RICHARD COYLE HORRIFICALLY TORTURES AND MUTILATES HEDGEHOG IN BLACKWOOD

In a disturbing incident that has shocked the community of Blackwood, Richard Coyle, a 54-year-old man with a troubling criminal history, was convicted of heinously torturing and mutilating a defenseless hedgehog. The attack, carried out while Coyle was homeless and residing in a tent in the woodland area of Blackwood, was described as a gruesome act motivated by his own 'perverse pleasure.'

According to reports presented at Newport Magistrates’ Court, police officers responded to distressing screams emanating from the woodland near Highfields Way. Neighbors had heard blood-curdling cries, which, as it turned out, were not from a person but from Coyle himself, who was mimicking the voice of a woman in distress pleading for help. This disturbing behavior drew the attention of authorities to the scene.

Prosecutor Aled Watkins detailed the severity of the case, stating, “The facts are gruesome and they are troubling. We say this defendant has mutilated and tortured a live hedgehog. It is a serious and troubling case.”

Evidence revealed that Coyle had inflicted severe injuries on the innocent animal, slowly removing its legs and covering its head and eyes with molten wax. The scene was found littered with tools including scissors, candles, a jump lead, and a kitchen knife, all of which were used in the barbaric act.

Witnesses and police officers recounted how Coyle’s mimicry of a woman in distress was a tactic to attract attention. During the early hours of August 27, 2019, officers PC Lauren Lewis and PC James Goodman approached Coyle’s tent, where they could hear a woman’s screams, pleading for help. When they entered the tent, they discovered the mutilated hedgehog still alive. Coyle’s response to their questions about the animal was callous, claiming, “It’s only a ******* hedgehog! It’s got fleas.”

PC Goodman described the scene vividly, saying, “We could hear screaming coming from the woodland. It sounded blood-curdling, like someone was being seriously hurt, killed, raped. It sounded like a female voice.”

Inside the tent, the officer noted a horrific smell of burning flesh and hair, indicating the extent of the mutilation. The hedgehog was in a critical state and was subsequently taken to Valley Veterinary Hospital in Gwaelod Y Garth, Cardiff, where it was humanely euthanized.

Richard Coyle was charged with causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal and mutilating a wild mammal with intent to inflict suffering. He denied the allegations, but the court found him guilty. Judge Brown sentenced him to six months in prison, the maximum allowed under the law, and imposed a ten-year ban on keeping animals.

It is noteworthy that Coyle has a history of violent crime. He was previously jailed for two years in 2006 after admitting to manslaughter. During that incident, he was convicted of bullying and physically abusing his alcoholic flatmate before fatally striking him with a single punch, leading to the victim’s death from brain hemorrhage 18 days later. This background adds a disturbing context to his latest acts of cruelty in Blackwood.