RAEEF SAEED FROM SHEFFIELD INVOLVED IN HORRIFIC ANIMAL CRUELTY INCIDENT

Raeef Saeed, a resident of Sheffield, became the subject of a disturbing animal welfare case after he was found guilty of causing unnecessary suffering to a small rodent. The incident, which took place on Melrose Road in Sheffield, involved Saeed cruelly ill-treating a hamster and posting a shocking selfie on Facebook that captured the distressing scene.

According to the prosecution brought forward by the RSPCA, Saeed pleaded guilty to a charge under the Animal Welfare Act. The charge specifically related to his actions that inflicted unnecessary pain and suffering on the small animal. The case was initiated after a third party reported seeing the distressing image on Facebook, which led to an investigation by RSPCA inspector Jennie Ronksley.

Inspector Ronksley recounted that she responded to a call from someone who had seen the offensive selfie. The image depicted Saeed holding a hamster that was glued to a plastic bottle in what was described as a 'crucifixion pose.' Upon visiting Saeed’s residence, she was shown a screenshot of the Facebook post, and Saeed admitted to being the person in the photograph. During her interview, Saeed appeared unconcerned, laughing and smiling, and claimed he did not understand why there was such an outcry. He insisted that the rodent was a wild mouse he had caught on a glue board, although veterinary experts suspected it was actually a pet Russian dwarf hamster. Interestingly, Saeed had previously owned a hamster, as he showed the inspector an empty cage.

He further explained that he had prised the hamster off the glue board using a spoon and washed it under running water, during which the animal was squealing in distress. Inspector Ronksley described glue boards as devices coated with an extremely strong adhesive, often made of plastic, wood, or cardboard, which immediately traps any animal that steps onto them. She emphasized that such devices are inherently cruel, causing significant suffering to trapped animals. The removal process, Saeed claimed, was horrific for the tiny creature.

Adding to the cruelty, Saeed admitted that he had then attached the hamster to a plastic bottle to take the selfie, after which he released the animal somewhere inside his house. The fate of the hamster after that remains unknown, as no body was recovered. It is widely believed that the animal’s ending was not a positive one.

In sentencing, Saeed was ordered to complete 80 hours of unpaid work, pay costs and charges totaling £285, and was given a 12-month ban on keeping any animals. The case highlights the ongoing efforts of animal welfare organizations to combat cruelty and ensure accountability for such heinous acts.