Maximum sentences for animal cruelty

That this House welcomes the commitment by the Government to increase maximum sentences for animal cruelty from six months to five years; notes that the current maximum sentences in England and Wales are the lowest in Europe, are significantly lower than in Northern Ireland where perpetrators can be sentenced to between two and five years in prison, and are lower than for the crime of fly-tipping which can receive a maximum sentence of five years imprisonment; welcomes the Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Private Members Bill tabled by the hon. Member for West Dorset; further welcomes the Government’s indication that it intends to adequately reflect the violent nature of animal cruelty crimes by backing this Bill; calls on the Government to also urgently amend the Animal Welfare Act 2006 so that extended maximum sentences for animal cruelty do not only apply to owners and keepers and can instead also be used in cases such as that of the Brighton cat killer.