Childs Pony Stollen And Strangled

little_critter

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I imagine that they took a rope, tied a knot to make a loop but tied a slipknot instead of a bowline and put this loop round the pony's neck and tied it to a tree and left it there as a prank.

Stupid, but without intending any harm to the animal.

The animal pulls against the rope, the rope gets tighter, the animal panics and pulls harder...
That's what I'm imagining - but no one is replying to my queries above to confirm or correct my assumption.
 

Keith_Beef

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I really doesn't matter, the fact is they stole the pony and tied him to a tree and now he is dead, they are responsible for the death as it is a result of there actions. I hope they are all equally punished and delt with.

Except that there is a big difference between deliberately causing suffering and death, and being stupidly reckless.
 

Mule

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Except that there is a big difference between deliberately causing suffering and death, and being stupidly reckless.
I hope it was recklessness. If it was deliberate I'd wager these boys will turn out to be dangerous to humans as well as animals.

I've never understood animal cruelty. It's kind of similar to cruelty to children in the sense that it targets the vulnerable. I don't understand the attraction to hurting people/animals, especially those that can't defend themselves.
 
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Keith_Beef

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They must be held responsible no matter what. There actions directly caused the pony to suffer and die.

I agree that whoever did it must be held responsible, but for now we don't know much at all about the circumstances of the poor animal's death (other than it was tied up and that it died through strangulation), nor about those who did it (other than that they are described as teenagers; and there's a big difference between a thirteen year old and a nineteen year old, and indeed between one thirteen year old an another one).
 

ycbm

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They must be held responsible no matter what. There actions directly caused the pony to suffer and die.


But held responsible for what?

We don't know whether these boys 'murdered' the pony or committed 'manslaughter' on the pony. They are VERY different things.

Just because we all know how a pony would be likely to react if it had its neck held in a noose doesn't mean that they understood what might happen. For all we know, they see tethered horses regularly and don't think that there is any issue with it, and tied it up meaning to come back when they'd found a buyer, for example. We don't know if they left it in good health and didn't even realise that it had died.

We simply don't have enough information at the moment to decide what punishment might be appropriate for these boys.
 

Nasicus

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It seems a lot of kids are unable to differentiate between real-life/reality & take your pick of the many, many extreme violent computer "games" available. Sad.
Oh give over. People of all ages have been doing stupid and/or horrible things to animals long before video games were a thing. This is a horrible thing to happen, but lets not start crying 'it's them violent computer games!'.
 

JenniD

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But held responsible for what?

We don't know whether these boys 'murdered' the pony or committed 'manslaughter' on the pony. They are VERY different things.

Just because we all know how a pony would be likely to react if it had its neck held in a noose doesn't mean that they understood what might happen. For all we know, they see tethered horses regularly and don't think that there is any issue with it, and tied it up meaning to come back when they'd found a buyer, for example. We don't know if they left it in good health and didn't even realise that it had died.

We simply don't have enough information at the moment to decide what punishment might be appropriate for these boys.
I think basically 'held responsible for everything'! If they hadn't committed the crime of 'stealing' in the first place, the rest would never have happened. Your theory that they might have (wrongly) tethered the pony to go and find a buyer sounds quite plausible! If so, they've dug an even deeper hole by selling on stolen property. Tragically, the bottom line is - whether they be 13 or 19 - an animal is dead as a direct result of their actions! They'll probably get X weeks of community service with time in between to learn how to tie knots for the next job they do! At the end of the day i feel desperately sorry for the heartbroken child and their parents, who presently must be living a nightmare. I'm trying to put myself in the parents shoes. I have children (and grandchildren) - as a lot of you out there probably have. The thought of something like this happening to them doesn't bear thinking about, and one thing I think you'll agree on is that the type of punishment for a crime like this in their eyes possibly, couldn't be aired in public, and I for one wouldn't blame them!
 

ycbm

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IMO they removed the pony from a safe environment and so whether or not they intended to harm it they should be held responsible. If someone took a child and it consequently ran into a road and got run over I would deem the person that took the child responsible for the "accident".


Nobody is suggesting that they are not held responsible. But in the example you give, you wouldn't expect the person who took the child to be charged with murder, would you?

Shall we at least wait until we get more details in a paper/on a news site, instead of just on a Facebook feed from a justifiably distraught family, before we decide to hang draw and quarter these stupid and/or psychopathic young men?
 

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Nobody is suggesting that they are not held responsible. But in the example you give, you wouldn't expect the person who took the child to be charged with murder, would you?

Shall we at least wait until we get more details in a paper/on a news site, instead of just on a Facebook feed from a justifiably distraught family, before we decide to hang draw and quarter these stupid and/or psychopathic young men?

No the facts are known and they are vile specimens of modern society. They should be locked up in youth offenders for theft and, cruelty to animals, trespassing and joint enterprise, (I think that's what the term is)
 

Pinkvboots

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No the facts are known and they are vile specimens of modern society. They should be locked up in youth offenders for theft and, cruelty to animals, trespassing and joint enterprise, (I think that's what the term is)

I agree on some levels but I don't entirely agree with the joint enterprise law, I think some younger very influenced people have been wrongly locked up and punished for literally being present during a crime.
 

Tiddlypom

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Thanks goodness for the robust legal system in this country. I am, of course, horrified for the pony's owners. This was an awful thing to happen.

As to whether the miscreants were stupidly reckless and the pony died, or whether they deliberately killed it, then that would be for the courts to decide for each individual charged, after hearing all the facts.
 

The Trooper

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It seems a lot of kids are unable to differentiate between real-life/reality & take your pick of the many, many extreme violent computer "games" available. Sad.

Really? You are blaming video games for this heinous act? Laughable.

Absolutely disgusted to read this thread though and hope the perpetrators are caught and punished accordingly.
 

Keith_Beef

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But it gives us almost no new information, other than that the pony was walked five miles from its yard to where it was found.

Oh, and that "footage from CCTV and mobile phones is being gathered", leading me to think that, as seems to be the general reaction of people these days, it's more important to film on a cellphone than to act, help, prevent crimes or accidents.
 

lovingponies

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That’s just appalling
Years ago a teenager in the village stabbed my pony with a machete .
His father had recently died and his mother had taken to the drink .
He had been taken to see this pony since he was a baby .
I still have not truly come to terms with it .
That is awful Goldenstar-the main thread is terrible but yours is dreadfully sad as well, sorry for your loss albeit years ago... x
 
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