Court proceedings of animal cruelty offences: FOI Review

Information requested

The following in relation to the Grampian, Highland and Islands Sheriffdom again BUT also for the Dundee, Angus, Perthshire, Fife and Tayside sheriffdom:

1. The number of people charged for cruelty to animals offences during that time under Animal Health and Welfare (S) 2006.

2. The number of people convicted for cruelty to animals offences under Animal Health and Welfare (S) 2006.

3. Of those how many were issued with a custodial sentence.

4. The average length of those sentences.

Response

Apologies for not answering your request dated 12/7/2022. The Justice Analytical Services did not receive your request.

In this instance we are only able to answer part of this request. The latest available information on proceedings and convictions is for the financial year 2020-21 and is provided in the following table.

Number of people prosecuted for animal cruelty offences under Animal Health & Wellbeing (Scotland) 2006 Act Sections 19-24 (where main crime), by result, 2016-17 to 2020-21.

	2016-17	2017-18	2018-19	2019-20	2020-21
Scotland
Total prosecuted	73	73	76	79	39
Total convicted	63	63	64	64	33
Custody	4	4	2	8	1
Average sentence length in days	205	143	201	282	40
Grampian, Highlands & Islands
Total prosecuted	8	8	11	12	5
Total convicted	7	8	10	9	4
Custody	-	-	-	2	-
Average sentence length in days	-	-	-	259	-
Tayside, Central & Fife
Total prosecuted	14	15	17	14	4
Total convicted	10	14	13	11	4
Custody	2	1	-	1	-
Average sentence length in days	198	145	-	182	-

Source: Scottish Government Criminal Proceedings database

We do not hold information on the number of people charged. Crown Office and Prosecutor Fiscal Service might be able to provide the number of charges reported to them. You can contact them at FOI@copfs.gov.uk.

This is a formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA that the Scottish Government does not have some of the information you have requested.

About FOI

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