TWO teenagers who stamped a fawn to death at Upton Country Park have been fined £1,000, sentenced to 100 hours community service and ordered to complete a rehabilitation course.

The pair, both 17, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were sentenced at Poole Youth Court, yesterday (January 14), following a two-day trial, last year, when evidence was heard they karate-chopped the baby deer in the face and kicked it death.

The case attracted international condemnation, and around 20 animal rights protestors were at court to vent their fury at what they described as an “unjust, lenient sentence for a heinous crime.”

Passing sentence District Judge Roger House, who had already told the boys, both from Poole, they would not face time behind bars, said there had been public confusion about the power of the youth court.

He explained: “In fact, the penalty for this offence is such that there cannot be imprisonment in the youth court.”

However, he warned the pair that failure to adhere to the community sentences would result in them coming back before the courts.

Both teenagers agreed to pay £20 per week.

Animal rights supporter Linda Savage, said: “It is really disgusting that these boys were not put in prison. They have just been let off, basically.”

The pair had been found guilty of intentionally killing a deer while on land without consent, but cleared of beating a wild animal with intent to cause unnecessary suffering.

A third Poole boy, aged 16, was earlier cleared of all charges.

During the trial one of the teenagers said the deer already had a broken leg and was bleeding when they stumbled across it in long grass on June 10 last year.

He said they killed the animal to “put it out of its misery.”

Within days of the fawn’s death making headlines around the world, the boys names were given to police by a stunned Poole community.

A post-mortem examination revealed the tiny 3.6kg deer, aged between four to six weeks, suffered several skull fractures, a snapped spine and a broken leg.

During the trial veterinary surgeon David Holah told the court the otherwise healthy animal would have “suffered greatly” during its ordeal.

Lawyers representing one of the teenagers have lodged an appeal against his conviction, which will be heard at a later date.

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