Goose killer given 18-week suspended sentence and animal keeping ban

The goose was killed in Abbey Meadow on 10 August

A man who killed a goose in a meadow and walked away with it has been given an 18-week suspended prison sentence.

Mark Flintham, 54, of Lock House, Abingdon Lock, was convicted of one count of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal.

The incident occurred on 10 August in Abbey Meadow in Abingdon, Thames Valley Police said.

Flintham will also be offered treatment for alcohol abuse and a rehabilitation activity.

The sentence, which was passed at Oxford Magistrates' Court on 18 May, will be suspended for 18 months.

Abbey Meadow lies between Abingdon and Abingdon lock and weir

He was also banned from keeping any animal for the next five years.

Under the UK's Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, it is an offence to kill or injure any wild animal and wild birds are only allowed to be killed or taken under license.

The geese are a common sight at Abbey Meadow and last year the Vale of White Horse District Council elected to erect a fence to separate the animals from the public.

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