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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
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| Five arrested over suspected cat hunts | Five arrested over suspected cat hunts |
| (5 months later) | |
| Five people have been arrested and eight dogs impounded in an operation targeting a gang suspected of hunting domestic cats and wild animals. | Five people have been arrested and eight dogs impounded in an operation targeting a gang suspected of hunting domestic cats and wild animals. |
| Fifty police officers and 19 RSPCA inspectors were involved in early morning raids on houses in the Firthmoor area of Darlington, County Durham, acting on warrants issued on suspicion of animal cruelty. | Fifty police officers and 19 RSPCA inspectors were involved in early morning raids on houses in the Firthmoor area of Darlington, County Durham, acting on warrants issued on suspicion of animal cruelty. |
| Four men aged 18 and a 19-year-old are being questioned while forensic officers examine items seized in the raids, including computers, mobile phones and materials linked to hunting. The dogs impounded are six lurchers and two labradors. | Four men aged 18 and a 19-year-old are being questioned while forensic officers examine items seized in the raids, including computers, mobile phones and materials linked to hunting. The dogs impounded are six lurchers and two labradors. |
| There have been a series of reports from local people of cats and other animals being chased by dogs in an apparently systematic manner. One of the 18-year-olds is also being questioned on suspicion of cultivating cannabis after plants were seized from his home. | There have been a series of reports from local people of cats and other animals being chased by dogs in an apparently systematic manner. One of the 18-year-olds is also being questioned on suspicion of cultivating cannabis after plants were seized from his home. |
| Durham deputy chief constable Michael Banks said: "We are committed to protecting our rural communities and tackling rural crime. Animal welfare is an issue at the heart of those communities and we hope that this morning's raids reassure people that activities involving animal cruelty will not be tolerated." | Durham deputy chief constable Michael Banks said: "We are committed to protecting our rural communities and tackling rural crime. Animal welfare is an issue at the heart of those communities and we hope that this morning's raids reassure people that activities involving animal cruelty will not be tolerated." |
| The RSPCA's chief inspector, Mark Gent, said: "I hope this sends a message to anyone involved in this kind of deliberate, abhorrent cruelty." The charity's chief executive, Gavin Grant, said last week an increase in animal cruelty and abuse was putting its funding under strain. | The RSPCA's chief inspector, Mark Gent, said: "I hope this sends a message to anyone involved in this kind of deliberate, abhorrent cruelty." The charity's chief executive, Gavin Grant, said last week an increase in animal cruelty and abuse was putting its funding under strain. |
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