The definitive guidelines on the sentencing of animal cruelty offences were issued on 10 May 2023 and came into force on 1 July 2023.

Offences covered by the guidelines include:

Consultation

The consultation on draft guidelines for sentencing animal cruelty offences opened on 10 May 2022 and closed on 1 August 2022.

Related documents

To support the guidelines and consultations, the Council also publishes a range of documents. These documents may include consultation responses, statistical bulletins, resource and equality impact assessments and guideline assessments.

Related documents: Animal cruelty