Attorney General steps into RSPCA row

Britain’s most senior lawyer has told the head of the RSPCA that he could consider hiring a criminal barrister to review the charity’s controversial use of private prosecutions.

The suggestion from the Attorney General, Dominic Grieve, in a letter to RSPCA chief executive Gavin Grant, comes after the charity was heavily criticised for its £326,000 prosecution of the Heythrop.

MPs had suggested that Mr Grieve ask the Crown Prosecution Service to scrutinise the RSPCA’s policy.

But in the letter, seen by the Daily Telegraph, Mr Grieve said it would seem “more appropriate” for an independent figure appointed by the RSPCA — such as an “experienced criminal barrister” — to carry out the review.

This news story was first published in Horse & Hound magazine (28 February 2013)

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