AN UNEMPLOYED woman from Dartford was fined more than £300 for animal cruelty after four goldfinches starved to death.
Selena Scamp, 26, of Fairview in Green Street Green Road, was ordered to complete 40 hours of unpaid work and is banned from keeping birds for five years.
She pleaded guilty to charges of possessing wild birds, namely four goldfinches, between August 16 and September 13 last year.
She also pleaded guilty to two animal cruelty offences under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.
Dartford Magistrates’ Court heard Miss Scamp illegally kept four goldfinches in three cages in her garden and failed to feed them food and water.
On September 13 last year, police and the RSPCA found all four wild birds dead.
Two were severely emaciated and weighed four and eight grams - a healthy weight for a goldfinch is 17 grams.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article