Teenagers who threw bricks at Gosport sheep sentenced
- Published
The Shetland sheep were left with serious injuries following the attacks at Alver Valley Nature Reserve
Four teenagers who threw bricks at sheep and snapped off their horns have been given community sentences.
The girl and three boys - aged between 13 and 15 - chased the animals at Alver Valley Nature Reserve in Gosport before the attacks on 30 April.
The group pleaded guilty at Portsmouth Youth Court to causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal.
Three of the children were given a 12-month referral order, external and the other a 12-month youth rehabilitation order.
They were also ordered to pay £59 each in compensation and £85 each in costs.
Officers discovered Shetland sheep with their horns missing and some with serious eye injuries after being called to reports of children throwing bricks at animals.
Anna Presswell, a police staff investigator for Hampshire Police, said the animals were all "visibly shaking and panting" when officers arrived at the scene.
She added: "These incidents were truly shocking and, from my experience, this was the most severe case of cruelty caused by children to animals that I have seen."