short supply.But back to Kilo. As promised, I went to HMS Belfast to hand over to the crew all the sympathetic letters and emails you sent me.
On board I met amiable Brad King, who directs operations on the ship — one of London’s biggest tourism attractions and a brilliant day out for anyone who hasn’t been over this WW2 giant.
Over coffee in the captain’s cabin Brad told me how Kilo used to jump on his desk and mess up his paperwork, giving them all a laugh.
Then he told me how angry and saddened he and the crew had been by Kilo’s pointless end.
It turns out they have plenty of evidence, as Brad explained to me.
“One of our night guards saw exactly what happened. Three youngsters in hoodies — just kids in their teens really — came on to the gangplank at around six in the morning. I suppose they had been out all night.
“At that moment Kilo came strolling back on board after his night adventures. One of the kids, a girl who we think from the CCTV is called Jessica, just picked him up and hurled him over the side and the tide swept him away. He never had a chance.
“We have handed over our CCTV pictures and witness statements to the police because we want them to try to catch those responsible. It’s no good people saying it was only a cat. He was OUR cat.
“Once you start saying it’s OK to kill a cat, then where is it all going to end?
“Kids have got to learn that they cannot go around behaving like this. For Kilo’s sake I want those responsible caught and prosecuted.”
Anyone who can shed light on what happened to Kilo should contact Walworth Police on 020 7232 7058.
ok, people may say so what, but the point is respect has to start somewhere.
we had a dreadful thing up here about a year ago,, kids broke into a little zoo we have and blinded and killed the wee animals.. there was an uproar of disgust,and worse when they got a slap on the wrist. little bastirds..!
A DUNDEE MP is to write to Scottish ministers underlining public disquiet over the behind-closed-doors decision not to pursue charges against children accused of torturing animals at Camperdown Wildlife Centre.
While against any form of “naming and shaming,” Dundee West parliamentarian Jim McGovern said there was room for greater transparency in the children’s hearing system.
Two youngsters accused of being involved in the horrific incident at Camperdown in the summer appeared before children’s hearings in the city last week.
Those hearings were held behind closed doors but it subsequently emerged that a decision had already been taken by the Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration to drop charges relating to animal welfare at the council-run park.
That decision has prompted widespread outcry, with scores of city dwellers signing a petition calling for a review to be carried out by the Scottish Government.
Asked about the case last night, Mr McGovern said, “The interests of the child has to be paramount in the whole system.
“I am certainly against any sort of naming and shaming because of the stigma that can be attached at school and beyond.
“I can understand why people are emotive about this particular case. What happened at the wildlife park was disgraceful, terrible.
“I would agree that the public has a right to know why something is not being pursued. There is room for greater transparency in the system, to know who is making decisions and why.
“I will be writing to the appropriate minister and using this particular case as an example, pointing out that there is public disquiet in my constituency about how this decision was reached.”
A painstaking police investigation, including a fingertip search of enclosures, was launched in the aftermath of the break-in to the wildlife centre in July.
A deer had been slashed with a craft knife, several otters beaten with clubs and a terrapin’s eyes gouged out. A snowy owl was so distressed it killed its chicks.
Three children, all aged under 14, were subsequently arrested. It is understood that one child has been referred to a social worker while two appeared at the children’s hearings.
While a decision had already been taken that the available evidence in relation to the animal welfare charges did not meet the “beyond reasonable doubt” test, there was concern that children were out unsupervised at the park so late in the evening.
The children’s cases were continued for further investigation. The social work department will continue to work with both children.
For legal reasons neither youngster can be identified. It is not clear if, or when, there will be any further hearing in either case. No interim orders were made.
The internet-based petition website was launched after the shock decision to drop the charges was revealed by The Courier last week.
“We the undersigned demand that the decision by the Children’s Panel…be immediately investigated by Justice Minister Kenny MacAskill,” states the petition.
“These toothless and frankly useless Children’s Panels are allowing children to get away scot-free for some of the most heinous of crimes.”
