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Police want the public’s help to stop attacks on wild animals after a Sky News investigation revealed children were filming themselves using catapults to kill and torture.

Warning: This story contains images and descriptions readers may find distressing.

Video and photos of the kills are being shared on UK-wide WhatsApp groups.

In some, animals are shown dying slowly after being shot, while in others children kick and abuse the animals after shooting them and pose with their bodies.

Sky News discovered nearly 500 members across 11 catapult groups on WhatsApp, in which more than 350 photos and videos had been shared.

Essex Police is now urging people to tackle “a disturbing crime trend which sees wild animals cruelly targeted for fun”.

Wildlife crime officer PC Jed Raven said there had been a rise in catapult attacks using ball bearings or bits of shot.

“It’s not just catapults, people sometimes target wildlife with air weapons and crossbows,” he said.

“But any way you look at it, it’s dangerous and it is cruel. And animal cruelty can be a precursor to more serious crimes.”

Read more: Home secretary asked to consider law change on catapults

One of the messages posted in the WhatsApp group
Image:
Messages posted in the WhatsApp groups

One of the messages posted in the WhatsApp group
A voice note left in one of the catapult groups on WhatsApp

PC Raven asked the public to help them catch perpetrators and said those who think it’s “harmless fun” are mistaken as the animals can have a slow and painful death.

“Anyone who walks in or patrols our parks and towns are our eyes and ears. We need you to tell us what you know,” he said.

“We identified this trend because people were reporting incidents to us and the RSPCA. If you don’t tell us, we can’t act.”

People can report concerns to their local force online, or call 999 if they think a crime is in progress.

An image of a deer dying from a catapult wound was shared
Image:
An image of a deer dying from a catapult wound was shared in one group

The RSPCA described the online material as “horrendous” and said it was an “emerging trend”. Geoff Edmond, its lead wildlife officer, said children were “deliberately and intentionally targeting” animals “for sport”.

The Swan Sanctuary also told Sky News it had seen an “exponential” rise in birds with catapult injuries.

Volunteer Danni Rogers said the “devastating” wounds are mostly to heads and necks as a result of “pure kill shots”.

X-rays show ball bearings lodged in the birds, as well as shattered bones from the impact of catapult shots.

The animals being attacked also include pigs, deer, pigeons, foxes, squirrels, pheasants, rabbits, geese and ducks.

Images of catapults are shared on the WhatsApp groups
Image:
Images of catapults are shared on the WhatsApp groups

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Catapults are readily available to buy online, including on websites like eBay and Amazon. In the online groups, young people also trade, sell and even make them by hand – while some even promote knives.

WhatsApp said the material being shared in the catapult groups was against its terms of use.

A WhatsApp spokesperson told Sky News: “We respond to law enforcement requests based on applicable law and policy.”

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More jail time for criminals who refuse to attend sentencing hearings

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More jail time for criminals who refuse to attend sentencing hearings

Criminals who refuse to attend their sentencing hearings will face further punishment under a new law.

The government is introducing the Victims and Courts Bill to parliament today, which will include more jail time or loss of privileges in prison in England and Wales for criminals who refuse to attend court for sentencing.

Several high-profile offenders have refused to face victims’ families, sparking a public outcry and calls for a change in the law.

The families of murdered primary school teacher Sabina Nessa, law graduate Zara Aleena and mother-of-three Jan Mustafa have all campaigned for the change after their killers were absent from sentencing hearings.

Ms Nessa’s sister, Jebina Islam, Ms Aleena’s aunt, Farah Naz, and Ms Mustafa’s cousin, Ayse Hussein, said: “This move holds offenders to account.

“It sends a clear and necessary message: the justice system is not something you should be able to opt out of.

“It is not about punishment through force – but about ensuring that perpetrators cannot remove themselves from the consequences of their actions.”

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Sabina Nessa was on her way to meet a friend when she was killed.
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Teacher Sabina Nessa was killed by Koci Selamaj in 2021 after he drove to London to assault a stranger

They said the legislation is a “step in the right direction” and the proposed punishments indicate it is “being taken seriously”.

The trio added: “This change supports victims and society alike. It shows justice being done.

“It gives families a moment of recognition and a form of reparation. It is a moment of reckoning for the convicted.”

Under the new legislation, judges will be able to sentence offenders for up to two more years in prison for avoiding justice.

Those already facing lengthy imprisonment or whole life orders could have a range of prison punishments, such as confinement to their cells and being stripped of privileges, such as extra gym time.

