Yesterday in Westminster Hall there was a debate on pet theft sponsored by the Petitions Committee and led in the Chamber by Tom Hunt the MP for Ipswich.
Although some people have commented to me that they did not think this was a subject MPs should be debating at the current time, they were very much in the minority. Over 400 of my constituents had signed the 2 petitions requesting that pet theft be made a specific offence carrying a custodial sentence, and many had been in direct contact with me asking to me attend the debate. I do think there are several problems with relying on the 1968 Theft Act for this sort of crime, it is very outdated and requires a monetary value to be placed on our beloved pets. I think that is wrong and we need to find a way for sentences to reflect the hideous nature of this crime, not reliant on the notional financial value of a pet.
Specifically in Wherwell a gorgeous cocker spaniel Cleo went missing on her usual walk on the 16th September. The local residents have bene in touch with me in vast numbers asking me to highlight this case in Parliament. They have used drones, thermal imaging equipment, appeals have been made for dashcam footage, but still there is no trace of Cleo and her owners are understandably devastated. There is a substantial reward offered for her return and a facebook page set up asking for information. https://www.facebook.com/searchforcleo
