Children's heartache as their rabbit is slaughtered (From Warrington Guardian)

Children's heartache as their rabbit is slaughtered

HEARTLESS thugs decapitated a family pet as it roamed the garden of a house in Thelwall.

Polly the rabbit, one of three owned by 11-year-old Ashley and nine-year-old Holly John, was brutally killed during the early hours of Friday morning. The children's grandfather, George Tyrer, says someone crept into the garden of his home in Mobberley Close, cut off the rabbit's head with a knife and left the body in the grass. He has been unable to find the rabbit's head, despite searching nearby waste bins and undergrowth.

"We are all very upset," said George.

"To find it with its head off like that was horrible."

George's garden is well fenced and the rabbits roamed free, but the devastated children are now making sure the remaining two rabbits, Molly and Holly, are locked up at night.

"Whoever did this tried to make it look like a fox had been in," said George, "because they had scattered its insides about.

"But a friend of mine is a game keeper and he confirmed that a sharp knife, like a Stanley-knife, was used to cut its head off. It was a very clean cut."

The family has reported the incident to the police.

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