14 DAY TRIAL // Police in the Trafford, Manchester area in the UK don't joke around when it comes to selling pets to minors.
To catch a suspect, they will go to any lengths, including using a 14-year-old boy to organize a sting.
British law now deems it illegal to sell pets to anyone under the age of 16. Apparently, after a child had previously bought a gerbil and put it into a cup of coffee with a plastic lid on top, protecting animal rights became a priority for the British police department.
Great-grandmother Joan Higgins has been the owner of Major's Pet Foods in Sale for 28 years. According to the Telegraph, she recently committed the crime of selling said goldfish after the Animal Welfare Act was passed in Great Britain, and was made an example of.
After her case went to court, Mrs. Higgins was fined £1,000 ($1,590 / €1,260) while her son, Mark Higgins, who was also present at the time of the transaction, got off easy with a £750 ($1,193 / €945) fine and 120 hours of community service.
She has also been placed under curfew and ordered to wear an electronic tag for two months. One could say she got off easy, as the law stipulates offenders can be imprisoned for a period of 12 months for this crime.
Taxpayers have spent £20,000 ($31,812 / €25201) on the trial that went on for eight months.
Iain Veitch, head of public protection at Trafford Council, justifies the severe punishment prescribed in this case:
“Let this conviction send out a message that we will not tolerate those who cause unnecessary suffering to animals.”
Well, the sting did show that this woman has no respect for the law, and it is a good thing she was punished accordingly. After all, you never know what these hardened criminals will do if you just let them roam the streets.