Ray Elliott was taken to court by the RSPCA for drowning a grey squirrel he had captured as he considered that that might be the most humane method of dispatching the vermin.He was reported by a neighbour.The Magistrates fined him a whopping £1,500 and the report is unclear as to whether it was the RSPCA or The Bench which suggested that he should have had it put down at the vet's at a cost of £70.
A LoonyTuneswatch coconut to the nosy 
neighbour.
neighbour.A LoonyTuneswatch coconut to the Magistrates at Burton Court.
A LoonyTuneswatch coconut to the RSPCA.
So, what should have happened then?
Mr Elliott should have put it into a sack and bashed it with a shovel with maximum power. Death would have been instantaneous. I shall not award him a coconut - but he could have done better.
The neighbour was either malicious or a fool.
The RSPCA were seeking a scapegoat to test out a new law - they were already on my list of charities I refuse to support. Such idiocy will not get them restored!
As for The Bench, the level of fine was absurd; that they gave a decent man a criminal record is crackers; that they did not give him an absolute discharge borders on abuse of power.
An absolute discharge would have sent the message to the RSPCA that this case should never have seen the inside of a court; Mr Elliott would have got the mild reprimand he deserved and justice would have been served.
Greys are a verminous, destructive, alien species which should be heavily culled - but all creatures deserve a 'clean' death. Sadly, the 'Aw-isn't-it-cute-brigade' have been out in force!
Nobody emerges from this without egg on the face.
Incidentally, would the RSPCA have acted in the same manner if this had been a rat instead of a tree rat? - I think not!
