Pets: Theft

(asked on 6th July 2021) - View Source

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of offenders found guilty of the theft of a pet received a custodial sentence in each of the last 10 years.


Answered by
Chris Philp Portrait
Chris Philp
Minister of State (Home Office)
This question was answered on 14th July 2021

The government recognises the deep distress which the theft of a much-loved pet can cause. All reported crimes should be investigated and, where appropriate, taken through the courts and met with tough sentences. Theft is a criminal offence under the Theft Act 1968 and the maximum penalty is seven years’ imprisonment. The sentencing guidelines for theft, acknowledge that theft which causes emotional distress, or where the items stolen were of substantial value to the loser, regardless of monetary worth, will indicate a higher level of seriousness and the offender should be sentenced accordingly.

There are a range of offences under the Theft Act 1968 which could relate to the theft of a pet depending on the individual circumstances of the case. Centrally held information on theft offences does not identify if a pet specifically was stolen. The information may be held on court record but to be able to identify cases in which pets were stolen would require access to individual court records which would be of disproportionate cost.

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