Owner of dog that attacked Freddie the Seal not responsible for act of 'deliberate cruelty', says RSPCA

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Dominic Penna
·2 min read
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Freddie Mercury the seal was euthanised on Monday after it was attacked by a Patterdale terrier the previous day - Duncan Phillips
Freddie Mercury the seal was euthanised on Monday after it was attacked by a Patterdale terrier the previous day - Duncan Phillips

The owner of the dog that attacked Freddie is not responsible for an act of "deliberate cruelty", the RSPCA has said.

Rebecca Sabben-Clare QC, 49, owns the Patterdale terrier which mauled the seal near Hammersmith Bridge on Sunday.

Freddie was euthanised at the South Essex Wildlife Hospital after marine and orthopedic concluded the prognosis was "extremely poor".

The seal had won the hearts of Londoners on their daily walks during the current lockdown thanks to his crowd-pleasing performances on the Thames.

The RSPCA confirmed on Wednesday that it would not be taking the case any further, amid an ongoing police investigation.

"We are deeply saddened by what happened to Freddie and this highlights why it is important to keep dogs on leads around wild animals," the charity said.

"We investigate animal welfare offences. Dog attacks on animals would become an animal welfare offence if it was done deliberately.

"If no offences have been committed under the Animal Welfare Act we are unable to take incidents further. Offences involving dogs out of control are investigated by the police.

"In this instance, we spoke to the owner and as this was not a case of deliberate cruelty, it is not an offence we would investigate."

The scene of the attack - Duncan Phillips
The scene of the attack - Duncan Phillips

The RSPCA will assist the Metropolitan Police in its ongoing inquiries into the incident "if needed", its statement added.

The Met said on Tuesday that it was looking to identify witnesses and to speak to the owner of the dog involved.

While seals are protected to a certain extent under the Conservation of Seals Act 1970, this does not protect them from either disturbance or accidental killing.

The law was amended at the start of this month to "generally prohibit the killing, injuring or taking of seals" by humans, in a bid to curb the intentional killing of seals in the commercial fishing process.

More than £9,000 has now been raised by the public in memory of Freddie.

The funds will be split between the South Essex Wildlife Hospital and British Divers Marine Life Rescue, whose team rescued the seal on Sunday afternoon.

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