BARNSLEY MAN SENTENCED FOR CRUEL ANIMAL ATTACKS AND VIDEO SHARING

A man who posted videos on social media of his dogs attacking other animals has been sentenced to 20 months in a young offender's institute. Ben Bates ordered his dogs to attack deer, cats and wild birds before "boasting" about it online, South Yorkshire Police said. The 20-year-old was arrested after a joint investigation into the videos by animal welfare charity Naturewatch Foundation and the force. Bates, of Darfield Road, Barnsley, was sentenced on Monday after he pleaded guilty to offences, including causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal and causing an animal fight. The force said when Bates was arrested in May 2024 officers found a number of photos and videos on his phone of his dogs attacking animals on land in the South Elmsall area of West Yorkshire. Police seized three dogs and other items relating to hunting from his home, including stolen 'no poaching' signs from nearby farming land. As well as a sentence of detention Bates was also banned from having any contact with animals for 12 years. Ch Insp Kevin Lacks-Kelly, head of the UK National Wildlife Crime Unit, said: "I welcome the sentence of Bates - quite simply, no animal is safe around him. The level of cruelty and suffering he has inflicted for gratification is deeply disturbing, I am sure the public with be quite rightly shocked by this case. I would like to thank South Yorkshire Police for a thorough investigation that has taken this animal abuser off the streets."