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Michael Heseltine confesses to strangling mother's dog to death Michael Heseltine's alsatian-strangling tale was shaggy dog story
(35 minutes later)
Once labelled a “serial assassin” due to his habit of undermining Tory leaders, party grandee Michael Heseltine has claimed another victim – but this time it is his mother’s dog. Michael Heseltine has said that his apparent admission that he killed his mother’s pet pooch was nothing more than a shaggy dog story.
The former deputy prime minister confessed to strangling Kim, an alsatian, in an interview with Tatler magazine. The former deputy prime minister seemingly confessed to strangling Kim, an alsatian, in an interview with Tatler magazine.
“I went to stroke him and he started biting me,” he said. “If you have a dog that turns, you just cannot risk it. So I took Kim’s collar – a short of choker chain – and pulled it tight. Suddenly he went limp.“I went to stroke him and he started biting me,” he said. “If you have a dog that turns, you just cannot risk it. So I took Kim’s collar – a short of choker chain – and pulled it tight. Suddenly he went limp.
“I was devoted to Kim, but he’d obviously had some sort of mental breakdown.”“I was devoted to Kim, but he’d obviously had some sort of mental breakdown.”
The 83-year-old told the story of Kim’s demise when he was asked about rumours, dating back to the 1990s, that he was involved in the death of a dog. He did not reveal when the death of Kim occurred. The 83-year-old told the story about Kim when he was asked about rumours, dating back to the 1990s, that he was involved in the death of a dog.
Heseltine was nicknamed Tarzan after he swung the mace in parliament in 1976, but the Kim revelations suggest he may not be as in tune with the feelings of animals as the lord of the jungle. But after his comments were widely reported as him having killed Kim, he told Press Association it was an anecdote that had been misinterpreted. “I didn’t strangle the dog,” he said. “They have misunderstood. The dog was perfectly all right after this incident.”
In his recent book, Thenford, written with his wife Ann, Heseltine made another animal-killing confession, claiming to have shot dead 350 grey squirrels in six months. The Tory peer said he took the dog to the vet the next day and was told he “had no choice but to have the dog put down” because it was dangerous.
Heseltine was nicknamed Tarzan after he swung the mace in parliament in 1976, but the Kim revelations suggested he may not be as in tune with the feelings of animals as the lord of the jungle.
In his recent book, Thenford, written with his wife Ann, Heseltine claimed to have shot dead 350 grey squirrels in six months.
They wrote: “These foreign intruders may have a Walt Disney appeal in London parks, but to us they are Public Enemy Number One ... and are shot without hesitation.”They wrote: “These foreign intruders may have a Walt Disney appeal in London parks, but to us they are Public Enemy Number One ... and are shot without hesitation.”
Reinforcing her husband’s no-nonsense image in an interview with the Guardian last month, Ann revealed that the former cabinet minister once punched a man who approached him as he was returning home from parliament.Reinforcing her husband’s no-nonsense image in an interview with the Guardian last month, Ann revealed that the former cabinet minister once punched a man who approached him as he was returning home from parliament.
“Don’t you remember?” she said, addressing Heseltine. “You were coming back from the House of Commons, and a man approached you. He was drunk or druggy or something. And you just went voomph ... And he fell over! And nobody was more surprised than you.” “Don’t you remember?” she said, addressing Heseltine. “You were coming back from the House of Commons, and a man approached you. He was drunk or druggy or something. And you just went voomph … And he fell over! And nobody was more surprised than you.”
Heseltine may be best known for his role in forcing Margaret Thatcher from office. When, in 2002, he called for Tory MPs to oust then party leader Iain Duncan Smith, fellow Tory grandee Norman Tebbit, a key figure of the Thatcher years, dubbed Heseltine “a serial Conservative assassin”. Heseltine may be best known for his role in forcing Margaret Thatcher from office. When, in 2002, he called for Tory MPs to oust then party leader Iain Duncan Smith, fellow Tory grandee Norman Tebbit, a key figure of the Thatcher years, called Heseltine “a serial Conservative assassin”.
An RSPCA spokesman said the society could not investigate or prosecute Heseltine over the dog’s death because the incident occurred more than three years ago. An RSPCA spokesman said the society could not investigate the dog’s death because the incident occurred more than three years ago.
He added: ‘The RSPCA would never condone an owner killing their dog themselves in this way. If a dog needs to be put to sleep then a qualified vet is the right person to euthanise an animal humanely and painlessly, not the dog’s owner.”