Racing pigeons bludgeoned to death
Edinburgh, SC (UK)

Incident Date: Friday, Jul 1, 2011

Disposition: Open

Suspect(s) Unknown - We need your help!

A flock of racing pigeons were found dead by their owner having been "struck with an object".

Brian O'Neill had left his three pigeon lofts locked on Friday evening and when he returned on Saturday morning one of them had been knocked over.

When he looked inside, he saw that all 42 adult birds and 10 chicks in the loft had been killed. They appear to have been struck over the head.

The dead pigeons - valued at around £30,000 - were killed at a property on Old Dalkeith Road in Edinburgh sometime between 8pm on Friday and 7am on Saturday.

Mr O'Neill said: "I felt absolutely sick, sick to the pit of my stomach.

"The lofts have a dowel front and they'd pulled that off, the padlock hadn't been touched. There was feathers and blood everywhere. The birds would have had no way to escape.

"They killed all the birds inside, except one but that died last night. I was trying to look after it but it must have been too badly injured."

Mr O'Neill had won many awards with the birds over the years and says a lifetime's work has been ruined in one night.

He said: "I've had pigeons since I could walk, my brother had pigeons and my father had pigeons, it's a lifetime's work. They take a lot of time and it's a lot of money spent on food.

"The rest of the birds are upset and jumpy. I won't be racing this year, it's a whole year wasted and I'm not young anymore."

Lothian and Borders Police are appealing for witnesses to the killings, which have left the owner "extremely upset".

A police spokesman said: "This has been a sickening act of animal cruelty, which has left the birds' owner extremely upset at the death of his birds.

"Anyone who can assist us in identifying those responsible for this incident is asked to contact police immediately."

Anyone with any information can contact Lothian and Borders Police on 0131 311 3131, or the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

If you have information on this case, please contact:
Crimestoppers
0800 555 111

References

• - Jul 4, 2011
• « Back to Search Results
  

  Note: Classifications and other fields should not be used to determine what specific charges the suspect is facing or was convicted of - they are for research and statistical purposes only. The case report and subsequent updates outline the specific charges. Charges referenced in the original case report may be modified throughout the course of the investigation or trial, so case updates, when available, should always be considered the most accurate reflection of charges.
  
  For more information regarding classifications and usage of this database, please visit the database notes and disclaimer.