Animal cruelty rate 'is horrific'

A goat was found with front legs so lame she was walking on her knees

The West Midlands has the highest number of convictions for animal cruelty in England and Wales, new figures show.

There were a total of 222 convictions relating to animal cruelty in 2007, and 14 prison sentences were handed out.

In Staffordshire there were 42 convictions, in Warwickshire 21, in Shropshire 19, and in Worcestershire there were 15.

The RSPCA condemned the high rate of cruelty as "horrific".

Romain de Kerckhove, of the RSPCA Wales and West, said the animals had been the "helpless victims of our throwaway society".

Bin bag

In one case a German Shepherd-type dog was found by RSPCA inspectors at a house in Castle Vale, Birmingham, covered in fleas with maggots in its coat. It was severely dehydrated and had to be put down by vets.

His owner was found guilty of neglect, given a six-month suspended sentence, 12 months community service and banned from keeping animals for life.

In another incident a collie puppy was found dead in a bin bag dumped in a wheelie bin in Droitwich, Worcestershire.

Without the new Act, this year's cruelty figures could have been even more horrific Romain de Kerckhove, RSPCA

A post-mortem examination found the puppy had been starved and struck on the head with a blunt object.

Her owner was given a six-week suspended prison sentence and banned from keeping animals for 10 years.

In Wolverhampton, a pygmy goat was found with front legs so severely lame she was walking on her knees.

Her owner was banned from keeping animals for five years and fined £500.

Mr de Kerckhove said one of the reasons for the high conviction rate was because of the new Animal Welfare Act which came into force in 2007, allowing inspectors to take action sooner than before in animal cruelty cases.

He added: "Even in these early days, the benefits of the new law are clear.

"Without the new Act, this year's cruelty figures could have been even more horrific."

RSPCA officials said no previous comparison figures were available as this was the first year the convictions had been collated by county.