Target: Stephen Parkinson, Director of Public Prosecutions, London, United Kingdom
Goal: Appeal the lenient sentence and secure imprisonment plus a lifetime animal-ownership ban for the individual filmed striking French bulldogs with a spade.
A disturbing video shows a woman swinging a garden spade down on a group of terrified French bulldogs. One impact hit a dog’s head so hard that the animal was knocked onto its back and struggled to stand. Roughly 20 dogs were confined together in cramped conditions inside the same home, where earlier footage captured broom beatings and kicks.
The defendant admitted to causing unnecessary suffering to three dogs but received only a 12-month community order, a short curfew, and court costs—while magistrates declined to bar her from owning animals because her children use “support dogs.” Animal-welfare experts insist the dogs endured blunt-force trauma and that keeping so many animals together likely violated basic welfare standards.
Such mild consequences fail to reflect the severity of the violence and leave multiple animals at continued risk. The Crown Prosecution Service has authority to refer sentences it considers unduly lenient for review. Sign below to demand a tougher penalty jail time, a lifelong ban on keeping animals, and mandatory counseling to send a clear message that deliberate cruelty will not be excused by convenience.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Director Parkinson,
Footage submitted to the RSPCA depicts a woman repeatedly swinging a spade at French bulldogs, striking at least two on the head while they cry out. Authorities also found roughly 20 dogs packed into a single household, with earlier videos showing broom beatings and kicks. Despite an admission of guilt, the offender received only a community order, curfew, and costs—and was allowed to keep animals.
We respectfully urge the Crown Prosecution Service to exercise its power to refer this sentence for review as unduly lenient. Confining vulnerable dogs and striking them with weapons constitutes extreme cruelty that merits incarceration, compulsory counseling, and a permanent prohibition on animal ownership. Anything less risks normalizing violence toward animals and endangering future victims.
Please act swiftly to appeal this ruling and demonstrate that the justice system will protect animals from egregious harm.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo credit: Dmitry Kalinin
