Witness appeal following animal cruelty in Shepperton

Officers are trying to identify the man in these images in connection with an animal cruelty investigation in Shepperton.

On Tuesday 9 February 2021, officers were informed of footage captured on CCTV. The footage showed a man driving the single horse and trap aggressively along Laleham Road. Having stopped the trap and unhitched the horse, he proceeded to beat it multiple times with a riding crop. He then beat a Lurcher dog in the trailer multiple times before the dog ran off.

The horse and dog were later seized under the Animal Welfare Act 2006, and are currently receiving medical treatment for their injuries.

The footage is too upsetting to show in its entirety, so we have cropped it and included stills in the hope that someone recognises the man and can help us identify him. He is described as a white man with a stocky build and dark hair, wearing a black jacket and dark trousers. The trap is wooden trap with white shafts, and the horse is brown and white with a white harness on. The dog is black with white patches.

PS Lee Donovan from the Neighbourhood Patrol Team said, "This incident which was captured on CCTV is a shocking and barbaric assault on two helpless animals. We are extremely keen to hear from anyone who witnessed this male prior to the attack on the animals riding around on local roads including any dashcam footage. Surrey Police take animal cruelty extremely seriously and will be pursing this offender."

If you have home CCTV, bicycle head cams or dashboard cameras and were in the Shepperton area on Tuesday 9 February between 2.30pm and 3pm, please check your footage for any sign of a man driving a horse and trap in the area. We are looking for anything that may be able to help us identify him – no detail is insignificant.

If you have any information which could help, please contact us quoting incident/crime reference number PR/45210013667 via:

•           Webchat on our website surrey.police.uk

•           Online https://www.surrey.police.uk/ro/report/ocr/af/how-to-report-a-crime/

•           Calling us on 101

If you do not wish to leave your name, please call the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.