Yorkshire Terrier 'stabbed to death' in sick 'distressing incident' at a popular park

dailystar.co.uk:

investigation has been launched after a small dog was reportedly stabbed and killed in a "distressing incident". The attack took place at Orchard Park in Hull, with it being reported that the dog was a Yorkshire Terrier.

A woman has been arrested in connection with the horror incident, reports Hull Live.The RSPCA and police have refused to confirm whether there has been a prosecution.Humberside Police confirmed it was aware of the incident but said that it had since been passed onto the RSPCA.The RSPCA is in charge of handling any cases involving animal cruelty and confirmed they were looking into the dog's death, which they described as "distressing".An RSPCA spokesperson said: "The RSPCA received a report of a distressing incident involving a dog which was stabbed to death in Hull."We are now looking into this, however, we cannot discuss incidents about specific people and what action may have been taken."They added: "We understand how frustrating that is for animal lovers but releasing the information could prejudice a future prosecution or could lead to us being fined."We are so grateful to people who report suspected animal suffering to us and we would like to reassure people we will always look into and, if necessary, investigate any complaints made to us about animal welfare."Last year tougher prison sentences were brought in for animal cruelty cases which saw the maximum sentence increase from six months to five years for the most severe cases.

The changes came into effect following a public consultation in 2017, which saw huge support for more severe measures against those who hurt animals.