It added, “Every decent citizen has once again been let down by a so-called justice system.”
Many of the signatories at http://www.justicenow.co.uk described the decision as an “outrage” which sent out the wrong message to society in general and young people in particular.
“What happened to respect for people and animals?” asked Kellie Hanton, one of the more than 160 people who had signed the document by late yesterday.
“Something needs to be done quickly before something like this happens again, and I think the kids responsible should be punished for their actions—they knew exactly what they were doing.”
An anonymous posting added, “Too often I think some kids, because of our ‘society way of thinking,’ don’t take responsibility for the results of their behaviour.
“Too often the blame is put on other things such as ‘their background etc,’ but the end point is—we are all responsible for our actions, no matter our backgrounds.”
Another stated, “I strongly object to the decision which has been reached and feel this should be re-considered.”
did the parents beat the shit out them for doin it
it is worrying if kids can do those sorts of things to animals what they will be like when they are older.
That’s awful too Rubes. Things like this go on everyday, but I cannot fathom out what anybody would get out of hurting/murdering a defensless animal?! Its upsetting.
im not too sure i WANT to “fathom” it shazza.. for the life of me i cannot begin to imagine what goes on in their heads.
sheest i was a child who brougt limping pigeons home..much to the ” oh no NOT another one” from my parents. psychologists are now trained to ask if their studies tortured animals when young.. I agree its a major giveway for later crime.
I understand how they could NOT name and shame at the time,as feelings were running high,and someone would have taken the law into own hands. No doubt the perpetrators got a nintendo Wii , and told not to do it again !
I remember reading somewhere that the two boys who killed Jamie Bulger had caught and tortured birds, cats etc. Not sure how much truth there is in it, or whether that led them to take Jamie, but it is a chilling thought.
I am not sentimental about animals, I have worked on a farm, and don’t go in for giving animals human feelings. But cruelty of any kind is unacceptable. There have always been people who are cruel, and those people don’t usually restrict their cruelty to just animals. But sometimes it is just thoughtlessness. I watched a bit of the documentary last night, Kids, Knives and Broken Lives and one kid was saying that it was gross stabbing someone, that he would never do that again, it was so disgusting. You thought, good he has learnt something important, but then he went on to say next time he’d get a gun and shoot them, so he didn’t get dirty!
Yes the Bulger case crossed my mind when I read this too. I think at least one of them had a morbid fascination with either hurting animals or watching them when they had been hurt.
Whether you like animals or not, like you say it doesnt and shouldnt make you want to treat their life with so little respect and inflict terrible suffering and pain on them.
…. awaits PB’s usual comments…..
its the sheer cruelty that gets me mims. life is cruel in the natural world.. its more worrying what makes them think about it in first place. You hit on the Bulger case. they spent days asking if without the other,nothing would have happened..a bit like evil meeting evil..is it a form of inward dare ?
were they basically good kids,who met on a random night and somehow brought out the evil in each other,to blind a deer etc? makes me shiver !
Maybe Equus was more than a work of fiction after all ?
Three youngsters in hoodies — just kids in their teens really — came on to the gangplank at around six in the morning. I suppose they had been out all night.
the parents said ??????
@rubyred wrote:
its the sheer cruelty that gets me mims. life is cruel in the natural world.. its more worrying what makes them think about it in first place. You hit on the Bulger case. they spent days asking if without the other,nothing would have happened..a bit like evil meeting evil..is it a form of inward dare ?
were they basically good kids,who met on a random night and somehow brought out the evil in each other,to blind a deer etc? makes me shiver !
Maybe Equus was more than a work of fiction after all ?
But he was psychiatrically disturbed and presumably from a very early age, and the end results were shocking!
Were the two who killed Jamie mentally ill or just cruel and misguided? The ability to disassociate yourself from your victims happens during war. Think about what was done in Iraq by Saddam’s henchmen. Or what happened in Bosnia. The thin veneer of civilisation is always ready to crumble.
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