Written questions

Animal Welfare: Sentencing

Commons · Question 4418 · Tabled 29 May 2026 · Ministry of Justice · Official record

Answered 8 Jun 2026

Question

Asked by James Wild

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of Sentencing Council guidelines for animal cruelty.

Answer

Answered by Jake Richards, 8 Jun 2026

When deciding what sentence to impose the courts are required to take into account the circumstances of the offence and the offender, including the culpability of the offender and the harm they caused. In setting a sentence, courts must follow any relevan...