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Former Tory prime minister Rishi Sunak had pledged to change the law after meeting the mother of murdered nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel, and Sir Keir Starmer promised to enact it.

Olivia Pratt-Korbel
Image:
Olivia Pratt-Korbel was killed by Thomas Cashman, who refused to attend his sentencing hearing in 2023

Thomas Cashman, the gunman who killed Olivia as he chased a drug dealer who had run into her Liverpool home, did not appear in court to hear his life sentence in April 2023.

Earlier this year, triple crossbow and knife killer Kyle Clifford refused to attend his sentencing when he received a whole life order.

Southport child murderer Axel Rudakubana was removed from his sentencing hearing for repeatedly shouting in January.

Sabina Nessa was on her way to meet a friend when she was killed.
Image:
Teacher Sabina Nessa was killed by Koci Selamaj in 2021 after he drove to London to assault a stranger

Undated family handout photo issued by the Metropolitan Police of Zara Aleena. A sexual predator who stalked and murdered Zara Aleena is set to challenge his sentence at the Court of Appeal. Jordan McSweeney targeted at least five women before he turned his attention to 35-year-old Ms Aleena as she walked home from a night out early on June 26 2022. Issue date: Friday October 20, 2023.
Image:
Zara Aleena was killed by Jordan McSweeney, who should have been recalled to prison at the time. Pic: PA

Justice minister Alex Davies-Jones said: “I would like to thank the remarkable families of Olivia Pratt-Korbel, Jan Mustafa, Sabina Nessa and Zara Aleena and countless others who have campaigned tirelessly for offenders to have to face the reality of their crimes by attending their sentencing.

“Justice isn’t optional – we’ll make sure criminals face their victims.”

The bill also says it will restrict parental responsibility from child sex offenders who commit serious crimes against their own children.

The powers of the Victims’ Commissioner will also be strengthened to require them to produce an independent report on whether agencies are meeting their statutory duty over the Victim’s Code to hold the government to account.

Child protection charity the NSPCC backed the move, saying they hope it will improve how young victims and survivors are treated, but said it was “not a complete solution”.

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Teenagers to drive trains due to concerns over labour shortages

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Teenagers to drive trains due to concerns over labour shortages

Eighteen-year-olds will be allowed to drive trains due to concerns over labour shortages, the Department for Transport (DfT) has announced.

The current minimum age for someone wanting a career on the railways is 20.

But with 87% of night-before cancellations made because a driver is unavailable, the government has decided to lower the age of entry by a couple of years.

Several operators rely on drivers to work extra shifts voluntarily.

At present, the average age of a British train driver is 48, while 30% are due to reach retirement age by 2029.

A consultation on lowering the minimum age for drivers, carried out last year by the Conservative government, received “overwhelming support from across the industry”, the DfT said.

Other nations which have lowered the age for train drivers are France, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland, officials added.

Transport for London opened driver apprenticeships on the Underground to 18-year-olds in 2007.

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Training to drive mainline trains generally takes between one and two years.

Assessment and qualification standards will be unchanged.

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Industry body the Rail Safety and Standards Board said its research had shown 18-year-olds are “capable of safely becoming train drivers”.

New job and apprenticeship opportunities could be available as early as December, the DfT said.

Heidi Alexander, the transport secretary, said the government was “future-proofing” the railways against “delays and cancellations caused by a shortage of drivers”.

Mick Whelan, general secretary of train drivers’ union Aslef, said: “At the moment, young people who want to become train drivers leave school or college at 18, get other jobs, and we miss out as an industry as they don’t wait around until they turn 20 to find a career.”

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Customer stabbed to death inside Lloyds bank in Derby – as two men arrested

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Customer stabbed to death inside Lloyds bank in Derby - as two men arrested

Two men have been arrested after a customer was stabbed to death inside a Lloyds bank.

The victim – a man in his 30s – was attacked at the branch in St Peter’s Street, Derby, at around 2.35pm on Tuesday.

He was pronounced dead at the scene, Derbyshire Police said.

A man in his 40s has been arrested on suspicion of murder, while another man in his 30s is being held on suspicion of assisting an offender. Both remain in police custody.

They were detained around 6pm at the same property in Western Road, Normanton.

Detective Inspector Tony Owen said: “No one else was hurt and while the investigation is at an early stage, at this time we are treating it as an isolated incident.”

The victim has not yet been formally identified, but police said his family had been made aware.

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A Lloyds spokesperson said: “We are deeply saddened by the incident at our Derby branch and our thoughts are with those affected.

“We are supporting our colleagues during this difficult time and will co-operate closely with the police.”

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