Police in Berkshire are looking for a sniper, who may have shot and killed a pony in Slough.
Sadie, a grey Welsh mare owned by breeder Reg Warwick, was grazing with other ponies in a field off Upton Court Road in Upton, Slough. Police believe the animal was shot dead between 7am and noon on Thursday 19 June.
A member of the public contacted Reg to say that they had seen the pony lying unmoving on its side in the field. When Reg went to investigate he found his mare was dead.
An examination revealed that Sada had been shot twice, once in the head and once in the body, probably with a small bore rifle normally used for field sports or pest control.
Reg has no idea who could have done this, and police enquiries have so far yielded no witnesses or suspects.
“It’s absolutely awful,” said Reg. “I have no idea who could have done this. The whole family is devastated.”
PC Stuart Bale, who took a statement from the pony’s owner, says: “This poor animal was not killed outright, but died some time after it was shot. There must be a sick person or people out there who would take pleasure in such an act of cruelty, and we need to find them before they do anything like this again.”
Slough Police Area Commander, Supt Brian Langston, says: “We are taking this incident very seriously. Misuse of a firearm in this way could pose a danger to the public and will not be tolerated.”
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call Slough Police (tel: 01753 506000), or call Crimestoppers (tel: 0800 555 111).
